MSc Land & Hydrographic Surveying at University of Glasgow

Programme overview

The Land & Hydrographic Surveying MSc is a postgraduate programme in land, engineering and hydrographic surveying that prepares students for employment in the geospatial industry onshore and offshore. It is delivered at the Gilmorehill campus with lectures, practicals and a weeklong surveying field course, and is accredited by RICS and CICES when completed to MSc level.

Duration: 12 months full-time; 24-36 months part-time | Intake: September | Location: Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

What you will study

Semester 1 courses include Geospatial Fundamentals, Principles of GIS, GNSS and Geodesy, Land Surveying I and II; Semester 2 covers Hydrographic Survey, Topographic Modelling and Landscape Monitoring, Applied Land Surveying and Geospatial Engineering; the MSc ends with a summer project.

Career pathways

Roles include land surveyor, engineering surveyor, hydrographic/offshore surveyor, geospatial surveyor and reality capture specialist; graduates have worked for Ordnance Survey, Jacobs, AECOM, Fugro and Subsea 7.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Postgraduate entry (applies to MSc, PgDip and PgCert): 2.2 Honours (or non-UK equivalent) in a geomatics degree (e.g. Geodetic Engineering, Geographical Information Science, Geospatial Science, Land Surveying, Surveying and Mapping, Topographical Science). Degrees in Built Environment, Computing Science, Art, Graphic Design, Environmental Sciences, Architecture, Psychology, Social Science, Geography, Mathematics, Statistics or Planning are also accepted if they contain some maths/statistics content. All candidates must have basic proficiency in mathematics. English language (applicants from non-majority English-speaking countries): IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no subtest below 6.0; also accepted: TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic (test centre), Cambridge C1/C2, Oxford ELLT, LanguageCert Academic, Duolingo and other listed tests at published minimums; test must be within 2 years 5 months of start and met in a single sitting. International application rounds for September 2027 entry: Round 1 1 Oct to 5 Nov 2026; Round 2 6 Nov to 17 Dec 2026; Round 3 18 Dec 2026 to 4 Feb 2027; Round 4 5 Feb to 25 Mar 2027; Round 5 26 Mar to 13 May 2027; Round 6 14 May to 8 Jul 2027. UK applicants: 24 August 2027.

Domestic applicants: GBP 13,092 for the whole programme (2027/28). Full-time tuition (Home & RUK) Source

International applicants: GBP 31,515 for the whole programme (2027/28). Full-time tuition (International & EU) Source

Intake: September

Duration: 12 months full-time; 24-36 months part-time

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