The University of Edinburgh is over 400 years old. It is a leading international centre of academic excellence, and one of the largest and most successful research universities in the UK. It is Scotland's premier research University, and is ranked 23rd in the THE's World Rankings. It has 3 Colleges (Humanities and Social Science, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Science and Engineering) comprising 21 Schools, over 4000 academic and academic-related staff, over 18,000 undergraduate students, almost 7000 postgraduate students, and an annual research income of over £120M.
The College of Science and Engineering is one of the largest science and engineering groupings in the UK, with 1800 staff and 7000 students. The College is in the front rank of UK University science and engineering groupings for research quality and research income and is a key player in European and world-wide research collaborations. It is composed of seven Schools (Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering and Electronics, GeoSciences, Informatics and Physics) as well as Mathematics.
It also supports a number of Centres promoting interdisciplinary research.
Heriot-Watt University is a technological university founded in 1966. Heriot-Watt is located to the west of Edinburgh just outside the ring-road and within easy reach of the city centre. It is a leading institution of higher education both nationally and internationally, striving to enhance its position as a medium-volume, high-quality institution, where the quality is founded on its flexible and innovative teaching and on the expanding range of its research excellence. Heriot-Watt University is the eighth oldest higher education institution in the UK. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer. The University originated as the School of Arts of Edinburgh in 1821. In 1966, Heriot-Watt became a University by Royal Charter. The University is organised into six Schools (Built Environment, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Management and Language, Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Textiles and Design) and also includes the Edinburgh Business School and Institute of Petroleum Engineering.
The School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences (MACS) has always been a flagship school of the university. It has top research and excellent teaching grades and has become a lively international centre for leading-edge developments and exciting new courses. There are around 120 staff and 1,200 students in the school. MACS is a collegiate grouping of three research disciplines, and includes the Department of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics, the Department of Computer Sciences and the Department of Mathematics.
