Postgraduate taught 

Creative Sound Design and Audiovisual Media MSc

Photo of mixing desk

This Masters programme provides advanced training in creative practice with sound and audiovisual technologies. The programme offers topics relevant to practising musicians and sound designers, digital artists, and the creative industries, including sound shaping and design, audiovisual composition, creative sound recording, creative sound and media performance, and sound and media aesthetics. Later in the programme, you will develop an individual portfolio of creative practice based on your particular skills and interests.

Changes to this programme

From September 2025, we will introduce a wider selection of optional courses, giving you greater flexibility to explore your interests and shape your studies around your ambitions. We will also be introducing some enhancements to our core courses.

With more opportunities to develop practical and transferable skills, particularly in sound recording and sound and media performance, we aim to help prepare our students for a wide range of careers in the creative industries.

To reflect these changes and better represent the programme’s creative focus, the title has changed from Sound Design & Audiovisual Practice to Creative Sound Design and Audiovisual Media MSc.

This page now shows the new structure of the programme.

Register your interest for more information

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Why this programme

  • We are a leading research centre for Music in Scotland, with a supportive and welcoming community of scholars and practitioners. 95% of our research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent' in the UK’s most recent Research Excellence Framework exercise (REF2021).
  • You are supported in developing your own distinctive creative identity through experimentation and risk-taking in your sound and audiovisual work. Most courses are assessed through creative, practice-based projects.
  • You will benefit from studying in the city of Glasgow, the UK’s first UNESCO city of music, with its vibrant and exciting music scene; this includes festivals such as Sonica, Counterflows, Radiophrenia and Tectonics as well as a host of grass-roots sonic activity. There is a wide range of venues providing programmes of creative sound work, including The Old Hairdressers, Tramway, Mono, SWG3, CCA and City Halls, all of which have hosted our students’ work. The presence of music-performing organisations such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, RSNO, Scottish Opera, and the Scottish Ensemble, as well as experimental music ensembles such as the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, provides a rich musical context for your studies.
  • We work with the city’s cultural programme (Glasgow Life), and in collaboration with local arts houses and organisations such as Cryptic, to bring leading sonic artists to Glasgow, with associated workshops and collaborative opportunities for our students.
  • Your work can be showcased in our annual postgraduate event Sound Thought, which takes place at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA).
  • Your work can also be showcased at the Glasgow Electronic and Audiovisual Media (GLEAM) Festival.
  • You will have access to high-quality facilities, including a Mac-equipped audio lab and media lab; three studios, one of which features an ambisonic surround sound space; a Concert Hall with a Genelec and D&B sound diffusion system; as well as seminar and practice rooms.
  • You will be supported by award-winning technical staff.

Programme structure

You will take four core courses and one optional course. You will also produce a creative portfolio.

Semester 1

Core Courses

  • Creative Sound Recording

This course provides students with the opportunity to create an individual portfolio of recordings and audio mixes based on materials recorded both within and outside of class. Through a series of practical workshops and recording sessions, which they will have the opportunity to both lead and participate in, students will create and curate a portfolio of work, aimed at developing and showcasing their skills in working with recorded sound and will work collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes.

more about this course

This course aims to:

  • Encourage innovative and experimental approaches to capturing and working with sound
  • Develop students' understanding of contemporary sound recording practices
  • Explore a range of historical and critical contexts in which to situate current work
  • Support students to work both individually and collaboratively in planning and executing recording sessions

By the end of this course students will be able to:

  • Translate theoretical knowledge of sound recording into practical outcomes
  • Deploy appropriate means, both analog and digital, to best capture and work with sound across a range of contexts
  • Analyse, edit and compose with sound recordings across a range of different creative scenarios
  • Design portfolio projects, in collaboration with course staff, appropriate to their area(s) of professional interest
  • Co-create some assessment criteria specific to their portfolio project
  • Appraise their recording portfolio against both standard course and co-created assessment criteria
  • Thinking Through Sound and Media

