School of Computing, Engineering and Technology

Our cutting-edge courses equip you with the expertise to excel in a wide range of computing and engineering technologies. You'll study in purpose-built, state-of-the-art facilities, learning practical, creative and problem-solving skills across a range of emerging technologies. You will also gain valuable technical, personal and professional skills, to compliment your career-enhancing qualification.

Situated in Europe’s energy capital, our strong ties to local, national and global development, data, energy and manufacturing industries provide you with real-world challenges and opportunities. This close relationship with our industry partners helps ensure that we continue to meet the demands of employers and their changing industries. The result is a flexible, enhancing education that empowers you to tackle complex projects and succeed in a range of digital and engineering careers.

The world faces several global challenges many of which can only be solved with the application of digital and engineering technologies. Net-Zero Energy Scenarios, Green Energy Networks and Smart City infrastructures are examples of where computing and engineering disciplines must come together to support solutions. Society increasingly relies on engineers and digital professionals to fully participate in the urgent transition to net zero. We need to build the capabilities of people working in new forms and new applications of engineering, and we ensure that our graduates are globally responsible and able to act sustainably, ethically and equability. 

The concept of “crafting” innovative solutions to problems forms the basis of many of our modules, which use project-based learning for teaching and assessment. This type of approach enables us to embed entrepreneurial thinking into these modules and encourage our students to think about what they are creating, what purpose it will have and who it is for. We embed entrepreneurial approaches within our modules, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit both across the School and giving our students the confidence to stay curious and challenge the norm. 

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.

Expert knowledge

Our academic team members have a wide range of qualifications, experience and expertise, which is reflected in the portfolio of innovative and flexible degree programmes on offer. They also engage in research, consultancy and the provision of specialist courses for industry. This means that our School is actively involved in all professional aspects of our subject areas and can keep you up-to-date on current practices and modern advances, as well as challenges facing the industry. 

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 laboratories. Our students frequently comment on the quality of support and teaching they receive, and staff regularly win student-nominated prizes at RGU’s annual Star Awards.

Course flexibility 

Our areas are about resolving complex problems and challenges and designing the essential products, services and processes that we all use every day. 

We appreciate that for prospective undergraduate students it may be difficult for you to pinpoint right now the exact direction you wish to follow in your studies and in your subsequent career. That’s why we have made our undergraduate course programmes as flexible as possible, to allow you to choose the right direction once you have a better understanding of each strand. The majority of our courses allow you to choose electives in other areas of computing, engineering and technology allowing to build your own path and expertise suited to the career you want to pursue.

Accreditations, Awards and Recognition

Many 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.

• 1st Scotland for overall student satisfaction in Computing (National Student Survey 2024, excluding colleges, small, specialist and private providers)
• 1st in Scotland and 3rd in UK for satisfied with teaching in Computer Science & IT (Guardian University Guide 2025) 
• 1st in Scotland and 3rd in UK for satisfied with assessment in Computer Science & IT (Guardian University Guide 2025) 
• 2nd in Scotland and top 20 in the UK for teaching quality in Mechanical Engineering (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024)

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

Placements

Our undergraduate degrees include optional placements (subject to availability), usually undertaken between the second and third year of study.

Industrial placements are an important part of the learning experience at RGU. They provide an opportunity to gain a structured learning experience within a professional environment and to consolidate and broaden the knowledge gained in academic studies. Placement experiences also increase employability upon graduation, and give employers access to motivated students who can undertake projects or other tasks as required by organisation.

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 full time 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.

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

The Energy Institute (EI) is the leading professional body for the energy industries, supporting almost 13,500 professionals internationally.

One of the world's leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community. 

The fastest growing professional engineering institution in the UK.

Repsol Resources, an independent upstream oil and gas company, provides scholarship opportunities to our  engineering, business, management and accounting students.

Petrofac is an international provider of facilities solutions to the oil and gas production and processing industries. The company currently supports our School of Computing, Engineering & Technology and Aberdeen Business School students by providing scholarship opportunities.

PE Limited (Petex) is a petroleum engineering and structural geology company which develops a wide range of software tools. Students from RGU benefit from use of the IPM Suite of applications, a donation worth £2million each year.

KCA Deutag is one of the world's leading onshore and offshore drilling and engineering contractors. The company currently supports our School of Computing, Engineering and Technology, and Aberdeen Business School students by providing scholarship opportunities.

Technip is a world leader in engineering, technologies and project management for the oil and gas industry. Backed by more than 50 years of experience, Technip is a key contributor to the development of technologies and sustainable solutions for the exploitation of the world's energy resources.

FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:FTI) is a leading global provider of technology solutions for the energy industry and other industrial markets. The Company designs, manufactures and services technologically sophisticated systems and products such as subsea production and processing systems and surface wellhead systems.

Wood is a global leader in the delivery of project, engineering and technical services to energy and industrial markets. It operates in more than 60 countries, employing around 55,000 people, with revenues of over $10 billion.

Worley Parsons provides its customers with a wide range of consulting and advisory services, and deep technical expertise across multiple projects.

The Bureau Veritas Group has consistently built recognised expertise, helping clients comply with standards and regulations relating to quality, health and safety, environment and social responsibility. The Group manages client relationships and delivers a comprehensive range of services including inspection, testing, auditing, certification, ship classification and related technical assistance, training and outsourcing. 

Sparrows Offshore Services is the lead brand within Energy Cranes International Limited, the world's most successful marine crane and lifting services contractor in the offshore oil and gas industry.

AGR Group is a leading provider of essential services and technologies to the international petroleum industry.

As the fifth largest publicly-traded integrated oil and gas company in the world, and a major actor in the chemicals business, Total has operations in more than 130 countries on five continents with approximately 97,000 employees. To meet growing energy needs on a long-term basis, Total's strategy involves deploying a sustainable growth model combining the acceptability of its activities with a sustained program of profitable investments. 

Computing 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

We have 3 Computing Research Groups:

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

Engineering Research

Our research focuses on providing innovative and practical solutions to industrial problems, with particularly strong industry-focused research in the oil and gas and renewable/sustainable energy sectors.

Our research is well recognised for transferring new technologies to industry through spin-out companies, patents and knowledge transfer partnerships.

We develop original ideas through to applications, with particular emphasis on implementation for wealth creation and life-quality improvement.

We have several laboratory suites specifically designed for research and promote a dynamic environment without traditional discipline-related barriers; which has benefited the development of multi-disciplinary Research Groups which are Well Engineering, Multiphase Flow Modelling, Condition Monitoring, and Advanced Materials. The related subjects of Energy, Environment and Sustainability (EES) extend across a range of significant research activities within our Design & Technology Research subjects.