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Guide To Postgraduate Study in Glasgow
Find your PERFECT POSTGRAD PROGRAMGlasgow – there are so many reasons why you’ll never want to leave
Glasgow has plenty to offer postgraduate students, and if you love living and studying in Glasgow then we guarantee that Glasgow will love you back! Glasgow has several world-renowned and prestigious universities, plus being located in the central belt of Scotland also means that the city has great connections with the rest of the UK, Europe and also to the rest of the world. So if you're coming here as a postgraduate student from elsewhere in the UK, or even from overseas, you'll find it easy to pop home (or explore other places) during your time here.
Musical Mayhem
Glasgow boasts a massive world-renowned live music scene, with a plethora of venues including the 1,900 capacity Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom – a favourite with homegrown talents including Primal Scream and Teenage Fanclub. Or if you’re after a more intimate venue there’s King Tut's Wah Wah Hut – a cramped venue that holds just 300 people and is the place where music maestro Alan McGee first spotted Oasis. The music scene makes Glasgow a superb place to be a student.
Shop Till You Drop
Glasgow is a serious shopping destination, in fact you could go as far to say that it's a shopaholic's paradise (hmmm maybe not so great for the postgraduate student then...). Its 'Style Mile' – the area around Buchanan Street, Argyle Street and Merchant City – boasts over 200 shops, meanwhile for more bohemian shopping options you can head to the West End.
Easy To Navigate
Transportation of the almost 600,000 people who call Glasgow home is easy with the comprehensive bus services and subway system. The centre of Glasgow is relatively small, so walking around is an easy option, if the weather is in your favour.
5 reasons why you don’t want to be a postgrad in Glasgow
... or why you really do!
UNESCO City of Music with loads of gigs every week, so if you want to keep up with the music scene you may struggle to find the time to study.
1,080+ postgraduate courses – that's far too much choice for one brain to handle.
18,000+ postgraduate students – you’ll have way too many like-minded people to hang out with.
4 x Curry Capital of Britain – and the only city in the UK to do so. Imagine your waistline if you try every tasty curry you come across.
Home to the tallest cinema in the world, what better venue to watch movies in and thus neglect your studies.
Students In Glasgow – Facts & Figures
There is a huge range of postgraduate courses available to study in Glasgow, and therefore a huge range of postgraduate students.
A total of 67,000 students are living and studying in Glasgow, of which 49,000 are undergraduate students and 18,000 are postgraduate students.
In Glasgow fine art students from the world-famous Glasgow School of Art will mix with the science students from the University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University resulting in a large and vibrant student scene.
Accommodation Options (or living la vida loca… in Glasgow)
Glasgow's large student population is well served with accommodation. All of the universities offer good quality catered or self-catering accommodation in and around their central campuses, plus there is also an abundance of high quality, reasonably priced student housing.
For those opting for accommodation that isn’t university based but still well located, the private sector is particularly well provided with many students picking private halls of residences like those from Fresh, who have seven different privately owned student-style luxury accommodation across Glasgow. The accommodation offered by Fresh Student Living is safe, secure and easy to budget for as all your bills (including high-speed broadband) are accounted for in the initial fee. This makes it easier to adapt to life as a postgrad student as all your costs are upfront compared with choosing a private house share with people you don't know.
By picking private halls of residence you get the chance to meet with a great variety of students from all the different universities and colleges based in Glasgow. Here students from the University of Glasgow will live side by side with students from the University of Strathclyde, and so forth, giving you an even bigger pool of potential friends to draw from.
The popular West End of Glasgow is where plenty of students call home, but the private houses and house shares are usually taken by students already based in Glasgow.
What can you do in Glasgow when you’re not studying?
There are several music festivals held in Glasgow and a healthy live music scene from huge stadium gigs to intimate pubs and clubs.
Mountaineering and hill walking are popular pursuits and a great way to keep your motivation going as the hills of the Trossachs National Park are only an hour away.
Art galleries are plentiful in Glasgow, especially those celebrating Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who called Glasgow home.
And bear in mind that not everything needs you to blow your student budget or even cost you any money at all as there are plenty of ways to relax for free in Glasgow, with parks such as Kelvingrove Park home to the excellent Kelvingrove Museum.
University of Glasgow
There are 518 postgraduate courses available at this Russell Group university and the subjects available at the University of Glasgow cover significant areas of study such as law, medicine, science, engineering, creative arts, business, and humanities.
Tuition Fees & Costs
UK and EU student's tuition fees for a postgraduate program at the University of Glasgow start at £7,250, and for international students, they start at £19,500.
Facilities & Specialisms
The library at the University of Glasgow is one of the largest and oldest in Europe with extensive electronic records. There are separate Medical, Law, Veterinarian, Dental, Chemistry, Education and Social Science libraries. The Schools of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Dentistry are very highly regarded internationally.
