The degree programme centres on a core of eight mandatory courses, which students supplement with four options, taken from a pool of over 100 courses offered from the MPhys programmes in Physics, the Informatics MSc and the MSc in Geographical Information Science run by the School of GeoSciences. MSc students complete their year-long studies with a three-month individual research project, while a Diploma may be awarded on the basis of the two semesters of taught courses alone. Both degrees may be taken on a part-time basis, over the course of two or three academic years, by those wishing to develop expertise in e-Science and Grid technologies while remaining in work.

The mandatory courses taken by all students give them a solid grounding in basic technologies - Java programming, XML, databases, web and Grid services - and present them with an overview of e-Science, through seminars from leading researchers, and an opportunity to develop transferable skills, as well as developing hands-on experience of using e-Science and Grid middleware.

The large number of options on offer enables students to tailor an individual curriculum suited to their particular interests and future career plans, while the students can choose the topic of their individual research project from a wide range offered by supervisors in several Schools in the University, as well as researchers from its Associated Institutions, such as the MRC Human Genetics Unit. Graduates from the first year of the MSc went on to research posts in the University, software development/IT analyst jobs in the commercial sector, and on to further studies.

The degree programme receives studentship support from EPSRC and (subject to confirmation for 2007/08) from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

Funded places are still available for entry in September 2007, and applications are encouraged from students with, or expecting, a good honours degree in science or computer science, and with a proven competence in computer programming.

Further information is available from the , while informal enquiries may be made to the Programme Director, , by email.