Students will develop skills in aural analysis, group discussion, and the formulation and presentation of critical perspectives, relating to sound-based and audiovisual artworks and their reception, while engaging with key concepts in the related fields of sound studies, art criticism and media theory. They will also engage with a range of essay formats, including audio and video essays, as vehicles for presenting critical perspectives on art and media.

more about this course

This course aims to:

  • Develop students’ awareness of writing about sonic arts practice for the purposes of critical review
  • Enable students to develop flexible, genre-specific skills in writing critical reviews of sonic arts practice
  • Enhance students’ critical acuity in relation to sonic arts, and awareness of its cultural contexts
  • Encourage students to engage critically with a broad range of sonic arts practice
  • Enable students to build a portfolio of different forms of critical writing, to publication standard, in print or via the web
  • Widen students’ communication skills, enhancing employability

By the end of this course students will be able to:

  • Articulate insightful and well-informed critiques of sonic art (recorded or live)
  • Adapt their writing style for a range of different readerships, including both scholarly readers and the wider public
  • Write stylish, accurate, publishable prose
  • Retain clarity and fluidity whilst writing in a condensed form
  • Write criticism that articulates a clear point of view, supported with evidence drawn from attentive listening
  • Demonstrate critical openness across a range of practice

Semester 2

Core Courses

  • Creative Sound and Media Performance

This course enables students to develop their skills in live performance with audio or audiovisual technology through preparing and realising a performance as a group. The course encourages students to explore the many performance opportunities and venues within the city of Glasgow, a UNESCO City of Music, as well as on campus.

more about this course

This course aims to:

  • Foster students’ skills for live performance with technology
  • Explore live performance with technology as an experimental practice
  • Engage with the implications of deploying live performance technology, examining issues of liveness, space and media
  • Confront the practical, technical and aesthetic challenges posed by live performance
  • Develop students’ capacity for productive collaboration

By the end of this course students will be able to:

  • Devise and realise a performance centred on the use of audio or audiovisual technology
  • Select or devise technological tools appropriate to their aesthetic goals
  • Identify and address practical and aesthetic issues in live performance
  • Contribute effectively to organising live performance, addressing challenges of space, venue, and sound reproduction
  • Present clear documentation and critical reflection
  • Collaborate effectively in realising common goals as part of a group

Optional Course

One optional course, typical choices are listed below. However, other courses from across the College of Arts & Humanities can be taken with the approval of the programme convener and subject to availability.

Please note that not all optional courses may be available every year.

Summer

You will produce an individual creative sound and media portfolio over the summer:

Programme alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw or alter a programme. For more information, please see: Student contract.

Career prospects

The attributes you gain will be attractive to employers from the creative industries and are particularly relevant for careers in sound design and sound production, contemporary music, games, theatre, film and television. Previous graduates have built successful careers in broadcast media, digital games and immersive media production, and the wider creative industries, while many of our graduates undertake successful portfolio careers as sound practitioners and artists in their own right. The programme also offers an excellent foundation for progressing to PhD studies and an academic career.

Fees & funding

Tuition fees for 2025-26

MSc

UK

  • Full-time fee: £11250
  • Part-time fee: £1250 per 20 credits

International & EU

  • Full-time fee: £25320

Deposits

International and EU applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2000 when an offer is made.

Deposits: terms & conditions

The following guidelines will apply in determining whether a deposit will be refunded. Where the deposit is refunded, a 25% administration fee will be deducted unless otherwise stated. 

a: Deposits WILL be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:

  1. Where the University is unable to offer you a place on the programme as specified on the offer. A full refund will be issued in this case.
  2. Death of a close family member (parent/guardian, grandparent, sibling, spouse, child/dependent). Official evidence (signed and stamped) must be provided.
  3. SERIOUS ill health of the applicant or a close family member (parent/guardian, grandparent, sibling, spouse, child/dependent). Official evidence (signed and stamped) must be provided.
  4. Applicant does not meet conditions of offer. This may be academic or language test requirements. Satisfactory evidence must be uploaded to the student’s applicant self-service to prove that they have not met the conditions of their offer (note that applicants who do not meet the language condition of their offer must show reasonable attempt to meet this, i.e. they must provide at least two language tests which were taken after the date the deposit was paid).
  5. Visa / ATAS refusal: we will only consider a refund if the visa / ATAS refusal was based on matters outside of the applicant’s control.
  6. If a refund request is received within 14 days of the deposit being received a full refund will be issued under the Consumer Protection Regulations.