Student Life
The University of Glasgow has 27,220 students, of which 8,000 are postgraduates and the majority are on the campus at the West End of Glasgow. The two student unions of Glasgow University Student's Union and Queen Margarets Student's Union are both very vibrant and active places for their members.
5 Fascinating Facts
Established in 1451.
Adam Smith, the father of modern Economics, is an alumnus.
The main library is spread over 12 floors, making it one of the largest in Europe.
Students come from over 140 countries.
Originally based on the High Street in Glasgow it moved in the 1870s to the West End.
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde offers 369 postgraduate courses across four faculties covering engineering, science, humanities and social sciences.
It is also home to the prestigious Strathclyde Business School and Strathclyde Law School.
Tuition Fees & Costs
For students based in the EU or Scotland taught masters courses start at £4,195 and rise to £5,500 for engineering courses. For students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland fees range from £4,195 to £9,000, and for international students fees range from £13,500 to £18,000.
Facilities & Specialisms
The University of Strathclyde specialises in technological courses and offers world-class engineering and science courses. It is also home to the excellent Strathclyde Law School and Strathclyde Business School.
Student Life
The University of Strathclyde has 7,000 postgraduate students plus 15,000 undergraduate students, all coming from over 100 countries. The international and cosmopolitan atmosphere of the University of Strathclyde makes it a popular place for study, especially for technological-based courses.
5 Fascinating Facts
Ranked in the top 20 research universities in the UK.
Named the University of the Year in 2012 by Times Higher Education.
Established in 1796.
Gained University status in 1964.
John Logie Baird, the inventor of the television, was an alumnus.
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University offers a total of 164 postgraduate courses across the School of Business and Society, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Health and Life Sciences, School of Work Based Education and the British School of Fashion.
Tuition Fees & Costs
For students based in the EU or the UK the tuition fees at Glasgow Caledonian University start at £5,000 and rise to £7,240, and for international students tuition fees range from £9,000 to £12,600.
Facilities & Specialisms
Offering some really interesting postgraduate courses on subjects such as retail and brand management, journalism and accountancy, Glasgow Caledonian University has a real focus on your future career. Work placements and collaboration with industry all foster this atmosphere of career-centric studies.
Student Life
There are 16,800 students in total, of which just 2,700 postgraduate students which there is a much more intimate postgraduate atmosphere compared with some of the other larger universities. Glasgow Caledonian University encourages social entrepreneurship, so there are plenty of ways to get involved with the local community.
5 Fascinating Facts
Glasgow Caledonian University Chancellor, Muhammad Yunus, is a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
It was established in 1875 as the Queen's College, Glasgow.
It became Glasgow Caledonian University in 1993 when the Queen's College merged with Glasgow Polytechnic.
The Glasgow Caledonian University Student's Association was named the Student Union of the Year in 2011 by the National Union of Students.
Former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, lectured here from 1976 to 1980.
Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art has 25 postgraduate courses in a range of art-related subjects including architecture, fine art, curatorial studies, product design engineering, and fashion and textile design.
Tuition Fees & Costs
Taught courses at Glasgow School of Art are £6,480 per year, most courses are only one year, and research courses are £5,580 for UK and EU students. International students' tuition fees start at £15,840.
Facilities & Specialisms
Glasgow School of Art features an amazing library designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This library has a global reputation and nowadays a great deal of its content is available online.
Student Life
With 540 postgraduate students and 1,520 undergraduate students makes this a small and friendly place to study. Based in the centre of Glasgow students are guaranteed to be part of the lively arts scene. Because some undergraduate courses are run in conjunction with the University of Glasgow, the students from both of these great institutions have a close relationship with each other.
5 Fascinating Facts
Glasgow School of Art was established in 1845.
The library was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
It’s the only self-governing public art school offering degrees in Scotland.
Since 2005 30% of Turner Prize winning artists have come from the school.
Peter Capaldi, the 12th Doctor Who, studied here.
Glasgow International College
There are four pre-masters courses available at Glasgow International College in arts and humanities; business, economics and finance; law and social sciences; and science and engineering. The courses prepare international students with international degrees for entry into University of Glasgow postgraduate masters programs.
Tuition Fees & Costs
Fees at the Glasgow International College vary between £17,620 and £25,140 per course.
Facilities & Specialisms
Glasgow International College prepares students for an undergraduate or postgraduate course at the University of Glasgow or other British universities. It is based at the University of Glasgow campus and students are able to use the facilities along with the rest the student body.
Student Life
Being able to participate fully with the students at the University of Glasgow allows the Glasgow International College's students to integrate easily. There are additional classes in English Language skills for those who are not at the right level at the start of the course.
5 Fascinating Facts
Established in 2007.
Students at the Glasgow International College are guaranteed a place at the University of Glasgow.
Guaranteed accommodation for all students.
Courses for pre-masters last for 2, 3 or 4 terms.
Part of the Kaplan International Group of International Colleges.
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