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Computer Graphics, Vision and Imaging MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Position yourself at the cutting-edge of vision and imaging with this specialist Master’s. The Computer Graphics, Vision and Imaging MSc takes a 360-degree approach to imagery, from interpreting real-world images through computer systems to the use of virtual and augmented reality. Join our world-renowned community — an exciting environment in which to become an expert in the field.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£20,500
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£39,800
Duration
1 calendar year
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 04 Apr 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree (or international qualification of an equivalent standard) in a relevant subject such as computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, or physical sciences. Additionally, applicants must have suitable mathematics and computer programming skills. Relevant work experience may also be considered.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

This programme is suitable for international students on a Student visa – study must be full-time, face-to-face, starting September.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Used in everything from games and movies to autonomous driving, computer graphics, vision and imaging is a stimulating and relevant niche of computer science. 

Designed to create talented, knowledgeable and creative practitioners, the MSc in Computer Graphics, Vision and Imaging will allow you to pursue a range of related careers and become career-ready for the world of computer graphics, special effects and many other areas. 

This MSc is led by experts renowned in computer graphics, geometry processing, computer vision, and virtual environments. You will receive a solid foundation in machine vision, image processing, computer graphics, and machine learning, with optional modules to specialise in areas like robot vision, virtual environments, or biomedical imaging.

The programme includes an individual project, allowing you to apply your skills to a focused area of interest. Access to unique facilities, including 3D scanners and prototypes, 5G motion capture, and virtual reality tools, further enhances your learning experience, preparing you for a range of careers in imagery, graphics, and vision.

Who this course is for

This programme is ideal for you if you wish to develop the skills necessary for a career in computer graphics, 3D acquisition and fabrication, medical imaging, robotics, special effects in games and film, computer vision, image and video generation and representation, or related applications.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities. 

Recognition from a top-ranked university: UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the QS World University Rankings 2025), providing you with a prestigious qualification that is highly regarded by employers worldwide. 

High-quality education from leading experts: Learn from world-renowned academics who are at the forefront of computer science innovation. UCL Computer Science is recognised for its research excellence, ranked first in England and second in the UK for research power in Computer Science and Informatics in the UK's most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). 

Real-world experience through project work: Apply your knowledge and skills in practical settings with a substantial research or engineering project. Many of these projects are conducted in collaboration with industry partners, giving you valuable hands-on experience and industry insights. 

Strong employability with high employment rates and starting salaries: Our graduates are highly sought after in the job market, thanks to UCL's strong reputation and the practical, industry-focused skills gained during the programme. You'll be well-prepared to enter a variety of high-demand roles in computer graphics, vision or imaging.

State-of-the-art facilities: Students benefit from access to state-of-the-art facilities, both for learning and for project work. This includes 3D scanners and prototypes, virtual reality tools, and robotics.

Cutting-edge research: Our research activities include geometric acquisition and 3D fabrication, real-time photo-realistic rendering, mixed and augmented reality, facial recognition, content-based image-database search, video-texture modelling, depth perception in stereo vision, colour imaging for industrial inspection, mapping brain function and connectivity and tracking for SLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping).

Unique blend of subjects: This programme brings together a unique blend of subjects, creating comprehensive practitioners in visual fields. Many lecturers on the programme team also have industry experience in the field, giving you a greater grasp of the practical application of the skills you learn. 

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Graduates from this programme have gone on to successful roles in the gaming and movie industries, as well as for large technology firms, healthcare and education providers, burgeoning companies in virtual reality, and the wider metaverse. Destination companies include Disney, Sony and Siemens. 

Other graduates have pursued research positions or PhDs. 

Employability

The programme prepares you to enter a visual computing-related industry and roles in any other sector requiring a solid engineering background. Graduates will have acquired the skills to deliver scalable solutions to complex problems involving the generation and the machine-understanding of visual data. 

Your comprehensive understanding of graphics, imaging, and vision will make you an invaluable asset to teams across a wide range of industries, including interactive applications like (3D) computer games, (VR) simulation for healthcare or education and image understanding in automation, automotive industries and 3D recognition.

Collaborating with top supervisors on your research project and dissertation offers the chance to hone skills in independent research, critically evaluate your results, and uncover new insights or models. This experience will prepare you for leading roles in research and development and open doors to further doctoral studies.

Networking

You’ll have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate and network with peers and members of academia and industry as part of your Master’s, particularly through collaborative project work and research seminars.

  • As a student and later as a graduate, you will have access to the UCL Careers events programme, connecting you with employers and alumni. This programme provides invaluable insight into the reality of different roles, sectors, and current application processes. 
  • UCL also has a large number of clubs and societies, which can be an effective way to connect with peers who share similar interests and career goals. 
  • Be part of a university where entrepreneurial minds thrive. Our academic and industrial networks provide a safe and supportive environment if you want to grow your own company. 
  • London’s Tech scene is vibrant and has regular networking events.

Teaching and learning

This programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, lab classes. Your self-directed learning is supported by online resources.

You will be assessed through various methods, including coursework, projects, exams, and a final research project/dissertation.

For full-time students, typical contact hours are approximately 19-23 contact  hours per teaching week, depending on module selections and timetabling. These contact hours include lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials, office hours and other events.

Outside of these sessions, students are expected to engage in significant self-directed study and complete assessments. Formal teaching and self-directed study together amount to a workload comparable to a full-time job, roughly 35-40 hours per week in total.

Modules

The Computer Graphics, Vision and Imaging MSc is a one-year programme.

In Term 1, you will study topics in image processing, computer graphics, machine vision, and machine learning for visual computing.

In Term 2, you will choose from a range of specialist optional topics, which may include virtual environments, inverse problems in imaging, robot vision, navigation and perception, and medical imaging. You will also begin preparation for your final research project/dissertation.

In Term 3, you will primarily focus on your final research project/dissertation and any examinations that take place in the main examination period.

Compulsory modules







Optional modules








Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Computer Graphics, Vision and Imaging.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

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Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £20,500
Tuition fees (2025/26) £39,800

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Students will require a modern computer (PC or Mac) with minimum specifications of 8GB RAM and 500GB SSD storage with a camera and microphone. However, we recommend at least 16GB RAM and 0.5-1 TB SSD storage. If you are considering undertaking a machine learning project, there will be computational capability available to you from within the Computer Science department, but you may nevertheless find it helpful to have a capable GPU in addition to the above.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For more information about funding opportunities for UCL Computer Science taught postgraduate programmes, please see the department's scholarships webpage.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Computer Graphics, Vision and Imaging at graduate level
  • why you want to study Computer Graphics, Vision and Imaging at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this programme
  • what programming experience you have
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Due to competition for places on this programme, no late applications will be considered. Students with visa requirements or applying for scholarships are advised to apply early.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Computer Science
Computer Science

cs.pgt-admissions@ucl.ac.uk

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