Edinburgh postgraduate courses: city university unveils even more options for 2025

Want to study right here in the city and further your career? Edinburgh Napier University has unveiled new programmes so you can find one to suit you.

Keen to take your studies to the next level or propel yourself onto the next rung of the career ladder? Edinburgh Napier University is offering even more courses for 2025 – and you can find out more at an upcoming open evening.

From managing digital transformation to data engineering or social research, these new postgraduate courses are all firmly rooted in employability, making them the ideal step towards the job of your dreams.

Edinburgh Napier University puts career opportunities at the heart of what they do: it was named one of the top five modern universities for career and graduate prospects in The Guardian’s Good University Guide 2025. This means courses are fully adapted to suit the needs of the relevant industry, thanks to the excellent links which staff have developed with local businesses.

But don’t take our word for it! You can find out more at an upcoming open evening on Wednesday, 26 February. Join the team at Johnnie Walker Princes Street any time between 5pm and 7pm to chat to academics, student support teams and lecturers about everything you need to know to advance your career or expand your knowledge in a postgraduate course.

Create the future with design research

Study at one of the top three modern universities in the UK for art and design, according to the Complete University Guide 2025, with a unique new take on design research which you can study full-time or part-time. The MSC Design Research Postgraduate combines the work of a designer with that of a researcher to better reflect the way industry now operates.

New disciplines like Service Design mean there is a greater demand for designers who understand qualitative methods of research in fields like service design, policy design, systems design, and design strategy, explains Dr Tom Flint, an associate professor in the School of Design.

“The new MSc Design Research fills an employers' skills gap in research-informed decision-making,” he adds. “One of the first of its kind, graduates of this programme will lead industry and government in creating the future. Our accessible part-time route has been timetabled to make it possible to attend campus one day a week.”

Oversee major digital transformation

Build your understanding of how to integrate digital technology into all areas of an organisation with the new Business and Management MSc.

By deploying tech at scale, businesses can fundamentally change how they operate and deliver value to customers – but it doesn’t stop there, says Dr Paul Oliver, who leads the programme along with Professor Dr Luca Mora.

“Our new MSc in Digital Transformation Management is uniquely structured and delivered by a team of highly experienced scholars with extensive expertise in shaping international digital transformation policy through collaborations with the public and private sectors, as well as intergovernmental organisations like the United Nations,” he says. “This programme equips future leaders with cutting-edge insights and practical tools to drive digital change across all industries.”

Drive social research on a unique course

Grow as a professional researcher, ready for an independent career in business, charity, public administration, academia or creative industries and media (to name just a few) with the new MSc Social Research and Policy.

This employer-backed new programme has been carefully tailored to answer the current needs of the social research sector on a course that’s one of a kind, as Dr Roberto Kulpa, Deputy Research Degrees Lead in the School of Applied Sciences, explains.

“We have done our due diligence and know that our programme is unique. Why? For starters, we are bringing a Business of Research module to our students, driven by the real-life problems in the social/market research sectors.

“We host external speakers who come to teach with us so our students get the guidance from actual practitioners’ input. And we have consulted with professional stakeholders who form our Advisory Board to develop new training, such as on evaluation and impact. No other university in Scotland offers such an applied, stakeholder-backed, social research and policy programme!”

Become a data-oriented software solution developer

Data engineering is an area seeing massive growth in both the commercial and public sectors, but there is a shortage of professionals with the right data engineering knowledge and skills. This online MSc Data Engineering programme addresses this scarcity.

Study online part-time from June 2025 and you can learn to use and combine data engineering skills to become a data-oriented software solution developer.

If you are a junior data engineer looking to move into a more senior role, or someone who wants to become a data engineer from a different profession, this is the course for you.

Make a difference to the health of others

As Scotland’s only university to offer training across all nursing disciplines and midwifery, Edinburgh Napier University is well placed to offer emerging specialisms such as clinical exercise physiologists.

The need for Clinical Exercise Physiologists (CEPs) to help improve the nation's health through exercise-based interventions that can support long term behaviour change has never been greater. The new MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology equips students with the vital skills, knowledge, and hands-on clinical placement experience needed for professional registration. The programme can be completed in one year full-time or studied part-time to fit around other commitments.

“It’s ideal if you want to find a fast-paced role in this brand new professional focus for health conditions in the NHS,” says programme leader Dr Amanda Pitkethly.

“Our team of excellent academics have so much to offer including international reach and esteem, involvement in the recognition of the profession of Clinical Exercise Physiology in the UK and its promotion, involvement in developing the national curriculum, applied clinical experience and much more.”

How to find out more

Find out if postgraduate study is the route for you at the event on Wednesday, 26 February. As well as meeting student support teams and academics, you can chat to current students who can share advice and answer all your questions. Register for your place at www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-us/postgraduate/postgraduate-events

For information on other courses including new part-time options for MA Heritage and Exhibition Design and the MA Design for Interactive Experience, take a look at our earlier article in the Scotsman https://www.scotsman.com/sponsored/postgraduate-study-in-edinburgh-new-options-for-2025-at-edinburgh-napier-university-4862666.