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Postgraduate research

Postgraduate research areas

Postgraduate centre The School of the Built Environment has an inherently strong research culture with research students making a highly valued contribution to School's overall research profile. The School is divided into three research Institutes:

Our strong research ethos is reflected in the PhD programmes we offer. Research students are presented with exciting opportunities to work in areas that are relevant to the academic community, research-users and employers.

Currently, there are over 100 PhD/MPhil students enrolled on full and part-time study modes and working on a broad spectrum of topics such as:

structural engineering
flood risk management
construction materials
unsaturated soils
railway engineering
low-carbon buildings
construction management
urban design
spatial planning
housing policy
social exclusion
homelessness
sustainable transport

The postgraduate research experience at Heriot-Watt

Our students originate from a diverse range of undergraduate disciplines and come from all over the world thereby forming a truly international community of research students, all of which enriches the learning experience.

This wide skills base and diverse background knowledge provides a unique environment for the evolution of exciting multidisciplinary research.

We provide quality support for students, particularly through supervision, research funds, scholarships, codes of practice and skills development programmes, which aim to broaden the your academic experience and prepare you for future career opportunities.

In the most recent national Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES-2009), conducted across all higher education institutions in the UK, the School of the Built Environment exceeded the national mean in 7 out of the 10 headings: