Design Informatics MSc

Level: Postgraduate taught

Subject: Computing and Informatics

Year of entry: 2026

Study options

Mode of study

On campus

Full-time
  • MSc | 1 year | Start date: September 2026

Key facts

School

School of Informatics

College

College of Science and Engineering

Programme website
Study location

Central Area

Accreditation

Not available

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About the degree programme

Design Informatics combines data science with design thinking in a context of critical enquiry to create compelling and meaningful new data-driven experiences, products and services.

The central premise of design informatics is that data is a medium for design: by shaping data, we shape the world around us. Data science provides the groundwork for this, with design thinking underpinning reflective research through design.

Our programme focuses on providing foundational skills on the integration of design thinking and data science with an emphasis on exploring the role of data-driven technologies in society and the potential of such technologies to be a social good. Students are supported to develop an ethically aware, critically reflective technical practice at the interface between data and society by combining theory and research with an open-ended process of making and hacking.

What you will learn

The programme will provide foundational and advanced knowledge in:

  • Fundamentals of data science and its integration into design processes.
  • Case studies of the role of user research, co-design and speculative design in data-driven system design.
  • Programming for data visualisation, data physicalisation, physical computing and responsive materials.
  • Responsible design and ethics and its application in research and practice.

You will connect data-driven technology with contexts and domains, such as:

  • societal challenges and sustainable development goals
  • health and care
  • fashion
  • finance
  • urban spaces and smart cities

You will also look at a host of other real-world contexts through case studies as well as individual and collaborative projects.

You will also touch on the ways in which emergent developments in artificial intelligence impact design processes and the ways in which we experience new products and services.

Learn about the Design Informatics MSc at the School of Informatics in this presentation delivered by Programme Director, John Lee.

Programme benefits

  • Tailor your experience to your interests and be in control of your learning: choose from a wide range of courses, from the theoretical to those that let you apply what you learn.
  • Benefit from research-driven teaching by internationally leading academics.
  • Gain a globally recognised master's degree from a world-leading university.
  • Join an active student community. Student societies based in our School host industry events, monthly student tech meetups, regular workshops and hackathons.
  • Study in Edinburgh, a city regularly voted among the UK’s top student cities (Top 2 in the UK, QS Best Student Cities 2026).
  • We are the largest Informatics department in Europe. You will be part of a large, vibrant community of students and staff from over 100 countries.  
The Design Informatics MSc offers a rare blend of creative freedom and technical grounding. The programme encourages you to explore the intersection of data, design, and society through hands-on projects, speculative design, and data-driven experimentation.
 
One of the biggest highlights for me was working on live projects that combined everything from web scraping to interactive visual storytelling, all while asking critical questions about ethics, futures, and user impact.
 
The School of Informatics is incredibly interdisciplinary and supportive, and I appreciated how much autonomy we had to shape our own learning path. 
Mansi Manoch MSc Design Informatics, graduated 2025
Mansi Manoj Profile Picture

Tuition fees

Tuition fees by award and duration

Tuition fees for full-time and part-time options are listed for one academic year.

Full-time

Graduate discount

If you are a University of Edinburgh graduate, you will be eligible for a 10% discount on your tuition fees for this programme. You may also be eligible if you were a visiting undergraduate student.

Find out how to receive your graduate discount

Deposit

If you receive an offer of admission you will need to pay a deposit to secure your place:

  • £1,500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

How and when to pay the deposit

Costs

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that you might spend £1,167 to £2,330 per month if you are a single student.

Living costs include:

  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel, clothes, books and stationery
  • recreational costs (for example, TV subscriptions and social events)

Living costs

Accommodation costs depend on where you live while studying and the type of accommodation you choose.

University postgraduate accommodation options and costs

Funding opportunities

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money
    • taking out a loan
    • family support
  • personal savings
  • income from work
  • employer sponsorship
  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Search for other funding opportunities

You can find scholarships, bursaries and other funding you might be eligible for on our Scholarships and Student Funding site.

