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Section: How to Apply
Below are answers to our most frequently asked questions, with links to the web pages where further information can be found.
Information on all our postgraduate degrees is at:
The deadline for the majority of our programmes, for 2011/12 entry, is 15th July 2011. However, there are exceptions to this. Please therefore check the individual programme webpage for your programme's deadline.
Normally, our minimum requirement is a UK Upper Second Class Bachelors Honours degree or equivalent. Further information of the equivalent grade by country can be found at:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/international/country/introduction
If you do not meet the required grade, relevant work and voluntary experience may be taken into account as well as aptitude to the course. Courses studied during previous degrees are taken into consideration during the application process.
For information on our English Language requirements, please click here.
Though there is a preference for first degrees to have been in social or political sciences, in reality all degrees are considered. Relevant work experience, aptitude and the reason behind your interest (as stated in your personal statement), are all taken into consideration.
Yes. You can apply for postgraduate study while you are still taking your undergraduate degree. The fact that you are still studying will be taken into consideration when reviewing your application. You may be made a conditional offer, dependent on obtaining a sufficiently good result in your undergraduate degree. You would need to provide an interim transcript, along with the other supporting documents, for your application.
Yes. You can apply for postgraduate study at SSPS while you are still studying elsewhere. The fact that you are still studying will be taken into consideration when reviewing your application. You would need to provide an interim transcript, along with the other supporting documents, for your application. You would also need to provide evidence that you had completed and handed in all coursework/dissertations, and be predicted to obtain a suitable final grade, before starting your programme at the University of Edinburgh.
Some scholarships and bursaries are available. For more information:
http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/gradschool/funding/index
and
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-funding/postgraduate
The scholarships team will also be able to help with any queries regarding Professional and Career Development Loans.
Please also check the individual programme pages (accessible from the Graduate School homepage) as some include scholarships information there too.
Our taught Masters are fully Bologna compatible, and recognised across Europe and beyond under the principles of the Bologna framework.
1 ECTS credit is equivalent to 2 University of Edinburgh credits. Our MSc programmes are comprised of 180 credits, and are therefore equivalent to 90 ECTS.
You will be informed of your offer by a message within the EUCLID system on which you apply - not via email. You will need to accept (or decline) your offer, regardless of whether it is conditional or unconditional. Your offer letter will include a link enabling you to accept the offer.
The offer response deadline on the offer letter says you have to accept (or decline) your offer within a month. Please note:
Note that this deadline is the deadline by which you have to accept your offer. It is not the deadline by which you need to meet the conditions of a conditional offer. The conditions can be met after accepting your offer.
Unfortunately, we are unable to allow deferrals for those applicants holding an offer for our Taught MSc Programmes. Applicants holding a firmly accepted offer for our MSc by Research or PhD Programmes can defer (once only) with the agreement of the Programme Director.
For some Programmes, only unconditional offers may be deferred; for others, conditional offers may also be deferred.
All our Masters programmes start in September of each year. We do not offer a January start, because our programmes last for 12 months, and the teaching components are structured accordingly.
Applications are made on-line using our EUCLID admissions system - you can access this through the 'apply online' button on the Programme website (accessible from the Graduate School homepage)
Please see our how to apply page.
Please be aware that in order to be able to consider your application we require:
• a completed application form,
• two academic references,
• interim transcript for current degree (if you are still studying)
• degree certificate/transcript for any previous completed degrees
• for research degrees - a draft research proposal
Useful guidance and frequently asked questions regarding the application process can be found here.
The most important criteria are strong first (and, if relevant, intermediate) degree results and an original, well-written proposal. Applicants should ensure that the proposal is up-to-date, well edited, and discusses an important but under-researched topic from a novel perspective.
If you find that these FAQs do not answer your query please contact the Graduate School Office on pgadmissions.sps@ed.ac.uk, and we will be happy to answer it for you.
This page was published on 27 April 2012