b: Deposits WILL NOT be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:

  1. An applicant decides not to attend the University for any reason not outlined above.
  2. Personal financial constraints / unsuccessful scholarship application.
  3. Applicant has decided to defer – in this situation the University will retain the deposit and hold it against the applicant’s account to secure their place for the following year of entry. You may defer twice. After the second deferral standard conditions will apply.
  4. There is still time to meet the English language test requirement before the final upload date. Please see section a) 4.
  5. Visa / ATAS was applied for too late. Please see section a) 5.
  6. Any documents used for admission are proven to be fraudulent. We work in partnership with Qualification Check to check academic qualifications. English language qualifications are verified with the provider.
  7. The refund request is received more than 30 days after the official course start date as outlined in your offer email.

Timeframe for requesting a refund

Refund requests must be received no later than 30 days after the official course start date as outlined in your offer email. As per section b)7 above the request will be denied.

Receiving a refund

  1. To comply with Money Laundering Regulations, the University will pay all refunds to the original payer using the source payment details. This is known as a “return to source” payment.
  2. All appropriate documentation and evidence relating to the original payment must be provided, when requested.
  3. All payments and refunds are in GBP currency - the University is not responsible for any exchange rate fluctuations or beneficiary bank charges associated with the refund.
  4. Where University approved payment methods have not been used, this may cause significant delays or prevent payment altogether.
  5. We will aim to issue the deposit refund within 8 weeks of receipt of information per point 2 above. At peak times this may be longer.

How to request a deposit refund

Please go to our enquiry form and select 'Fees and Deposit' as the enquiry reason and then 'Can I have a deposit refund?'.

Please upload all supporting documentation to your applicant self-service portal before submitting the above request.


Additional fees

  • Fee for re-assessment of a dissertation (PGT programme): £370
  • Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed: £350
  • Registration/exam only fee: £170

Funding opportunities

Beatrix Whistler and James McNeill Whistler Scholarship

The Beatrix Whistler and James McNeill Whistler Scholarships originate with an important collection of works by Whistler gifted by Miss Rosalind Birnie Philip to the University in 1935. Since then, and thanks to further gifts and acquisitions, the Hunterian has come to hold one of the two leading collections of Whistler’s work in the world and History of Art (SCCA) has become an international centre of expertise for the study of Whistler and his 19th century world.  

At her death in 1958, Miss Birnie Philip, Whistler’s heir and executrix, bequeathed the remainder of her art collection to the University, together with part of her residual estate for the purpose of establishing a scholarship scheme for students engaged in any branch of learning within the College of Arts & Humanities. In 2019, the Whistler scholarships scheme was revised in acknowledgement of the continuing links between Miss Birnie Philip’s 1958 bequest of artworks and her wish to support student learning at the University. 

The Whistler Scholarships are open to students in all disciplines of the College of Arts & Humanities. The award committee is willing to consider both individual applications AND joint applications (from up to THREE students). Innovative interdisciplinary work is particularly encouraged. However, students may only involve themselves in the submission of ONE application (individual OR joint).

The Whistler Scholarships cover travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses ONLY. 

GREAT Scholarships 2025

In partnership with the British Council and the GREAT Britain Campaign, University of Glasgow is offering 3 scholarships to students in Greece, Egypt, China, Mexico, Turkey, Spain or Thailand applying for postgraduate courses in any subject (excluding MBA and MSc by Research courses). All eligible courses can be viewed under the 'eligible programmes' tab on this webpage. 

The scholarship offers financial support of £10,000 to students pursuing one-year postgraduate study in the UK. This discount cannot be combined with another University scholarship.

The Snowdon Trust Master’s Scholarship

The Snowdon Trust Master’s Scholarship is accelerating exceptional Disabled Students through masters’ programmes into leadership positions to create change.