Postgraduate funding opportunities

These entry requirements are for the 2026-27 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2027-28 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2026.

Qualifications

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in computer science, informatics, artificial intelligence, physics, engineering, psychology, philosophy, linguistics, or neuroscience. 
 
Your application should show evidence of solid computer programming skills in a programming language; HTML and web design do not count, but relevant mathematical and statistical scripting languages such as R and Matlab do, as do C/C++, Java, Python. This evidence can be either a certificate in a relevant MOOC, or a course in programming that you have successfully passed. If your degree involves a final project, your mark in that project should be a B or higher.
 
Your personal statement should discuss why you are interested in the programme, as outlined above and on the Institute for Design Informatics website, your background or interest in design, art, and information visualisation, and your relevant programming skills. We're also looking out for applicants that demonstrate a deep awareness of the social implications of new technologies, and are interesting in studying people's experiences of data-driven technologies.

International qualifications

To find international equivalent qualifications, select where you studied from the country or region list.

English language requirements

You must prove that your English language abilities are at a high enough level to study this degree programme.

This is the case for all applicants, including UK nationals.

You can meet our English language requirements with one of the following:

  • an English language test
  • a degree that was taught and assessed in English
  • certain professional qualifications

English language tests we accept

We accept any of the following English language tests, at the specified grade or higher:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • Oxford ELLT: total 8 with at least 7 in each component.
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced: total 155 with at least 145 in each component.
How old your English language tests can be
Tests no more than two years old

The following English language tests must be no more than two years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality:

  • IELTS Academic
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition)
  • Trinity ISE
  • Oxford ELLT
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced
Tests no more than three and a half years old

All other English language tests must be no more than three and a half years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality.   

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English-speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration.

UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English-speaking countries (non-MESC).

Approved universities in non-MESC

How old your degree can be

If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts.

This time limit does not apply to your degree if you are a national of a majority English-speaking country.

Find out more about our English language requirements

Find out about other English language qualifications we accept, including professional qualifications.

English language requirements

What you will study

During the first semester (September to December) you will attend lectures, tutorials and group practicals and acquire the creative practices and theoretical foundation to enable you to engage in independent projects.

In the second semester (January to March) the emphasis shifts to application of skills in more advanced projects and the preparation of an individual research/design project. In the summer, you will complete a dissertation based on the research/design project. 

Throughout the programme, you will be working both individually and in teams of designers and computer scientists. Everyone will have to write code during the courses, and everyone will have to make physical objects.

Several courses, including the dissertation, may involve presenting the artefact, product, service, or interactive experience that you have created to the general public in a show.

This programme has flexible course options, however some courses have prerequisite requirements that you will need to meet if you want to choose them. You can check the course information in the Degree Programme Table to find out if the courses you want to take have prerequisite requirements.

Option courses are not guaranteed to run every year, and a few high-demand courses may limit enrolment to students on the most relevant degree(s).

Compulsory courses

  • Design Informatics: Histories and Futures (20 credits)
  • Data Science for Design (20 credits)
  • Case Studies in Design Informatics 1 (20 credits)
  • Design with Data (20 credits)
  • Informatics Project Proposal (20 credits)
  • An elective course chosen from many options (20 credits)
  • Master's Dissertation Project (60 credits) 

Across the compulsory courses, you are likely to work with external partners, such as: 

  • TravelTech Scotland
  • National Library
  • Edinburgh City Council
  • the National Museum of Scotland

Candidates with a background in digital design, industrial design, art, architecture, and related subjects are expected to apply to the MA in Design Informatics, which is the partner programme administered by Edinburgh College of Art. Students on the MA and MSc work together as a combined cohort and study largely the same courses, with differences in option choices and around the dissertation process. 

