Your future

University of Edinburgh graduates are ranked 25th in the world by employers (QS World University Rankings 2022).

Technology is everywhere in modern life and some of the most interesting opportunities are open to those who really know about computing and information systems. Edinburgh University Informatics graduates are highly sought-after.

Career opportunities after studying at the School of Informatics

When you graduate from the School, you leave as a qualified professional, a computer scientist or software engineer. You will have the practical skills required for your profession, for example, you can build a computing system. More importantly, you are not just a programmer, you understand the underlying concepts of computer science.

Our degrees will also provide you with a set of transferable skills such as time management, teamwork, communication, self-directed learning, networking and decision making. These are just the sorts of skills that employers look for in their recruits.

While a degree from the School of Informatics can open the door to a wide range of careers, most of our graduates make direct vocational use of their degree and work in the IT industry. However, we are also proud to say, that a number of our graduates are passionate computer scientists who go into further training and study either with us or elsewhere.

Our start-up community

The University has one of the most entrepreneurial student bodies in the UK. We have helped launch more than 140 new start-ups in the last five years, with more than 10 per cent being social enterprises.

We have a very strong School start-up community which is supported by the Informatics Ventures team. Informatics Ventures are based within the School and are dedicated to helping students, researchers and others develop their business ideas and bring them to the market. Some of our graduates have started multi-million pound businesses with help and advice from the School and from institutions such as Scottish Enterprise.

Informatics Ventures

Also based in our main teaching building is Edinburgh Innovations. This award-winning programme for student entrepreneurs embodies our strong enterprise culture. It brings together a range of support services including:

• one-to-one business advice meetings
• start-up workshops and bootcamps
• competitions and awards
• events and networking opportunities

The service is free, confidential, and available to any Edinburgh student for the duration of their studies and for up to two years after graduation. It aims to help you distinguish yourself in a competitive job market and create real entrepreneurial opportunities.

Edinburgh Innovations

We also have close links to a great number of employers who regularly present to our students about vacancies and openings. Some of these companies also offer prizes and scholarships, see:

Where do our graduates go?

Careers information for our undergraduate programmes is collated by DiscoverUni.

DiscoverUni website

Data is the latest available - students graduating during 2017-18/2018-19. Due to the large increase in demand for computing graduates in recent years, it could be assumed these salaries are now higher. 

A summary of findings is given below.

Average Salary Information

On average, our undergraduates typically earns £29,000 fifteen months after completing their degree, or between £25,000 and £33,000.

This compares with an average starting salary of £22,000 or a range of £22,000 to £31,000 for similar degrees across the UK.

What do our Graduates Do?

85% of our graduates are in work six months after graduating and 10% go on to further study.

Where do our Graduates Work?

Graduates were asked about the type of jobs they were in six months after finishing their degree.

Most Common Jobs?

These are the most common job types students do six months after finishing the degree.

Where are they now?

Some examples of the type of jobs and employers that our alumni go on to work at:

For real examples of what our graduates go on to do, see our Alumni Profiles: