Interpreting, MSc

About Interpreting, MSc - at Heriot-Watt University

Taught by linguistics experts from the fields of interpreting practice, research and education, this masters degree in Interpreting is designed for those who have native / near-native command of English and one other language from French, German or Spanish.

Giving you access to our newly-refurbished interpreting booths which are modelled on those used by the United Nations and European Union, this programme is designed for those who want to work as professional interpreters and will give you expertise to use in a range of contexts including, conference interpreting, health-care interpreting, legal interpreting and educational interpreting.

This practical interpreting course includes around 15 hours of academic contact per week in our language labs and weekly mini-conferences where up to 5 languages are spoken by around 20 - 30 students and teachers.

Language Labs

Our Language Labs have been recently refurbished and are the biggest owned by any Higher Education Institute in Europe. With the MSc Interpreting course, you'll also be able to take advantage of our excellent translation and interpreting facilities - including state-of-the-art laboratories, digital resources, and a range of software packages.  

Language combinations

In the practical translating and interpreting courses students opt for one of two 'strands', corresponding to their chosen languages:

Strand A

Study of English + one other language from French, German or Spanish. Students work in both directions between the two languages chosen.

Strand B

Study of English + two foreign languages from French, German, Spanish, Arabic or Chinese. Students on this strand work from the two chosen languages into English.

Programme duration

• Full-time: 12 months/9 months (MSc/PG Diploma)

• Part-time: 24 months/21 months  (MSc/PG Diploma)

Professional recognition

Heriot-Watt University is a member of Conférence Internationale permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes (CIUTI) which is an inter­na­tional asso­ci­a­tion of uni­ver­sity insti­tutes with trans­la­tion and interpre­tation pro­grammes. CIUTI is ded­i­cated to excel­lence in the training and research of both trans­la­tion and inter­pre­ta­tion. Mem­ber­ship of CIUTI requires ful­filment of strict qual­ity cri­te­ria and is a dis­tinct seal of quality.

Notes about fees for this course

Status*Full-timePart-timePer courseScotland / Non-UK EU£6,960£3,480£870England / Northern Ireland / Wales£6,960£3,480£870Overseas£15,120£7,560£1,890

* If you are unsure which category you fall in to, you should complete a fee status enquiry form, which allows us to assess your fees.

** Fee per course

Scholarships and bursaries

We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

View our full range of postgraduate taught scholarships.

Entry requirements

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