Science and Technology in Society MSc 12 months Postgraduate Programme By The University of Edinburgh |TopUniversities
Subject Ranking

# 17QS Subject Rankings

Programme Duration

12 monthsProgramme duration

Main Subject Area

Education and TrainingMain Subject Area

Programme overview

Main Subject

Education and Training

Degree

MSc

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

On Campus

Science and technology have built the modern world, shaping how we live, work, and govern. Engaging with today’s complex issues – from novel therapeutics and artificial intelligence to energy transitions and environmental protection – requires close attention to how science and technology shape, and are shaped by, the societies in which they operate.


The MSc Science and Technology in Society will equip you with the critical tools and perspectives needed to explore these relationships. You’ll examine how scientific knowledge and technologies emerge and develop, how they interact with social, political, and economic contexts, and why understanding these dynamics is essential for navigating many of our most pressing challenges.


Drawing on ideas and methods from science, technology, and innovation studies (STIS), social science, and history, you’ll analyse real-world case studies of how scientific knowledge and technologies are produced, used, governed, commercialised, and contested.


You’ll ask the difficult and important questions: 


  • How does scientific evidence come to be accepted as authoritative?
  • Why do some ideas and technologies spread widely, while others are fiercely contested or ignored?
  • Who benefits from innovation, and who bears the risks?


Our aim is to develop your capacity to engage carefully and critically with technical developments and their societal implications. These are skills increasingly important for careers in science and technology policy, innovation strategy, science communication, public engagement, and analyst roles across the public, private, and third sectors – as well as for those pursuing academic research.

Programme overview

Main Subject

Education and Training

Degree

MSc

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

On Campus

Science and technology have built the modern world, shaping how we live, work, and govern. Engaging with today’s complex issues – from novel therapeutics and artificial intelligence to energy transitions and environmental protection – requires close attention to how science and technology shape, and are shaped by, the societies in which they operate.


The MSc Science and Technology in Society will equip you with the critical tools and perspectives needed to explore these relationships. You’ll examine how scientific knowledge and technologies emerge and develop, how they interact with social, political, and economic contexts, and why understanding these dynamics is essential for navigating many of our most pressing challenges.


Drawing on ideas and methods from science, technology, and innovation studies (STIS), social science, and history, you’ll analyse real-world case studies of how scientific knowledge and technologies are produced, used, governed, commercialised, and contested.


You’ll ask the difficult and important questions: 


  • How does scientific evidence come to be accepted as authoritative?
  • Why do some ideas and technologies spread widely, while others are fiercely contested or ignored?
  • Who benefits from innovation, and who bears the risks?


Our aim is to develop your capacity to engage carefully and critically with technical developments and their societal implications. These are skills increasingly important for careers in science and technology policy, innovation strategy, science communication, public engagement, and analyst roles across the public, private, and third sectors – as well as for those pursuing academic research.

Admission Requirements

Entry requirements for individual programmes vary, so please check the details for the specific programme you wish to apply for on the University of Edinburgh website. You will also need to meet the University’s language requirements.

1 Year
Sep

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