Do you have ambitions to change the world? Are you pioneering in your field? Are you creating change for Disabled People? Let us open some doors.

We are searching for individuals who choose to use their lived experience of disabling barriers to make a difference. To create change.

Applications open 15 January 2025.

Please see Snowdon Trust, Investing in Disabled Students website for more details.

Banco de Mexico

The Mexican National Bank (Banco de Mexico) provides special loans for students who wish to undertake a programme of postgraduate study. The University of Glasgow in partnership with Bank of Mexico FIDERH is offering a fee discount to holders of a Bank of Mexico FIDERH loan. See the FIDERH website for further information.

Erasmus+ Master Degree Loans

Erasmus+ Master Degree Loans are EU-guaranteed loans with favourable pay-back terms. They’re designed to help prospective students finance their Master’s courses in an Erasmus+ Programme country while leaving as little of a lasting economic footprint as possible.

The scheme is designed to provide postgraduate students with the means to pay their tuition and living expenses – thereby allowing individuals to focus on their degree instead of managing their bank balance. The programme aims to be as inclusive as possible, working under the following guidelines:

  • No need for collateral from students or parents - ensuring equality of access
  • Favourable, better-than-market interest rates
  • Pay-back terms that allow graduates up to two years to find work before beginning repayment.

Please visit the Erasmus+ Master Degree Loans website for more information.

DAAD-University of Glasgow 1-year Master’s grant

The University of Glasgow will offer a full tuition waiver to those students that successfully apply and are nominated by DAAD to the University. DAAD offers a monthly stipend and travel bursary, as well as health, accident, and personal liability insurance coverage in addition to the full tuition fee waiver from the University of Glasgow.

Wichtige Hinweise zu DAAD-Stipendien - DAAD (general info on DAAD tuition fee reimbursement)

Current list of tuition reduction / waiving offers (not including U Glasgow yet) : Stipendien für ein Masterstudium im Ausland - DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst

Colfuturo Fundacion para el Futuro de Colombia

The University of Glasgow offer discounts to all successful Fundacion para el Futuro de Colombia (Colfuturo) scholars who enrol at the University of Glasgow to complete a postgraduate programme.

Commonwealth Scholarship Schemes

Commonwealth Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development, and are offered to citizens from low and middle income Commonwealth countries. The majority of Scholarships are funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), with the aim of contributing to the UK’s international development aims and wider overseas interests, supporting excellence in UK higher education, and sustaining the principles of the Commonwealth.

Chevening Scholarship

Chevening Scholarships are the UK government's global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations. The scholarships are awarded to outstanding scholars with leadership potential. Awards are typically for a one year Master’s degree at universities across the UK. There are over 50,000 Chevening Alumni around the world who together comprise an influential and highly regarded global network.

For further information, please refer to the Chevening website.

ANID (la Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo)

The University of Glasgow offers a 25% discount to all successful ANID scholars who enrol at the University of Glasgow to complete a postgraduate programme.

(Please note that this scholarship was previously known as CONICyT)

University of Glasgow African Excellence Award

The University of Glasgow African Excellence Award aims to support high achieving students from across Africa in their journey to become Future World Changers.  We are looking for students who wish to undertake Masters level study, to further develop their knowledge and skills, in order to positively contribute to their community in the future. 

The University is offering up to 15 scholarships for International students from Africa, starting a 1 year postgraduate taught Masters programme, in any discipline for academic session 2025/26.  The scholarship is a full tuition fee waiver. 

CONACyT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia) / FUNED Agreement

CONACYT offers a non-refundable scholarship, a monthly stipend and medical insurance of an approximate total of $20,000 USD (in the case of the UK, no medical insurance grant is given since students are already covered by the National Health System) The University of Glasgow offer a 30% discount to all successful CONACyT scholars who enrol at the University of Glasgow to complete a postgraduate programme.

University of Glasgow Caribbean Excellence Award

The University of Glasgow Caribbean Excellence Award aims to support high achieving students from across the Caribbean in their journey to become Future World Changers.  We are looking for students who wish to undertake Masters level study, to further develop their knowledge and skills, in order to positively contribute to their community in the future. 

