MSc Machine Learning

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

For more information, see the Department of Computer Science Fees and Funding page or visit The University of Manchester funding for master's courses website for more information.

We operate a selective staged admissions process. We give preference to students with the strongest grades from high-ranking institutions.

Successful applicants typically hold a First-class honours degree (70% average) from a UK university, or the overseas equivalent, in a Computer Science degree with a minimum of 50% Computer Science content.

We require that all applicants have a strong background in Computer Science reflected, for example, in solid programming and software development skills.

We accept a range of qualifications, and welcome applications from overseas applicants. A typical successful offer-holder will evidence:

• China : a minimum of 87% in a 4-year bachelor's degree from a well ranked institution.
• India : a minimum of 65% (First Class with Distinction) in a BSc Eng, BEng or BTech degree, depending on the institution.

For further information on international entry requirements, please contact pgt.compsci@manchester.ac.uk

Full entry requirements

In order to be accepted onto an MSc programme in the Department of Computer Science, applicants need to provide evidence of having achieved the required level in a recognised English language qualification.

• IELTS: overall score of 7.0 with no sub-test below 6.5
• TOEFL iBT: at least 100 overall with no sub-test less than 22. We do not accept 'MyBestScore'. We do not accept TOEFL iBT Home Edition
• Pearson PTE: at least 76 overall with no sub-test below 70
• Pre-sessional English run by the University Language Centre

We also accept many other English language qualifications from overseas, depending on the qualification, the scores obtained and the University's assessment of its academic suitability.

Please contact pgt.compsci@manchester.ac.uk and we will be able to advise further.

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Applications to this course are considered through a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high-ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements.

Applications for 2025 entry :

Stage 1 : Application received by 8 November 2024; Decision by 10 January 2025.
Stage 2 : Application received by 3 January 2025; Decision by 7 March 2025.
Stage 3 : Application received by 28 Feb 2025; Decision by 2 May 2025.
Stage 4 : Application received by 23 May 2025; Decision by 20 June 2025.
Applications received after 23 May will be considered depending on course availability.

Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date. If this is the case, we will let you know after the deadline date.

Please note : all places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.

If we make you an offer, you will be given a deadline by which to accept. This is typically 6 weeks but may be shorter. Offers that are not accepted by the deadline will be withdrawn.

Applicants who are made a conditional offer of a place must provide evidence that they have met all the conditions of their offer by 31 July 2025.

We consider your full academic history including which course units you have taken and the marks obtained. Even if you have met our minimum entry requirements, we will take into account your marks in relevant course units in our final decision making.

If you graduated more than three years ago, we will also consider the information contained on your CV and any relevant work experience you have to assess if you are still able to fulfil the entry criteria.

CAS information

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Please upload a copy of your current valid passport with your application showing the photograph page with your application. For CAS purposes, this must show your full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and the date the passport is valid until, which must be later than the date of your planned arrival in the UK, and the start date of your course.

If you have previously studied in the UK on a Tier 4 visa as an undergraduate or postgraduate student, please send a copy of your previous CAS statement to us as it will assist with the issue of your new CAS statement. This includes study in the UK on study abroad programmes and any study that you did not complete.

You cannot use your CAS to apply for a visa more than three months before the start date of your course. The Admissions Team will contact you at the appropriate time.

Your CAS number is only valid for one Tier 4 application.

Applications for deferred entry are not accepted for this course. If you receive an offer and wish to be considered for the following year of entry, you will need to place a new application. Please be aware there is no guarantee of receiving another offer, and offer conditions are subject to change in line with entry requirements.

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

This course aims to impart state-of-the-art knowledge within Machine Learning, offering training in advanced skills. It is suitable for those who wish to enhance their computing skills in order to improve their contribution to IT-related industry or to pursue R&D in academia or industry.

A student following the Machine Learning programme follows three specialised themes, each of which combines two related course units, and chooses a fourth theme from a wide range of options.

For September 2025 entry, you can find our course unit offering summarised below:

Mandatory

1. Masters Project (60 credits)
2. Cognitive Robotics and Computer Vision
3. Transforming Text into Meaning (15 credits)
4. Topics in Machine Learning (15 credits)
5. Advanced Topics in Machine Learning (15 credits)
6. Uncertain reasoning and learning (15 credits)
7. Reinforcement Learning (15 credits)

Optional : Logics for Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Advanced Topics in Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Introduction to Cryptography, Network Security, Formal Methods for Software Verification Security and Computer Science, Software Security, Secure Computer Architecture and Systems, Security and Privacy in Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering Concepts in Practice, Software Discovery and Delivery, Engineering Interactive Systems, Mobile and Ubiquitous Interactions, Data Engineering Concepts, Data Engineering Technologies

In machine learning, our research investigates both theory and practice of machine learning, including deep neural network architectures and causality, and includes applications in medical decision making, machine learning models of language learning and cognitive development in humanoid robots.

We offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and awards to outstanding UK and international students each year.

The University of Manchester is committed to widening participation in master's study, and allocates £300,000 in funding each year. Our Manchester Master's Bursaries are aimed at widening access to master's courses by removing barriers to postgraduate education for students from underrepresented groups.

For more information, see the Department of Computer Science Fees and Funding page or visit The University of Manchester funding for master's courses website for more information.

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk