High Performance Computing MSc, PgDip

The MSc programme takes the form of two semesters of taught courses followed by a dissertation project.

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 six 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. Assessment is by a combination of coursework and examination.

Taught courses

Compulsory courses:

• HPC Architectures (Semester 1)
• Message-Passing Programming (Semester 1)
• Threaded Programming (Semester 1)
• Practical Software Development (Semester 1 & 2)
• Project Preparation (Semester 1 & 2)

Optional courses (at least 4 of):

• Numerical Algorithms for High Performance Computing (Semester 1)
• Design and Analysis of Parallel Algorithms (Semester 1)
• Accelerated Systems: Principles and Practice (Semester 2)
• Advanced Message-passing Programming (Semester 2)
• Parallel Design Patterns (Semester 2)
• Performance Programming (Semester 2)
• Programming Language for HPC (Semester 1)

Optional Extension Courses (maximum two of, access subject to enrolment availability, meeting individual course prerequisites some of which are set by the School of Informatics):

• Fundamentals of Data Management (Semester 1)
• High Performance Data Analytics (Semester 2)
• Machine Learning at Scale (Semester 2)
• Extreme Computing (Semester 1)*

The list of optional courses offered outside EPCC (denoted by *) may change (both in terms of the addition of courses or temporary unavailability/alternative Semester delivery of courses) year-on-year due to decisions outwith EPCC's control. Updates will be provided to applicants and offer holders as they become available during the cycle.

Dissertation

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 e.g. with an external organisation, with some, competitive, opportunities for placements in local companies.

Collaborative (including industry-based) dissertation projects

Through our strong links with both industry and academia, we 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.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Our graduates are employed across a range of commercial and academic areas, for example EPCC itself as well as sectors as diverse as software development, hardware manufacturers and distributors, finance, gaming, and HPC support. Others have gone on to PhD research in fields that use HPC technologies, including astrophysics, biology, chemistry, geosciences, informatics and materials science.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

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, Fortran, or Java 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.

Students from China

This degree is Band B.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• 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.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also 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

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

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)*

Find out more about tuition fee deposits:

• Tuition fee deposits

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fees

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

Featured funding

• John Fisher HPC Masters scholarships
• School of Informatics scholarships
• University of Edinburgh Graduate Scholarship Scheme

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding