Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University is a public university established in 1821 as the world’s first mechanics institute and based in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. It received its royal charter to become a university in 1966 and has branch campuses around Scotland as well as in Dubai and Putrajaya in Malaysia.

Around 11,000 students travel from around 150 countries across the world to study at the university and the International Students Advisors Office or ISAO is available to assist them. They can provide help and support on everything from immigration to welfare as well as having connections across departments such as Student Support and the University Chaplaincy. They are based within the Hugh Nisbet Building on the Edinburgh campus. They can also provide help with practical matters concerning living in the UK as well as assistance for those wanting to bring their families with them to the university and accessing healthcare while here. The Student Association is the student-led organisation representing the students at both local and national level and is a member of the Edinburgh Students Forum and the National Union of Students. It was founded as the Students Representative Council in 1929 and it runs the Student Union as well as operates support for the 50 societies and clubs available to students. It also operates a number of services across the other campuses including catering, a nightclub, an advice centre and a shop. In addition, there are some 30 different sports clubs on offer and a number of annual events relating to the teams. There are also a number of events held during the year including for families and friends to visit the university and groups visits for schools and colleges.

There are currently five campuses associated with the university. The main campus is in the Riccarton area of south-west Edinburgh, covering some 380 acres. On the site are student residences, shops, libraries, childcare and healthcare as well as sport facilities and a museum. It is home to the oldest research park, opened in 1971 and the Edinburgh Conference Centre. The Borders Campus is found in Galashiels and is the home of the School of Textile and Design, originally the Galashiels Manufacturer’s Corporation, running classes for its workers. It is one of only a few schools to offer a menswear course at bachelor’s degree in the world and the only one in Scotland. The Orkney campus in Stromness is home for the International Centre for Island Technology. On the Edinburgh campus, there are around 1700 furnished rooms for students allowing all full time students to have rooms there. These include self-catering flats and rooms and are handily placed for the different facilities on campus. Most of the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms as well as a communal lounge, access to laundry facilities and 24 hour a day computer labs. In addition, there is the Jean Muir Student Village on the Borders campus, a new state of the art facility with a range of bedrooms including deluxe rooms. The Orkney campus doesn’t have student accommodation but the university assists students in finding private accommodation in the surrounding town.

There are courses available from this university with the following field of studies:
• Civil engineering and construction