Scotland's universities
Scotland has more world class universities per head of population than anywhere else in the world. Three key features of higher education in Scotland, which makes it a destination of choice, include the quality of education underpinned by world-class research, the tremendous breadth of learning on offer and a focus on employability.
1.World-leading quality
Scotland is an internationally-recognised hub of top-level higher education.
With five universities in the world’s top 200 (THE Rankings 2015), Scotland has more world-class universities per head of population than any other country worldwide and enjoys a global reputation of excellence in university-level study.
The standard of teaching in Scotland’s universities is recognised as world-class.
Scottish higher education institutions are subject to a rigorous quality assurance process which goes beyond simply ensuring that education meets a certain standard. The highly renowned ‘Quality Enhancement Framework’ requires universities to demonstrate how they are making continuous improvements to the quality of their education year-on-year. Student input and feedback are critical in this process. Scotland’s model of quality enhancement is now being mirrored in universities across Europe.
Students at Scottish institutions are immersed in a world-leading research environment.
All Scottish degree programmes have a strong theoretical basis and many include unique vocational elements. Learning and teaching take place in close association with advanced research and scholarship activity. Every Scottish university undertakes some research judged to be “world-leading” (the highest rating classification awarded by the UK’s Research Excellence Framework).
Students are therefore taught in an environment shared by academics who are pushing the frontiers of their fields. Research in Scotland’s universities has been responsible for many world-changing discoveries and innovations including the MRI scanner, development of keyhole surgery, and the theory that first posited the existence of the Higgs Boson particle. To this day, research in Scotland generates more citations than any other country, relative to cost.
2.Employablilty
International students can work while they study and after graduation.
International students are eligible to work for at least 20 hours per week for the duration of their studies under a Student visa. Post-study work opportunities are also available for international graduates who qualify for a valid General visa or Graduate Entrepreneur visa. EU citizens do not require a visa.
Scotland’s graduates are successful in gaining superior employment.
Scotland’s universities are committed to generating highly-employable graduates, as evidenced by the consistently high rate of positive graduate destinations involving employment or further study within six months (91%) and low unemployment rate (4%). Graduates from Scotland’s universities also have the highest starting salaries in the UK.
Each institution seeks to specifically develop a set of graduate attributes in every student, irrespective of the course or discipline studied. Such attributes, which are in high demand from employers across the globe, include the capacity for independent thought, good use of judgement and initiative, skill in team-working and leadership and the application of evidence-based arguments.
Universities regularly engage with industrial partners, prominent graduate employers and professional bodies in the design, development and accreditation of the undergraduate and postgraduate courses they offer. At last count, universities in Scotland worked with over 115 professional bodies, which can give employers additional reassurance that graduates emerge from university in Scotland “work ready”.
Scotland’s universities have a network of professional careers staff to offer support and guidance to their students from enrolment to graduation and beyond.
3.Educational Diversity
Scottish universities offer a four year undergraduate degree with honours.
Scotland’s four-year undergraduate degree structure is sometimes referred to as the “gold standard” of university education. It follows a long-established European tradition and has been emulated in the structure of higher education courses in many countries worldwide, including the United States and most recently Hong Kong. No other country within the UK offers this degree structure as standard.
Advantages of the four-year undergraduate degree include:
Enhanced flexibility in subject choice which allows students to experience new subjects without committing to them longer-term.
The opportunity for students to mature academically, honing their intellectual skills, and personally before committing to a specialism.
Academic breath which is valuable in terms of academic development and is attractive to employers.
The opportunity for specialisation in later year of the undergraduate degree but from a broader base which provides stronger academic foundations for later study.
Diversity of course choice defines Scottish higher education.
Scotland’s higher education sector is able to offer over 4,500 courses in more than 150 subject groupings at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Each university’s infrastructure, staff-led research propensities and student body activity and input mean that no two degree courses are the same.
International students highly recommend Scotland.
The most recent ISB survey of international students revealed that 94% considered their university a good place to be, compared to the UK (90%) and world (89%) averages. Concordantly, a higher percentage of Scottish students (85%) would recommend their institution than the UK (84%) and world (82%) averages.