Learn more about the MA Design Informatics

Option courses

In addition to the compulsory courses, you can choose 20 credits of option courses from master's programmes in the: 

  • School of Informatics
  • Edinburgh College of Art
  • Edinburgh Futures Institute
  • other schools in the College of Science and Engineering
  • other schools in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences 

Find courses for this programme

Find out what courses you can study on this programme and how each of them are taught and assessed.

The courses on offer may change from year to year, but the course information will give you an idea of what to expect on this programme.

Full-time

We link to the latest information available. This may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

Delivery 

This is an in-person programme, and we expect you to be in Edinburgh. 

Courses are taught on campus, during teaching hours, which are currently 9am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. To succeed, you will need to maintain a consistent level of study each week. 

Students are expected to stay in Edinburgh for the duration of their degree programme. This includes during the writing of the dissertation until the submission deadline (usually mid-August). 

Assessment

Dissertation Project 

The dissertation project is an essential component of the master's degree. It is a substantial piece of full-time independent work supervised by a member of teaching staff. 

You will have prepared for your research/design project in semester 2. The project is undertaken over the summer months, culminating in the submission of a dissertation. The project may involve design activities as well as research. 

You will typically choose from a wide range of projects proposed by our academic staff. Students who are sponsored by or have close contact with an industrial company may wish to undertake a project which relates to that company’s activities. Students who self-propose topics (including those in conjunction with industry) must find an interested supervisor from the School of Informatics. 

Support for your studies

Student Adviser

All students have a named Student Adviser who you can visit in Appleton Tower. Student Advisers provide general support and guidance to students who are encountering difficulties with any aspect of University life.

Where appropriate they will liaise with other University Support Services, so they are able to provide the best possible support and advice for you. They can also help with a wide range of administrative and practical issues to do with your degree programme.

My Student Adviser

Academic support

Your Academic Cohort Lead works closely with your teaching team and Student Advisers to provide you with study support and guidance.

My Cohort Lead

Where you will study

Study location

The course is based around the Design Informatics studio, situated in the Bayes Centre. The studio itself features a 3D printer, hacklab, soldering points and is equipped with a variety of technologies such as Arduinos, LEAP motion and 3D projectors.

Students also have access to workshops in Edinburgh College of Art such as metalwork and woodwork.

You will also have access to the School of Informatics’ main teaching building, Appleton Tower. The building provides purpose-built facilities and dedicated learning and teaching spaces, all located in the University's Central Area.

If you take courses from other Schools, these might be delivered in the Nucleus building, on the University's Kings Buildings Campus.

Design Informatics studio – video tour

Academic facilities

In Appleton Tower, IT facilities include computer labs with more than 250 high-spec machines and comprehensive support provided by dedicated computing staff.

You will have access to the University's facilities across all University sites.

For example:

  • libraries
  • study spaces (some of which are open 24 hours)
  • computing facilities
  • social spaces
  • leisure facilities

Students are also able to access equipment in the Informatics department, which includes a robotics lab, if appropriate for their work. For working in a non-Design Informatics lab or workshop, you will typically require an induction and/or supervision by somebody who regularly works in that space.

 

Career opportunities

This degree will put you at the cutting edge of the intersection between data science, design, and information technology.

This will open a host of opportunities in working with companies, charities, and the public sector. We encourage entrepreneurship.

Career Outcomes

Job titles of our recent graduates include:

  • User Experience (UX) Designer
  • Product Manager
  • System Analyst
  • AI Engineer
  • Research Consultant
  • Senior Software Engineer

Recruiting companies for recent graduates include:  

  • Axon  
  • Oesia
  • Doriot AI  
  • UnionPay International  
  • Ministry of Finance, Indonesia   

For those who wish to deepen their research practice, the course provides a solid foundation for a PhD in related areas. 

