High Performance Computing with Data Science 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
Part-time
  • MSc | 3 years | 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

HPC is the use of powerful processors, networks and parallel supercomputers to tackle problems that are very computationally or data-intensive. You will learn leading-edge HPC technologies and skills to exploit the full potential of the world’s largest supercomputers and multicore processors. 

Data science involves the manipulation, processing and analysis of data to extract knowledge, and HPC provides the power that underpins it. You will learn the multidisciplinary skills and knowledge in both HPC and data science to unlock the knowledge contained in the increasingly large, complex and challenging data sets that are now generated across many areas of science and business. 

This is an applied and practically-focused programme where you will develop and run software using a range of programming languages and techniques. A core set of courses requires knowledge of one of C, C++, or Fortran. You should already be competent a programmer, for example in C, C++, Fortran or Python, and keen to learn new programming approaches. You can check the 'Entry requirements' section of this page for more information. 

This programme is facilitated by EPCC, a leading Supercomputing centre based at the University, which is renowned globally for research, innovation and teaching excellence.

EPCC's postgraduate programmes give students from across all areas of science and engineering the skills required to become experienced practitioners, researchers, and leaders across HPC, computational and data science, and software engineering. 

Building on our decades of experience delivering national HPC training, these programmes are based in a practical and 'hands-on' approach to learning via application of techniques and offer first hand experience using our own supercomputing facilities.

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
Part-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 a relevant subject such as computer science and informatics, physics, mathematics, engineering, biology, chemistry and geosciences.
 
You must be an experienced and competent programmer in at least one of C, C++, Python or Fortran, and should be familiar with mathematical concepts such as algebra, linear algebra and probability and statistics. Your application should demonstrate your programming ability both through your transcript (or submitted examples of code) and through explanation within the ""Relevant Knowledge/Training"" field of the application.

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 6.0 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 20 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 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • Oxford ELLT: total 8 with at least 6 in each component.
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced: total 155 with at least 135 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

Your studies will have a strong practical focus and you will have access to a wide range of HPC platforms and technologies. 

You will take seven compulsory courses, which provide a broad-based coverage of the fundamentals of HPC, parallel computing and data science. 

The option courses focus on specialist areas relevant to computational science, data science, and parallel computing. 

Assessment is by a combination of coursework and examination.

Full time Study

If you are studying the full time version of the programme, you will complete 120 taught credits over semesters one and two. You will then move on to complete a 60 credit dissertation over the summer.

Part-time Study

If you are studying the part-time version of the programme, we advise you to split the necessary 120 taught credits evenly across the semesters and the academic years wherever possible. We would also recommend prioritising the compulsory courses first, except for Project Preparation which you will need to take in Year Two.

The courses available on the part-time programme are exactly the same as the ones for the full time MSc. The only difference is which year you will take them. The semesters of courses are unlikely to change, however the specific teaching times may differ year on year.

Your programme fees will be divided evenly across the programme years.

Compulsory courses

The MSc has 70 credits of complusory courses. All students must take the following courses:

  • Fundamentals of Data Management (Semester 1)
  • Message-Passing Programming (Semester 1)
  • Threaded Programming (Semester 1)
  • High Performance Data Analytics (Semester 2)
  • Practical Software Development (Semester 1 & 2)
  • Project Preparation (Semester 2)

Option courses

The remaining credits of courses can be selected from the EPCC On-campus courses list, or from optional courses available in the School of Informatics or elsewhere in the College of Science and Engineering (subject to availability and suitability).

Option courses may have compulsory courses at pre/co-requisites, meaning you will need to take those first or at the same time.

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

Assessment

Dissertation

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

After completing the taught courses, students work on a three-month individual project leading to a dissertation.

Dissertation projects may be either EPCC-based or undertaken with a collaborator, such as an external organisation, with some competitive opportunities for placements in local companies.

Industry-based dissertation projects

Through our strong links with both industry and academia, we can occasionally offer our students the opportunity to undertake their dissertation project with one of a wide range of local, national and even international companies and academic partners.

A collaborative dissertation project can give you the opportunity to enhance your skills and employability by tackling a real-world project, gaining workplace experience, exploring potential career paths and building relationships with industrial partners.

Support for your studies

Student Adviser

All students have a named Student Adviser who you can visit in The Bayes Centre. The team 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

Where you will study

Academic facilities

EPCC is happy to provide a dedicated student study space on the second floor of The Bayes Centre. During your studies, you are welcome to use this space between classes where you will be able to meet other students at EPCC and have access to our student experience team.

You will need card access to gain access to the study space. Your Student Advisor will be able to help you with this during Welcome Week.

Career opportunities

Our programmes are designed to help you achieve the necessary skills to support career development, progressions and transitions, across many different sectors.  

EPCC graduates are in high demand from companies across the UK, Europe, and internationally. Graduate destinations for students over recent years include: 

  • Arm
  • European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
  • Intel
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
  • EPCC 

Many students also choose to go on to further study opportunities, including the PhD programmes offered by EPCC at The University of Edinburgh.

Professional links

EPCC (formerly the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre) is the UK’s first national supercomputing centre, and renowned globally for research, innovation and teaching excellence in HPC and data science.

By studying with EPCC, you will have access to our various systems, and will benefit from studying alongside our community of skilled staff, alumni and fellow students.

For an insight into EPCC’s current and cutting edge systems, visit our website.

Facilities at EPCC

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)

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals. 

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies. 

With the Careers Service, you can: 

  • access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
  • try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
  • get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
  • attend careers events and practice interviews
  • get information and advice to help you make informed decisions 

Visit the Careers Service website 

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

Due to high demand for this programme, we operate on a series of selection deadlines.

You can apply for this degree during a number of periods through the year. We limit the time we accept applications due to the high level of demand for places.

When you are able to apply depends upon your fee status.

Work out your fee status

Selection deadlines for all fee statuses

RoundApplication DeadlinePlaces awarded by
115 December1 March
231 March31 May
331 May31 July

Selection deadlines for UK/Scotland fee status

This round is only open to applicants who are eligible for the UK/Scotland fee rate, including the EU/EEA Pre-settled Scotland fee status.

If you apply with another fee status in this round your application will be rejected.

RoundApplication DeadlinePlaces awarded by
415 July15 August

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.

References

You must submit one reference with your application.

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.

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:

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

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

Jemma Auns

Postgraduate Programmes Manager

EPCC

The Bayes Centre

47 Potterrow

Central Campus

Edinburgh

EH8 9BT

msc@epcc.ed.ac.uk

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