Undergraduate Courses at the University of Edinburgh – Colleges & Schools Guide

If you are considering an undergraduate degree at the University of Edinburgh (UoE) in Scotland, it’s helpful to know exactly how the university is structured and what subject options are available. Here is a clear guide to the three Colleges at Edinburgh and the Schools within each — giving you a solid overview of where your subject of interest might sit and how to navigate choosing a programme.

College 1: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This is the largest of the three Colleges and covers a broad range of disciplines in business, languages, arts, social sciences, law, psychology, and more.

The Schools within this College are:

Business School
School of Divinity
School of Economics
Edinburgh College of Art
Moray House School of Education and Sport
School of Health in Social Science
School of History, Classics and Archaeology
School of Law (often called Edinburgh Law School)
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
School of Social & Political Science
Centre for Open Learning
Edinburgh Futures Institute

This means if your interest lies in any of these subject-areas (for example: business, languages, art, education, history, psychology, social sciences) you will likely be applying to a programme within this College.

College 2: College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine

If you’re interested in medicine, health sciences or veterinary studies, this College is the relevant one.

The Schools (or major units) within this College are:

Edinburgh Medical School
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
School of Genetics & Cancer
School of Population Health Sciences
School of Regeneration & Repai
School of Neurological & Cardiovascular Sciences

For degrees in medicine, veterinary medicine, and some specialised health sciences you will find them here.

College 3: College of Science & Engineering

This College covers the scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical subjects. If you’re drawn to STEM-fields, this is where your subject may be based.

The Schools within this College are:

School of Biological Sciences
School of Chemistry
School of Engineering
School of GeoSciences
School of Informatics
School of Mathematics
School of Physics & Astronomy

What this means for you

When browsing undergraduate programmes you’ll often see the subject tied to a School, and that School sits within one of these three Colleges.
Knowing the College gives you a broad idea of the subject area and helps when comparing multiple programmes (e.g., humanities vs science).
Use the Schools list above to scan for your specific subject: this will help you find the right programme and understand the organisational context.
When applying as an international student, make sure you check the entry requirements, programme length, award type (BA, BSc, MA (Hons) in Scotland), and any special arrangements like joint honours or placements.

Summary

The University of Edinburgh’s academic structure is organised into three main Colleges:

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine
College of Science & Engineering

Each College hosts a number of Schools dedicated to specific subject-areas (see the lists above). By identifying which School and therefore which College your desired subject belongs to, you can more easily navigate the undergraduate offerings, pick the right programme, and submit an informed application.

When you are ready to select or compare specific undergraduate programmes, you can use the university’s programme search. Reviewing each programme’s modules, entry criteria and outcomes will help you choose the right fit.

References

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