Start-ups and spinouts

The University of Edinburgh has a long track record of start up companies and innovations, including key players in the industry set up by Informatics master’s alumni:

  • FanDuel, a unicorn company
  • Robotical
  • RISE Nutrition
  • Carbon Glance
  • Predictiva
Edinburgh Innovations – start-up opportunities

We have fantastic resources through the University’s commercialisation service, Edinburgh Innovations, to help you successfully nurture your entrepreneurial ideas and launch your own enterprise.

Further study

After completing this programme, you may wish to consider applying for a PhD or other research programme.

Applying for research degrees

Moving on to a PhD (advice from the University's Careers Service)

Graduate profiles

Shivangi Bansal

Degree: MSc Design Informatics

Year of graduation: 2023

Current work: Freelance UX Designer and Web Builder

The MSc in Design Informatics at Edinburgh was a transformative experience that blended creativity with cutting-edge technology.

During my studies, I was offered a Research Assistant role at PeaceRep, which transitioned into a full-time position after I graduated.

The programme equipped me with the skills to design human-centred, data-driven solutions and provided access to an incredible network of peers and professionals.

Edinburgh’s vibrant academic community, supportive faculty, and collaborative culture made it the perfect choice for my postgraduate studies, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to work at the intersection of design and technology.

Careers Service

Our award-winning Careers Service plays an essential part in your wider student experience at the University, providing:

  • tailored advice
  • individual guidance and personal assistance
  • internships and networking opportunities (with employers from local organisations to top multinationals)
  • events such as the annual Careers in Tech and Data Fair, giving you opportunities to meet recruiters actively looking to recruit our students
  • access to the experience of our worldwide alumni network

We invest in your future beyond the end of your degree. Studying at the University of Edinburgh will lay the foundations for your future success, whatever shape that takes.

How to apply

You apply online for this programme. After you read the application guidance, select your preferred programme, then choose 'Start your application' to begin.

If you are considering applying to more than one programme, you should be aware that we cannot consider more than 3 applications from the same applicant.

When to apply

Programme start date Application deadline
14 September 2026 31 May 2026

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.

When to submit your supporting documents

You must submit all supporting documents by the application deadline, or we will be unable to consider your application. Regardless of when you apply, you have 28 days from submitting your application to supply any supporting documents through the Application Hub, after which we will automatically reject your application.

Application fee

There is no fee to apply to this programme.

What you need to apply

As part of your online application, you will need to provide: 

You will also need to submit some or all of the following supporting documents:

When you start your application, you will be able to see the full list of documents you need to provide.

Apply

Select the award, duration and delivery mode you want to study. Then select the start date you want to apply for.

After you apply

Once you have applied for this programme, you will be able to track the progress of your application and accept or decline any offers.

Checking the status of your application

We will notify you by email once we have made a decision. Due to the large number of applications we receive, it might take a while until you hear from us.

Receiving our decision

What to do if you receive an offer:

What our students say

Hear from Informatics students and staff as they share their experiences of studying on Central Campus.

Our community

Hear from Informatics students and staff as they share their experiences of the School community.

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single postgraduate taught students from outside the UK and new, single postgraduate research (typically PhD) students who:

  • apply for accommodation by 31 July in the year when you start your programme
  • accept an unconditional firm offer to study at the University by 31 July
  • study at the University for the whole of the academic year starting in September

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

We also offer accommodation options for couples and families.

Accommodation for couples and families

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

Our societies and sports clubs will help you develop your interests, meet like-minded people, find a new hobby or simply socialise.

Societies

Sport Clubs

The city of Edinburgh

Scotland's inspiring capital will form the background to your studies — a city with an irresistible blend of history, natural beauty and modern city life. 

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Hear from Informatics students and staff as they share their experiences of living in Edinburgh.

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include: 

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustments

Health and wellbeing support services 

Disability and Learning Support

General enquiries

Lines open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm

Admissions 
School of Informatics
11 Crichton Street
Central Campus
Edinburgh
EH8 9LE

College of Science and Engineering Admissions Enquiries
Phone:+44 (0)131 650 5737

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