Master of Science [M.Sc] (Computer Engineering)
Field of Study:
$29,568 /Yr
University of Essex MSc Computer Engineering (Master of Science) is a one-year, full-time degree at Colchester Campus for October 2027 entry. Applicants need a relevant bachelor’s degree; Essex’s published Indian baseline is 50% or 55%, depending on the awarding institution. Total international tuition is £25,925 (INR 32.80 Lakhs), with detailed subject prerequisites applying to graduates outside the listed computing disciplines.
The degree connects hardware and software design through embedded programming, digital logic and an individual investigation, making systems development its central academic proposition. It suits graduates who want to implement computing systems and evaluate design tradeoffs, while the dissertation requires independent research alongside practical coursework.
- Access to 24-hour computing laboratories supports practical work beyond scheduled teaching sessions.
- A compulsory group project develops experience delivering a software solution through team-based engineering.
- Sixty credits of optional study allow specialisation within the available module choices.
Current Admission Status
Applications for the October 2027 intake are Open. International student deadline: not yet published for this intake.
The prior-cycle cutoff was 4 August 2026 at 12:00 BST (British Summer Time), equivalent to 16:30 IST (Indian Standard Time). Use that prior-cycle date only as tentative planning context and submit a complete October 2027 application without waiting for an equivalent cutoff.
Also Check: University of Essex MSc Admission
Essex MSc Computer Engineering Fees and Living Costs 2027
The October 2027 international tuition is confirmed for the one-year full-time course. Living expenses and immigration charges require separate funding, so the tuition figure alone understates the cash needed to complete the degree in Colchester.
2027-28 tuition: the following amount applies to the full-time international fee tier.
| Fee item | Amount (GBP) | Amount (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Total tuition for the one-year MSc | £25,925 | INR 32.80 Lakhs |
All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of GBP 1 = INR 126.50 as of 16 October 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.
Source: University of Essex, October 2027 MSc Computer Engineering course page.
Essex also offers part-time study over two years, with fees calculated pro rata and the second year’s charge tied to that year’s full-time rate. Consequently, the one-year budget below applies only to full-time study; spreading tuition across two years also extends the period requiring living-cost funding.
- Obtain the October 2027 deposit requirement before arranging a loan disbursement because Essex requires the relevant payment before issuing visa sponsorship documentation.
- Treat any tuition deposit as a payment towards tuition because Essex deducts advance payments from the first instalment.
- Confirm October 2027 payment dates on your offer and invoice rather than reusing the fee page’s 2026-27 instalment calendar.
The checked pages do not establish an October 2027 application-charge figure or a programme-specific deposit amount. Verify those items through the official fee payment guidance and your offer before finalising upfront funds.
Cost of Living in Colchester for Computer Engineering Students
Essex’s published living-cost estimates provide a shared private accommodation baseline, rather than a guaranteed residence price. The monthly figures below use that university estimate; the annual total is calculated over twelve months to match this full-time course’s duration.
| Expense | Monthly (GBP) | Monthly (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Rent in shared private accommodation | £532 | INR 67,298 |
| Bills | £88 | INR 11,132 |
| Groceries | £144 | INR 18,216 |
| Course materials | £18 | INR 2,277 |
| Going out, clothes, shopping and eating out | £179 | INR 22,644 |
| Health and wellbeing | £22 | INR 2,783 |
| Mobile phone | £16 | INR 2,024 |
| Transport | £65 | INR 8,223 |
| Monthly total, calculated | £1,064 | INR 1.35 Lakhs |
| Annual total, calculated as 12 months | £12,768 | INR 16.15 Lakhs |
Calculated tuition plus living costs: £25,925 (INR 32.80 Lakhs) plus £12,768 (INR 16.15 Lakhs) equals £38,693 (INR 48.95 Lakhs). Replace the rent and bills assumptions with an actual housing quotation before accepting a tenancy, especially when comparing a residence contract with private accommodation.
An all-in planning baseline, before travel and personal contingencies, is calculated at £40,415 (INR 51.12 Lakhs). The arithmetic adds the tuition-and-living subtotal, the current £558 (INR 70,587) Student visa charge and a conditional £1,164 (INR 1.47 Lakhs) healthcare surcharge. The surcharge assumes permission exceeding one year but lasting no more than eighteen months, using the current student rate of £776 (INR 98,164) annually.
Those immigration charges are current published rates, rather than confirmed October 2027 charges, and the visa’s actual length determines the healthcare payment. Flights, English tests, any required medical screening and post-study immigration costs remain additional; obtain quotations before setting the final loan amount.
Read More: UK Living Costs for International Students
Key insight: The twelve-month living allowance materially increases Essex’s tuition-only price, so secure accommodation quotations before fixing the education-loan principal.
Essex MSc Computer Engineering Admission 2027
October 2027 is the next confirmed intake for this course, and applications are open to international students. The programme is absent from Essex’s January-start course list, so the school’s January deadlines should not be treated as another Computer Engineering entry route.
Academic eligibility: the live course page offers a direct computing-degree route and a module-based route for other graduates. Essex’s Indian country guidance supplies the institutional grade baselines below, but admissions must confirm your institution’s band and the acceptability of your subject preparation. CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) values below use a ten-point Indian scale.
| Requirement | Published position and Indian-applicant meaning |
|---|---|
| Degree standard | UK 2:2 equivalent; Essex’s Indian baseline is 50% or CGPA 5.3/10 from Band 1 or 2 institutions, or 55% or CGPA 5.8/10 elsewhere. |
| Listed computing degrees | Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Computer Engineering, Computer Games, Computer Networks, Computer Science or Software Engineering, without additional module requirements. |
| Other degree subjects | The same grade threshold plus at least one computing module, one mathematics module, one signals-and-systems module and two programming modules. |
| Examples of relevant preparation | Computer architecture or operating systems; algebra or calculus; digital electronics or embedded systems; programming such as C++, Java or Python. |
| Selection information | Essex may request details of previous modules or work experience when assessing academic suitability. |
For an Indian electronics graduate, the module-based route makes transcript evidence more important than the degree title alone. Map each required category to a completed module and retain its syllabus where the title does not clearly show the content.
The published requirements do not list a minimum employment period, the Graduate Management Admission Test or the Graduate Record Examinations. A course-specific acceptance rate and entering-class grade profile are also unpublished, so the academic threshold cannot establish an individual admission probability.
English Language Requirements
The course requires IELTS (International English Language Testing System) 6.0 overall, with at least 5.5 in each component. The test assesses academic English, and Essex’s current postgraduate policy places Computer Engineering in Group 1 for accepted alternatives.
Prior-cycle policy reference, October 2026: TOEFL and PTE alternatives come from Essex’s current postgraduate document, which explicitly references that entry cycle. The IELTS row is confirmed on the October 2027 course page.
| English route | Overall requirement | Component requirement |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic, October 2027 course requirement | 6.0 | 5.5 in every component |
| TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), internet-based test, revised scale | 4 on the 1 to 6 scale | 4 in every component |
| TOEFL tests taken before 21 January 2026 only | 82 on the 0 to 120 scale | Listening 17, reading 18, writing 17 and speaking 20 |
| PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic | 60 | 59 in every component; Academic Online excluded |
For revised TOEFL, Essex’s exact wording is “4 overall with a minimum of 4 in each component”. The policy distinguishes tests taken before 21 January 2026; verify October 2027 conditions through the official postgraduate English requirements before booking.
- Check every IELTS component against 5.5 because a qualifying overall score does not remove an individual-band shortfall.
- Request an individual English exemption assessment if your undergraduate degree was taught in English in person and completed within Essex’s normally accepted five-year window.
- Discuss the course’s pre-sessional English route if your IELTS result is below the stated requirement, rather than assuming your school-English score grants postgraduate exemption.
Academic Fit and Workload
Programming Embedded Systems and High Level Logic Design make practical implementation central to the published curriculum. The course also combines written examinations with assessed practical work and coursework, so preparation must extend beyond producing code that runs.
The 60-credit dissertation requires a designed, implemented and evaluated solution, with a written investigation and oral presentation. A student seeking only additional software modules should examine that research commitment before committing to the course, especially when hardware design is a weaker undergraduate area.
Check Out: University of Essex Postgraduate Courses
Tip for Indian students: An electronics degree can satisfy the alternative route, but missing programming evidence needs clarification before submitting an application built around hardware experience alone.
Essex MSc Computer Engineering Application 2027
Apply through Essex’s direct postgraduate application system for October 2027, with official transcripts showing modules and marks. This is a course application rather than an undergraduate admissions submission, and its supporting evidence should demonstrate the computing and engineering preparation described above.
The October 2027 final deadline and deposit cutoff remain unpublished on the checked application pages, although the intake is explicitly open. Essex has not published numbered application rounds or fixed decision dates for this course, so an invented round calendar would misrepresent the process.
Monitor the official Masters application deadlines while completing your submission. The October 2027 date under the page’s readmission heading applies to former students returning to Essex and is not the deadline for a new MSc applicant.
- Upload official English-language transcripts or certified translations, adding module descriptions where your degree requires assessment through the alternative academic route.
- Prepare the required visa-applicant personal statement within Essex’s 500-word limit and connect a previous project to embedded systems or digital design.
- Provide an English result when available, or use the conditional-offer process while completing the evidence Essex requests.
- After an offer, check its acceptance deadline and deposit instructions before arranging the tuition payment and visa application.
Essex’s general guidance aims for a response within two to three weeks after receiving all relevant documents, rather than a guaranteed interview date. Computer Engineering is not listed among courses routinely requiring a curriculum vitae or reference in that guidance; supply further evidence if admissions requests it.
A complete early submission is the practical strategy because Essex says courses can close early. It also gives an applicant using the module-based route time to resolve subject-equivalence questions before committing to accommodation or a fixed loan disbursement.
Application tip: Use your transcript to prove the required subject categories before submitting; an unexplained module title can leave Essex needing more evidence despite an adequate overall grade.
Essex MSc Computer Engineering Scholarships 2027
The 2027-28 Global Talent Masters Scholarship is the directly relevant published award for an eligible self-funded applicant ordinarily resident in India. Essex also publishes alumni and partner-route funding, but those awards require an existing institutional connection rather than Indian nationality alone.
2027-28 published awards: all three routes below require their stated eligibility conditions, and none should be treated as an automatic addition to another award.
| Award | Published value | INR equivalent | Eligibility and application route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Talent Masters Scholarship | £5,000 | INR 6.33 Lakhs | Eligible overseas fee payers who are self-funded, meet residence and degree-country conditions and satisfy Essex’s academic criteria; automatic consideration. |
| Alumni Loyalty Discount | 20% tuition reduction | Percentage award rather than a fixed cash sum | Qualifying Essex-validated prior study and self-funding required; automatic assessment using academic records. |
| Postgraduate Premium Pathway Scholarship | £6,500 | INR 8.22 Lakhs | Restricted to qualifying partner progression under an eligible dual or accelerated Masters agreement; automatic consideration only within that route. |
Global Talent eligibility requires both qualifying ordinary residence and a degree awarded in an eligible country, with India included in the published list. Essex defines the October 2027 residence assessment period as 1 September 2024 to 1 September 2027, so passport nationality alone does not settle eligibility.
For an Indian bachelor’s holder, Essex assesses the required lower-second-class equivalence using the institution-specific Indian thresholds explained in admission eligibility. The award terms also allow a passed Masters degree to compensate for a lower bachelor’s grade, but that funding provision does not replace the course’s subject requirements.
- A repayable education loan counts as self-funding under the Global Talent terms, whereas full or partial non-repayable sponsorship excludes that award.
- Retain funds for any required deposit because the Global Talent award reduces tuition at registration and cannot offset the deposit.
- Use Premium Pathway funding only after Essex confirms that your institution and exact Computer Engineering progression route are covered by its transfer agreement.
If the £5,000 (INR 6.33 Lakhs) Global Talent award is confirmed, calculated tuition falls to £20,925 (INR 26.47 Lakhs). Adding the twelve-month living estimate produces a calculated tuition-and-living subtotal of £33,693 (INR 42.62 Lakhs), before immigration and travel costs.
The Alumni Loyalty Discount is relevant only where the prior qualification meets Essex’s validated-study conditions, and previous use for a Masters can restrict another Masters claim. Treat it and Global Talent as alternative funding routes; neither an eligible nationality nor an admission offer proves that every scholarship applies.