The University is offering up to 5 scholarships for International students from the Caribbean, starting a 1 year postgraduate taught Masters programme, in any discipline for academic session 2025/26.  The scholarship is a full tuition fee waiver. 

World Changers Glasgow Scholarship

The University of Glasgow is proud to announce the World Changers Glasgow Scholarship for September 2025 entry to acknowledge incredible applicants from India, Singapore, Nigeria, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Vietnam, Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Territories, Syria, Yemen, Mexico, Brazil, Lebanon and Colombia. The scholarship is awarded as a £5,000 tuition fee discount and will automatically awarded to all eligible applicants. 

Postgraduate Student Loan (Scotland and EU)

Eligible full-time and part-time students, undertaking an eligible postgraduate course, can apply for a tuition fee loan up to a maximum of £7,000 towards their course. Eligible full-time postgraduate students can apply for a living-cost loan of up to £4,500.  

This support extends to online Masters or Postgraduate Diplomas, and not to the online Postgraduate Certificate courses.

For more information visit the SAAS website.

Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loans England only (PTFL)

If you’re an English student looking to study a taught Masters programme in Glasgow then you can apply for a student loan. Students from England are able to apply for a non-means tested Postgraduate Master’s Loan of up to £11,570 to help with course fees and living costs. You have to repay your Postgraduate Master’s Loan at the same time as any other student loans you have. You’ll be charged interest from the day you get the first payment.

If you’re studying by distance learning, you can also apply.

Postgraduate Loans for Welsh Students

If you are a Welsh student looking to study a postgraduate programme* in Glasgow then you can apply for a student loan in exactly the same way as you would for a Welsh University.

* does not apply to Erasmus Mundus programmes

For more information visit Student Finance Wales

Alumni Discount

In response to the current unprecedented economic climate, the University is offering a 20% discount on all Postgraduate Research and full Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni, commencing study in Academic session 2025/26. This includes University of Glasgow graduates and those who have completed a Study Abroad programme, International Summer School programme or the Erasmus Programme at the University of Glasgow. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online programmes. This discount can be awarded alongside most University scholarships.

Postgraduate Access Scholarship

The University of Glasgow is pleased to be offering Postgraduate Access Scholarships to support Home students who could face financial difficulties in taking up their place to study at the University. Applications are particularly welcomed from applicants who met any of our widening participation criteria, or equivalent, at undergraduate level. The value of each scholarship is £4,000 and they are for students undertaking a one or two year Taught Masters programme. For two year Taught Masters programmes, the scholarship is available in year one only.

Glasgow Excellence Award (UK)

The University of Glasgow has a total of 40 Glasgow Excellence Scholarships available to UK students entering any of the University’s Colleges.

Global Leadership Scholarship

The University of Glasgow has several Global Leadership Scholarships available to International fee students starting a postgraduate taught Masters programme in any discipline for Academic Session 2025/2026. The scholarship is awarded as a tuition fees discount.

HESPAL Scholarship

The University has worked in partnership with the British Council in a scheme to provide Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL), for the past decade.

Through the HESPAL scheme, we have been able to offer fee waivers to students from the Palestinian Territories, enhancing educational opportunities for deserving individuals.

Considering the current challenges and the significant obstacles faced by individuals impacted by the conflict in leaving the area, the University of Glasgow extends their support in the academic year 2025/2026 to offer up to 3 postgraduate taught scholarships and up to 2 postgraduate research scholarships.

This scholarship is offered as a full fee discount.

Postgraduate Student Loan (NI)

If you are a Northern Irish student looking to study a taught Masters programme* in Glasgow then you can apply for a student loan in exactly the same way as you would for a University in Northern Ireland.

Northern Irish students are able to apply for non-means-tested tuition fee loans of up to £5,500, to help with the costs of funding.

For more information visit www.studentfinanceni.co.uk/types-of-finance/postgraduate .

