Our courses develop skills and expertise for a wide-range of computing technologies and target applications.

From our state-of-the-art, purpose-built environment you will study forward-thinking professional practice, and learn the skills required to be at the forefront of digital and creative economies. Using emerging technologies, you will learn practical and creative problem-solving skills, and apply these to real challenges which are or will be faced by industry. You will also gain valuable technical, personal and professional skills, to compliment you career-enhancing qualification.

Future-ready Graduates

In 2016 Scotland IS (the organisation representing the IT sector in Scotland) estimated that the country would need at least 11,000 extra Information and Communications Technology (ICT) workers each year for the next five years – whilst there are only 2,000 ICT graduates per year from Scottish universities. Our range of courses address the skills-gap challenge facing the industry, and reflects the diversity of the modern computing landscape.

We can support you to form your own venture, and develop innovative skills to expand your horizons beyond the taught curriculum. Recent students have launched their own businesses, undertaken commercial projects in parallel with their studies, published research papers at international conferences, and won national competitions. Our School has an excellent reputation for its innovative and practical approaches to teaching and learning. For generations it has produced qualified professionals across a broad spectrum of technical careers with graduates in high profile, international roles.

Teaching Track-Record

We take a lead in technology-enhanced learning through a combination of interactive lectures, group project work and practical exercises in state-of-the art computing laboratories. Our students frequently comment on the quality of support and teaching they receive, and several computing staff regularly win student-nominated prizes at RGU’s annual Star Awards.

Accreditations, Awards and Recognition

Most of our courses are accredited by the British Computer Society for CITP or CEng.

The MSc Cyber Security degree is certified by the National Cyber Security Centre, part of the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). We are one of only three universities in Scotland to receive this recognition.

The School is an accredited Cisco Academy, delivering the theoretical and practical content of a number of industry-acknowledged qualifications.

• Top 3 in Scotland for overall student satisfaction in Computing (National Student Survey 2023, excluding colleges, small, specialist and private providers)
• 2nd in Scotland for student satisfaction in Computer Science (Complete University Guide 2025) 

Digital Technology Education Charter

We are passionate about inspiring the next generation of computer scientists, that is why we are proud to be a signatory of the Digital Technology Education Charter (DTEC). DTEC brings together organisations, individuals and education to support, encourage and raise awareness of computer science to secondary schools across Scotland.

Virtual Tour

Placements

All undergraduate degree paths include optional placements (subject to availability), usually undertaken between the second and third years of study.

These placements are typically eight to twelve months in length, and are often a paid opportunity for students to get relevant industry-standard technical and professional skills. A number of our placement students are able to carry on working with their placement company part-time, even after their placement has officially ended. Several have been able to gain offers of fulltime employment with the same companies, conditional to the completion of their degrees. Students also have the opportunity to spend up to a year studying at a partner institution, allowing them to diversify their curriculum and to widen their horizons. Current partners include France, Sweden, Norway and The Netherlands.

The benefits for both employers and students are huge; students learn from working alongside professionals and employers benefit from a valuable resource with valuable skills, knowledge and fresh ideas.

Industry Links

With a global reach that shapes all aspects of society, our strong links with industry ensure that our courses respond quickly to changes in the marketplace. We take a dynamic and innovative approach to teaching the technologies needed to address 21st century challenges. Computing is always on the move, offering a direct, creative and inspiring route into stimulating employment.

We have close working relationships with the global IT and energy industries, as well as local and national digital media organisations. They inform our course design so that modules and projects are industry-relevant, based on contemporary theory, and take into account the practical needs of your potential employers. Guest speakers from companies such as Microsoft, Logica, Total and Apple bring a rich understanding of current technology and professional software practice.

Computing Accreditations and Partnerships

We are proud to be associated with many leading organisations, institutions and professional bodies. 

BCS is the leading professional body for those working in IT. They have over 68,000 members in more than 100 countries and are the qualifying body for Chartered IT Professionals (CITP). They are also an international awarding body for a wide range of qualifications for both users of IT and IT specialists.

Our Network Management MSc students gain CICSO accredited modules.

Sri Lanka’s first Big Data Analytics MSc postgraduate degree programme is delivered by Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT) in collaboration with RGU.  

We are the first university in Scotland to confirm the structure and content of courses which are being delivered as part of SDS new work-based learning degrees. We are delivering two Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs), which to address the national digital skills shortage. BSc (Hons) IT Management for Business and a BSc (Hons) Software Development for Business.

RGU and the multinational provider of risk management and sustainability services, DNV GL, have joined forces on a project which aims to deliver cost savings to the oil and gas industry. The project, ‘Digitization Platform for Processing, Detecting and Classifying Symbols in Engineering Drawings’, is being funded by The Data Lab Innovation Centre, supported by DNV GL, and delivered by a team of researchers from RGU

About our Research

Research in Computing at RGU brings together researchers in computer science and engineering with a diverse range of specialisms and experience.

Our vision is to carry out leading-edge applied computer science research with a high industrial and societal impact. We bring novel technology, theoretical innovation and scientific rigour to bear on tough and demanding real-world problems.

Our research has been successfully applied across a broad range of industrial and societal areas including engineering, medicine, aerospace, telecommunications, transport, journalism, and heritage. We are always keen to extend our collaboration with industrial partners, which include leading multinational companies as well as small and medium sized enterprises.

Research Groups

The School of Computing has 3 Research Groups:

• Artificial Intelligence & Reasoning
• Computational Intelligence
• Interactive Machine Vision

Our Research Staff