These three award pages provide automatic consideration, without a separately published application deadline for the routes described here. Submit the required admission evidence and obtain confirmation of the applicable award before using a reduced tuition figure in your loan calculation.
Read More: University of Essex Scholarships
Scholarship reality: Global Talent can reduce the tuition balance for an eligible Indian applicant, but it leaves the deposit timing and twelve-month living budget to be funded separately.
Essex MSc Computer Engineering Salary 2027
Course-cohort salary evidence is unpublished: the checked Essex material provides no named-cohort median salary, offer rate or sector-pay breakdown for this MSc. Consequently, the career assessment below separates the programme’s historical employer examples from an external occupational salary benchmark.
Historical employer evidence on the course page: Essex names organisations including Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Visa International and United Microelectronic Corporation in Taiwan. The list does not identify a graduation cohort, hiring volume or sponsorship record, so use it to investigate possible destinations rather than estimate placement probability.
The published curriculum suggests alignment with embedded systems, firmware and digital-system development, because it requires embedded programming and circuit design. An applicant targeting those roles can use the dissertation to demonstrate implementation and evaluation, while checking that available supervision supports the intended technical direction.
External UK job-market benchmark: the National Careers Service publishes the following annual electronics-engineer figures, covering career stages rather than Essex graduates.
| Evidence scope | Annual gross salary (GBP) | Annual gross salary (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics engineer, starter occupational benchmark | £28,000 | INR 35.42 Lakhs |
| Electronics engineer, experienced occupational benchmark | £60,000 | INR 75.90 Lakhs |
Source: National Careers Service, Electronics engineer profile, checked 16 October 2026; external occupation data, not MSc graduate salaries.
The experienced figure cannot support a starting-pay assumption, while actual pay also depends on the role and your prior experience. Take-home income changes with tax, pension contributions and personal circumstances; use the government income-tax estimator on an actual offer.
Return on Investment for Indian Applicants
The calculated £38,693 (INR 48.95 Lakhs) tuition-and-living exposure makes this a substantial investment in systems skills, before immigration and travel. Without course-specific employment figures, the financial case requires an affordable funding structure and evidence that the curriculum addresses your intended engineering roles.
- A confirmed £5,000 (INR 6.33 Lakhs) Global Talent award reduces borrowing exposure, so secure the award confirmation before committing to a reduced loan principal.
- The 60-credit dissertation creates a substantial technical project, so agree an achievable systems topic and preserve implementation evidence for engineering applications.
- The current 18-month Graduate visa window limits post-study search time, so reserve separate search-period living funds rather than consuming the study budget.
- For an India return, assess the £38,693 (INR 48.95 Lakhs) tuition-and-living exposure against documented Indian offers before using UK occupational pay in repayment assumptions.
ROI reality: Essex’s systems curriculum offers a defined technical proposition, but its employer list cannot establish a salary premium; borrow against confirmed funding and defensible role-specific earnings evidence.
UK Visa for Essex MSc Computer Engineering Students 2027
Indian applicants need a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) before applying for the Student visa for this full-time MSc. Essex issues this sponsorship reference after the relevant offer and deposit steps. Current outside-London maintenance is £1,171 (INR 1.48 Lakhs) monthly for up to nine months, or £10,539 (INR 13.33 Lakhs) calculated, separately from Essex’s living estimate.
- Under rules checked on 16 October 2026, eligible MSc graduates applying from 1 January 2027 receive an 18-month Graduate visa, which cannot be extended.
- Skilled Worker sponsorship normally requires an eligible job paying the higher of £41,700 (INR 52.75 Lakhs) annually or its occupation’s going rate, subject to published exceptions.
- The current Skilled Worker settlement route requires five qualifying years and other conditions, so completing this MSc does not itself start that qualifying employment period.
- This taught MSc normally does not permit student dependants, although the published exception for government-sponsored students on courses exceeding six months can apply.
Read More: UK Student Visa Requirements
Visa reality: The Graduate route offers a limited work window after this MSc; check an engineering offer’s occupation code and sponsorship terms before relying on longer UK employment.
Essex MSc Computer Engineering Ranking 2027
Essex’s verified subject evidence for this application decision is 201 to 250 globally in Computer Science in the Times Higher Education 2026 ranking. That is a discipline-level result, rather than a separate ranking of the MSc Computer Engineering programme or its graduate employment.
