Flexible study
Source: https://study.ed.ac.uk/flexible-study Parent: https://study.ed.ac.uk/mature
We offer a variety of flexible study options, including for-credit and not-for-credit, that can fit around your existing commitments.
Short courses for leisure
What this is
If you are looking to learn for leisure, we offer a range of high-quality short courses, allowing you to fit learning alongside your other commitments such as family life, work and hobbies.
Our short courses range in length from a few hours to a few months of learning. We offer courses that are online, on campus or a mixture of both (blended).
Why study this option
Through our short courses, you can:
- enhance your knowledge
- build your skills
- meet new people
- learn something new
Fees and costs
- Many short courses are free or low cost.
- Costs for courses vary depending on subject matter, mode of study, duration and level.
- Some of our in-person courses have an additional cost, such as for materials.
What you need to study this option
Most courses do not require you to have prior experience or qualifications.
What you can study
Browse our courses on our short courses website.
Short courses for Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
What this is
Departments across the University offer a range of continuing professional development courses designed specifically for those who:
- need to stay up to date with changes in your industry
- are looking to gain a promotion
- want to upskill or learn something new that will benefit your career
These courses are taught on a part-time basis and are designed to be studied alongside employment and other life commitments. Courses are taught online, on campus or a mixture of both (blended), giving you flexibility in your study options.
Why study this option
Through continuing professional development courses, you can:
- study for career progression
- enhance your skills for employment
- develop your knowledge in a specific subject matter
- work towards career change without committing to a full postgraduate qualification
Fees and costs
- Costs for courses vary depending on subject matter, mode of study, duration and level. Some CPD courses are free, while some are hundreds or thousands of pounds.
- You may wish to consider approaching your employer for help with funding.
What you need to study this option
Some courses do not require prior qualifications, while others may require you to evidence that you work in a particular field or have relevant experience.
What you can study
You can find many of our CPD courses on our short courses website.
You can find others on departmental websites:
- Business: Executive Education
- Data and analytics (Bayes Centre)
- Economics Continuing Professional Development
- Edinburgh Futures Institute: Executive Education
- Education professional learning
- Education: Professional development for teachers
- Health in Social Sciences Continuing Professional Development
- Law - training for the legal profession
- Law: Continuing Professional Development and short courses
- Veterinary Medicine CPD
Flexible postgraduate programmes
What this is
If you want to work towards a formal postgraduate qualification, we offer two flexible routes that can lead to either a postgraduate certificate, diploma or masters qualification: part-time and part-time intermittent study.
Diplomas and certificates explained
Most of our flexible postgraduate degree programmes are studied online.
How online learning works for postgraduate study
Part-time study
This allows you to study continuously over an academic year, but at a reduced workload compared with a full-time degree.
Some programmes are only available to study on a part-time basis, while others offer both part-time and full-time options. For example, instead of a one-year full-time masters, there may be a part-time option over two or three years.
Part-time intermittent study
This is a more flexible option than part-time study as it allows you to study – and pay for – each course (or ‘module’) at a time. This allows you to spread out your studies over a longer period than a part-time programme and arrange to take breaks between courses.
Some programmes offer credit-bearing standalone short courses, called postgraduate professional development (PPD). This allows you to take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses (usually three to five) over two years. You can use this academic credit to transfer to studying towards a related postgraduate certificate, diploma or masters, or stop studying once you’ve learned what you needed to.
Postgraduate professional development (credit-bearing short courses)
Why study this option
Through our postgraduate programmes, you can:
- gain an academic qualification
- work towards career progression or career change
- study for pleasure
Fees and costs
- All postgraduate degree programmes have tuition fees.
- Part-time study: You pay for a continuous year of study at the start of each academic year or in three instalments.
- Part-time intermittent study: You pay tuition fees for each course as you study it (rather than paying for all your courses at the same time). We refer to this as Invoiced at Course Level (ICL). However, some funding providers (including UK government loan providers) will not award funding for the part-time intermittent route. For some funders, there may be restrictions on how long you can study a part-time postgraduate programme to receive funding.
What you need to study this option
You will need to meet formal entry requirements to study these programmes. Most require an undergraduate degree, often in a specific subject, but some ask for relevant work experience instead. You will also need to meet English language requirements.
What you can study
You can search for part-time and part-time intermittent postgraduate programmes on our degree finder.
Part-time postgraduate taught programmes
Part-time intermittent postgraduate taught programmes
Guidance on choosing a postgraduate degree
This article was published on 2025-10-06