JOIN USResearch can be a dry word, but Scotland’s universities bring research to life. From the modern standards in medicine to the latest advances in technology, Scottish universities have been solving challenges to global issues for hundreds of years. In fact, Scotland is the most intellectually productive in the world — they have the number one spot for research citations as compared to GDP of any country around the globe.
Every university undertakes some research judged to be of “world-leading” quality, meaning that students have the potential to be taught in an environment shared by academics which are pushing the frontiers of their fields. Some examples of Scottish research projects that have had a global impact include: Dolly the sheep, malaria treatment, tidal energy turbines, carbon capture, keyhole surgery, the discovery of the Higgs Boson. To cement our achievements in multiple fields of research, our professors and alumni have been the recipients of many Nobel Prizes.
Latest statistics show that there are 460 Indian students studying a research degree, for example PhD, in Scottish universities. Universities are awarded over £300million for research in Scotland each year, which funds new facilities, as well as studentships and funding schemes. Most Indian students undertaking research are able to successfully apply for some funding to support their studies.
Besides research degrees, students studying bachelors or masters degrees are also exposed to research in Scotland. Every bachelors student will have to conduct a piece of individual or group research in the final year of their degree. At the masters level, one third of the time will be spent on an individual research project supervised by an academic member of staff. This will culminate in the production of a dissertation, or thesis, which gives each student a chance to investigate a topic in their field in great depth.
Employability is embedded as a strong focus within the curricula in Scotland. This commitment returns dividends as Scotland’s universities are proud to boast the highest rate of positive destinations in the United Kingdom. Nine out of every ten graduates go on to work or further study within six months of graduation. Graduates from Scotland’s universities also have the highest starting salaries in the UK.
(The author is an international officer, The University of Edinburgh)