Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

Queen Margaret is a campus university, located in the open spaces on the outskirts of Musselburgh, a town of 25,000 inhabitants that sits six miles to the east of Edinburgh on the southern bank of the Firth of Forth. The campus is one of the United Kingdom's newest, having its inaugural year of academic life in the 2007-2008 session. The thirty-five acre campus is therefore as modern as they come in terms of architecture.

 

Background and History

Queen Margaret started life as a cookery school in 1875, before becoming the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science. After becoming Queen Margaret College in the Seventies, it was awarded university status in 2007, meaning it is part of the newest generation of British universities. Like many of the institutions of this university generation, Queen Margaret focuses mainly on providing practical and professional courses.

Location and Accessibility

Rail: Musselburgh railway station is virtually on the campus's doorstep.

Road: The A1 passes right by the campus just before it starts to wind its way through the suburbs of Edinburgh.

Disabled access: With its brand new campus, Queen Margaret does not suffer from some of the accessibility problems found at older university premises. Under the terms of its Disability Policy, the university is committed to providing full disabled accessibility to students.

What's on Offer

BA, BSc, MA, MSc, MBA, PgCert, PgDip

Entry Requirements

Entry requirement vary very widely between individual courses, but are generally within the range of BBB-BBBB in Highers and BC-BCC at A Level.

University Accommodation

There's enough space at the new campus for 800 students in self-catering flats that are less than two minutes' walk from the union and academic buildings.  

Private Accommodation

Some students choose to live either in Musselburgh or in the suburbs of Edinburgh for the sake of a more convenient daily commute into university, though obviously being located closer to the centre of Edinburgh gives you more options for fun and entertainment on your doorstep.

Faculties and Departments

Queen Margaret University is divided into two separate faculties: The School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management and the School of Health Sciences.  

Academic Strengths and Research Profile

Queen Margaret is not a particularly research-focused university, though its linguistics and media studies research received pretty good feedback in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees vary depending of the course of study and whether you wish to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Tuition fees also vary depending on whether you are Scottish or from elsewhere in the UK. Fees for international students are also likely to be considerably higher. For further information it is advisable to contact the university directly or visit their website.  

Academic Facilities

The Learning Resource Centre, which combines library and IT facilities, is the campus's main study facility and it is adapted specifically to meet the demands of the twenty-first century student in the respect that it offers ample power points for laptops and wi-fi coverage.

Other on-site Amenities

Like everything else on the campus, the union and the sports facilities are all shiny and new. The union is fairly small, though this is perhaps not surprising given that Queen Margaret is itself one of the smallest universities in the UK. Nevertheless, it provides a full selection of facilities for relaxing and partying, as well as places to buy essentials.

 

Medical and Social Care

The university has on-campus medical and counselling services, as well as a Contemplation Room for students of all different faiths. Students are also offered the opportunity to take advantage of a mentoring scheme which is aimed at helping new students to settle in by being offered a mentor drawn from the second, third and fourth year population.

 

What's on in the Area

Musselburgh is a fairly sleepy sort of place, but a short train journey or trip down the A1 will bring you to the bright lights of Edinburgh, which as a city is a bit of a student paradise. Fans of the performing arts (of which there are many at Queen Margaret due to its offering of drama courses) are spoilt, with a great choice of theatres, not to mention the annual Edinburgh Festival. The city also has plenty of student pubs and eateries.

Moving On

The Careers and Student Employment Service's remit is to provide guidance for students as they prepare to enter the job market at the end of their degree, as well as providing vacancies for part-time work opportunities and internships.

The university is named after Saint Margaret, the husband of King Malcolm III, who ruled Scotland between 1058 and 1093. The university prides itself on having one of the most environmentally friendly campuses in the world. Many of the Scottish actors and presenters that you see on TV today studied at Queen Margaret, including Ashley Jensen of Extras and Ugly Betty fame, and BBC Radio One's Edith Bowman.

Is Queen Margaret University the place for you?

Queen Margaret is definitely worth considering if you want to live student life at a slightly less frenetic pace than what's on offer at the bigger, city-centre universities. Conversely, if a good night's sleep and rural surroundings are the last things that you're looking for, have a look at big-city universities such as Manchester and UCL.