2026 subject-ranking edition: the publisher’s UK table places Essex as follows.
| Ranking and scope | Global position | UK position |
|---|---|---|
| Times Higher Education, Computer Science, 2026 | 201 to 250 | Joint 17th |
The Computer Science subject ranking gives broader academic context for a degree spanning software and electronic systems. For an applicant targeting embedded design, the more specific decision is whether the compulsory logic module and available dissertation supervision address the intended technical specialism.
Check Out: University of Essex Subject Rankings
Honest take: Essex’s Computer Science band supports subject-level context, but an embedded-systems applicant still needs to evaluate the MSc’s hardware content and project supervision directly.
Essex MSc Computer Engineering fits graduates who want to connect programming with the design and evaluation of electronic computing systems. Its embedded and logic-design core gives that objective a practical foundation, while the dissertation adds a substantial independent investigation. The material tradeoff is a large overseas-study budget without a published course-cohort salary or offer-rate report to quantify the employment return. Before accepting, confirm your transcript’s subject coverage and any 2027-28 scholarship so the academic fit and tuition commitment are both explicit.
Essex MSc Computer Engineering FAQs
Ques. Is Essex MSc Computer Engineering suitable for a software-only career?
Ans. Its compulsory embedded programming and digital logic make hardware integration a meaningful part of the academic commitment. Choose this MSc when that integration supports your intended role, and inspect the optional modules before assuming you can concentrate entirely on application software.
Ques. Can an Indian electronics graduate with 50% apply for Essex MSc Computer Engineering?
Ans. A 50% result can meet Essex’s published Indian baseline only for its Band 1 or Band 2 institutions. Other institutions have a 55% baseline, and an electronics applicant must also demonstrate the computing, mathematics, signals-and-systems and programming preparation required by the alternative route. Request an institution-band and transcript assessment before treating the overall percentage as sufficient.
Ques. Can an education loan and Essex’s Global Talent scholarship fund this MSc together?
Ans. A repayable education loan counts as self-funding under the Global Talent terms, so it does not by itself exclude an otherwise eligible applicant. With the award confirmed, calculated tuition plus twelve months of the published living estimate is £33,693 (INR 42.62 Lakhs). Arrange deposit and immigration cash separately because the award is a registration-stage tuition reduction.
Ques. Should I wait for an English test result before applying for Essex MSc Computer Engineering in October 2027?
Ans. Essex permits applications while some supporting evidence is pending, so submit the required transcripts and visa-applicant statement while completing your English evidence. An offer may remain conditional, and the final October 2027 cutoff is unpublished. Applying through the open intake gives admissions time to resolve module-equivalence questions before you make a tuition commitment.
Ques. Does Essex’s MSc Computer Engineering employer list establish a route to a sponsored UK job?
Ans. The employer list establishes historical destinations, without identifying sponsorship terms or a course-cohort hiring probability. The starter occupational pay benchmark can sit below the standard Skilled Worker salary requirement, so a job offer needs its own immigration assessment. Ask the employer about the eligible occupation code, salary rule and sponsorship before relying on work beyond the Graduate visa window.
Tuition Fees
| Year | 1st Year Fees |
|---|---|
| Tuition Fees | $29568 (GBP 22400) |
Other Expenses
| Head | Avg Cost Per Year |
|---|---|
| Rent and Bills | $9821 (GBP 7440) |
| Other Living Expenses | $7033 (GBP 5328) |
Previous Year Tuition Fees
| Year | 1st Year Fees |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $26862 (GBP 20350) |
| 2023 | $26862 (GBP 20350) |
| 2021 | $30402 (GBP 23032) |
Scores Required
2 / 4
Minimum gpa
GPA

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| Forktip Women’s- Innovation Scholarship | Scholarship per studentVariable Amount | Level Of StudyBachelor | TypeCollege-Specific | |
| India Postgraduate Taught Master’s Scholarship | Scholarship per student$ 4,693/Yr$3,555 | Level Of StudyMaster | TypeCollege-Specific | |
| Axol Science Scholarship | Scholarship per student$ 2,640/Yr$2,000 | Level Of StudyBachelor | TypeCompany-Sponsored |
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