* does not apply to Erasmus Mundus programmes

World Changers Glasgow Scholarship PGT (EU)

The University of Glasgow continues to be committed to ensuring a strong relationship with our existing and future EU students, and supporting EU talent to make their home at the University of Glasgow. 

We appreciate the challenging financial implications that have arisen for our European applicants, and are therefore delighted to offer the World Changers Glasgow Scholarship PGT (EU) to new incoming EU students starting an postgraduate programme for Academic Session 2025-26. The scholarship is awarded as a tuition fee discount of £5,000 for every year of study and is subject to satisfactory progress for consecutive years of study. This discount cannot be combined with another University scholarship.

Applicants that completed a Study Abroad year, Exchange programme or International Summer School at the University of Glasgow and therefore eligible for the Alumni discount could be granted the EU Welcome Award, as well.

Sanctuary Scholarships

The University of Glasgow is offering up to 30 Sanctuary Scholarships for applicants to the University, who have been forced to travel to the UK for humanitarian reasons and are facing challenges in progressing onto Higher Education. The scholarship is open to prospective undergraduate and postgraduate taught students at the University of Glasgow applying for entry in September 2025/26. Please note that you must have applied to the University before submitting an application for this scholarship.

The scholarship will meet the cost of tuition fees for the duration of your programme, for applicants who are unable to access mainstream funding through Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) or Student Finance. The Sanctuary Scholarship also provides a £5,000 per year stipend, to assist with study costs. In addition, if the eligibility criteria for university accommodation is met, this will also be provided for the duration of your degree, if required. For more information on the accommodation criteria, please see the Accommodation Services section on the website.

Undergraduate students with refugee status (or equivalent) and access to funding, are eligible to apply for the scholarship and would receive the £5,000 stipend towards study costs only, if successful.

Postgraduate Taught Masters students with refugee status (or equivalent) and access to funding, are eligible to apply for the scholarship and would receive the £5,000 stipend towards study costs and a partial tuition fee waiver, to cover any shortfall not met by your Postgraduate Masters tuition fee loan.

The Dima Alhaj Scholarship

The Dima Alhaj Scholarship was set up in 2024 in memory of a University of Glasgow alumna.  After graduating, Dima worked in Gaza with the World Health Organization as a patient administrator at the limb reconstruction centre, as part of the trauma and emergency team and was tragically killed in Gaza in November 2023.  The Scholarship is open to a Palestinian National who is living in or has been forced to leave the State of Palestine due to humanitarian reasons. The chosen applicant may be domiciled in any country but must be a Palestinian National.  The scholarship is open to prospective undergraduate and postgraduate taught applicants to the University of Glasgow applying for entry in September 2025/26.

The Clan Gregor Society Prize

The Clan Gregor Society is offering an award incoming students to the University of Glasgow who descend from Clan Gregor. Students will be asked to submit an application highlighting areas of consideration such as academic excellence and financial need. The award is open to both Undergraduate and Postgraduate applicants who are joining us for 2026/27 entry.

Travel Bursary for Forced Migrants

The University of Glasgow is offering travel bursaries to assist with public transport travel costs, to support undergraduate and postgraduate students are currently asylum seekers and who could face financial difficulties in taking up their place to study at the University for 2025 entry. The value of the bursary is 50% of your monthly public transport travel costs to get to University, up to a maximum value of £50 per month.

Glasgow Highland Society Scholarship

The University of Glasgow is excited to promote this scholarship opportunity on behalf of the Glasgow Highland Society. 

The Glasgow Highland Society is offering multiple grants of up to £500 for new and continuing students of Glasgow university who fit the eligibility requirements of the scholarship

The scholarships above are relevant to this programme. For more funding opportunities search the scholarships database

Entry requirements

2.1 Hons (or non-UK equivalent) in Music or Audio; we also accept degrees in other relevant subjects such as other areas of arts & humanities, fine arts, art & design, performance, electronics, computing or acoustics.

We may also accept degrees in Arts or Humanities subjects.

We may sometimes accept degrees at 2.2 Hons or non-UK equivalent.

Work experience may be considered in lieu of qualifications.

A personal statement is required for this programme.

Applicants should have some experience of working creatively with sound, audiovisual media, digital media or music technology and submit a portfolio for entry including examples of your prior work in this areas. This can be done through common streaming services such as SoundCloud, Vimeo or YouTube, or through a file sharing or transfer service.

Normally applicants should provide two or three examples of their work in audio or video format as appropriate. Applicants should include links to their work in a document uploaded with the online application.

English language requirements

For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

  • 6.5 with no subtests under 6.0
  • IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Common equivalent English language qualifications for entry to this programme

TOEFL (ibt, mybest or athome)

  • 90 overall with Reading 20; Listening 19; Speaking 19; Writing 21
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements, this includes TOEFL mybest.

Pearsons PTE Academic

  • 59 with minimum 59 in all subtests
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) 

  • 176 overall, no subtest less than 169
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Oxford English Test

  • 7 overall with no subtest less than 6
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

LanguageCert Academic SELT

  • 70 overall with no subtest less than 60
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Password Skills Plus

  • 6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Trinity College Tests

  • Integrated Skills in English II & III & IV: ISEII Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

  • Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.

Alternatives to English Language qualification

  • Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
    • students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
  • Undergraduate 2+2 degrees from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
    • students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

  • direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
  • essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
  • flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

  • Heriot Watt
  • Kingston Upon Thames
  • Middlesex University
  • Manchester University
  • Reading University
  • Edinburgh University
  • ST Andrews University
  • UCL
  • Durham.

 

For further information about English language requirements, please contact the Recruitment and International Office using our enquiry form

International students

We are proud of our diverse University community that includes students and staff from more than 140 different countries.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught degree you must apply online. We cannot accept applications any other way.

Please check you meet the Entry requirements for this programme before you begin your application.

Documents

As part of your online application, you also need to submit the following supporting documents:

  • A copy (or copies) of your official degree certificate(s) (if you have already completed your degree)
  • A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained
  • Official English translations of the certificate(s) and transcript(s)
  • One reference letter on headed paper
  • Evidence of your English language ability (if your first language is not English)
  • Any additional documents required for this programme (see Entry requirements for this programme)
  • A copy of the photo page of your passport

You have 42 days to submit your application once you begin the process.

You may save and return to your application as many times as you wish to update information, complete sections or upload supporting documents such as your final transcript or your language test.

For more information about submitting documents or other topics related to applying to a postgraduate taught programme, see how to apply for a postgraduate taught degree

Guidance notes for using the online application

These notes are intended to help you complete the online application form accurately; they are also available within the help section of the online application form. 

If you experience any difficulties accessing the online application, see Application System Help.

  • Name and Date of birth: must appear exactly as they do on your passport. Please take time to check the spelling and lay-out.
  • Contact Details: Correspondence address. All contact relevant to your application will be sent to this address including the offer letter(s). If your address changes, please contact us as soon as possible.
  • Choice of course: Please select carefully the course you want to study. As your application will be sent to the admissions committee for each course you select it is important to consider at this stage why you are interested in the course and that it is reflected in your application.
  • Proposed date of entry: Please state your preferred start date including the month and the year. Taught masters degrees tend to begin in September. Research degrees may start in any month.
  • Education and Qualifications: Please complete this section as fully as possible indicating any relevant Higher Education qualifications starting with the most recent. Complete the name of the Institution (s) as it appears on the degree certificate or transcript.
  • English Language Proficiency: Please state the date of any English language test taken (or to be taken) and the award date (or expected award date if known).
  • Employment and Experience: Please complete this section as fully as possible with all employments relevant to your course. Additional details may be attached in your personal statement/proposal where appropriate.

Reference: Please provide one reference. This should typically be an academic reference but in cases where this is not possible then a reference from a current employer may be accepted instead. Certain programmes, such as the MBA programme, may also accept an employer reference. If you already have a copy of a reference on letter headed paper then please upload this to your application. If you do not already have a reference to upload then please enter your referee’s name and contact details on the online application and we will contact your referee directly.

Application deadlines

September 2025

International & EU applicants

  • 25 July 2025

UK applicants

  • 22 August 2025
Apply now

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