Integrated Master’s: Frequently asked questions

MSci and MEng degrees are Master’s degrees that combine all the learning of a traditional three-year bachelor’s degree with an additional year of Master’s level study.

You enrol directly on the Master’s degree at the start of your undergraduate studies and pursue a single, coherent programme leading to you being awarded a Master’s degree upon graduation. These programmes are often referred to as "integrated Master’s" degrees, in recognition of the fact they combine the Master’s year with the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree as a single integrated programme.

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Yes! Integrated Master's degrees are Master's degrees, and are equivalent in academic achievement to obtaining a BSc (or BEng) followed by an MSc. They take a little less time overall than the BSc + MSc and are awarded following completion of 240 ECTS (the widely recognised measure of academic credit under the European Credit Transfer System).

MSci and MEng degrees are fully recognised as UK "level 7" Master's degrees under the National Qualifications Framework, as are MSc degrees. They also include all the learning at academic levels 4, 5 and 6 that would otherwise form part of an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree.

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No. The MSci and MEng degrees cover both the Bachelor's and Master's requirements in a single, fully integrated, curriculum leading to the award of a single degree (at Master’s level).

This does not diminish your achievements or negatively impact your career prospects – in fact having a Master's degree such as an MSci or MEng can significantly enhance your career and future earnings prospects relative to only having a Bachelor’s degree.

No. If you are offered a place on an MSci or MEng degree, you follow this programme continuously from first year to fourth. You do not need to apply separately for the Master’s year later on.

There are academic requirements that must be met in order to progress from Year Three to Year Four of MSci and MEng programmes. The requirement is typically that you have an overall honours average of at least 55% for your programme at the end of third year. If you do not meet this threshold, you will still be able to graduate, but would be moved to the equivalent BSc or BEng programme, and would graduate with a Bachelor’s degree rather than progressing to the fourth year.

The MSci and BSc (or MEng and BEng) annual tuitions fees are identical for a given subject, whether you are taking the bachelor’s degree or integrated Master’s degree. Overall, the integrated Masters will cost more because there is one additional year.

Taking the four-year MSci degree can cost you less than taking a comparable three-year undergraduate followed by a one-year postgraduate Master’s programme. This is because you pay undergraduate fees during the fourth year, and because it is an "integrated" course, you are charged the same tuition fee and, if applicable, can receive maintenance loans for all four years.

In contrast, if you finish a BSc and then decide to do a separate MSc, the cost is usually greater, and for domestic students, you will have to apply for a separate Postgraduate Loan, which is often a fixed amount that may not cover both your full tuition and living costs, unlike the Undergraduate Loan which provides a separate loan for tuition and living costs.

As an example, in 2025/26 taking the fourth year of the MSci Physics would have cost you £9250 as a home fee student, or £35800 as an overseas student. By contrast, had you graduated with the BSc Physics then taken the one-year MSc Physics, the home fees would have cost you £13500, with overseas fees being £37800. In this example the BSc + MSc route to a Masters would have cost you an extra £4200 as a home student or an extra £2000 as an overseas student. That is before you take into account the additional costs of the separate application for the MSc, a possibly any separate visa costs and so on.

Yes! You can opt to switch at any point right up to the end of your third year. Any request to change from an MSci/MEng to the corresponding BSc/BEng, is guaranteed, so long as the request is made before you start the Master’s year, and if your circumstances change, it is even possible to request the change having started the Master’s year.

No! Our entry criteria and selection criteria are identical for both BSc and MSci (or BEng and MEng) versions of a given programme. Applying for the integrated Master's does not reduce your chances of being made an offer in any way.

You can request to transfer to the MSci or MEng version of your programme at any point during your degree until close to the end of your third year. We always permit such requests if you are meeting the academic requirements of the MSci or MEng programme at the time you ask to transfer. During your course, your department will organise information sessions and share resources about the fourth year, for those considering transferring across, with specific details about the projects undertaken in that year.

However, if you are not sure whether to choose a three or four year degree, we strongly recommend you choose the four year course from the start, because dependent upon your circumstances, you will need to apply for funding for the fourth year, if you require the student loan, or extend or reapply for a visa if you are an international student. Changing from MSci to BSc is often a more straightforward process than vice versa.

Please find below the full list of degree programmes offered by the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences.

Our degree programmes

Each university stipulates its own criteria; however, an MSci or MEng degree is a level 7 Master’s qualification and so should normally be judged as equivalent to an MSc for entry to PhD programmes.

Confusion can sometimes occur when applying for positions in countries where the integrated Master’s model is not common and so two degrees (separate Bachelor’s and Master’s) might be expected. Such confusion can generally be quickly resolved by a letter of explanation of the full Master’s level nature of the MSci or MEng. King’s can readily provide such a letter.

Not necessarily. Many final years of MSci and MEng degrees offer a considerable amount of scope for taking specialist level 7 modules in the topics/subjects that interest you most. This can allow you to tailor your learning experience and to cover an area of specialisation to the same depth as might normally be achieved through a specific one-year MSc programme. It can even be possible to graduate with a degree title that reflects this choice of specialist modules in the final year.

For example, at King’s you might be originally registered on the MSci Physics programme, but through suitable choice of optional module you may decide to graduate with an MSci in Physics with Theoretical Physics, an MSci in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, an MSci in Physics with Biophysics… or simply to stick with your original title of MSci Physics!

Some more details about the structure of our fourth years in different disciplines is given in response to other questions below.

There is no reason that studying separate Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at different universities would necessarily be viewed as an advantage by an employer. King’s graduates are highly sought after and students graduating with a good MSci or MEng degree from King’s will find themselves in a very strong position internationally when looking for jobs.

In fact, there can be real advantages to pursuing a continuous programme of study leading to the award of a Master’s degree, without the break implied by the BSc + MSc model, such as:

• You will have familiarity with the teaching style and expectations as you enter your Master’s year.
• You will not be distracted in year three of your undergraduate studies by having to apply for MSc programmes.
• You will not incur the additional costs and administration of applying for a new visa.
• You may find it easier to remain in the same location, for example by extending a housing contract rather than having to search for new accommodation.

All of our MSci and MEng degrees in Chemistry, Physics, Informatics are professionally accredited by either the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Institution of Engineering and Technology or the Chartered Institute for IT.

The first three years of the MSci/MEng degree are exactly the same as the three-year undergraduate programme – ie you will study the required modules and have the same choice of modules as those on the BSc/BEng, and you study alongside BSc/BEng students.

The fourth year is different to the first three. It enables you to extend and deepen your knowledge through higher, masters-level taught modules - many of which are linked to our cutting-edge research strengths, and led by pre-eminent experts in their fields – who you may not yet have been taught by. Some of our degrees offer a huge range of modules, including in other science departments at King’s, and in the case of Physics, other London universities. for those considering transferring across, with specific details about the projects undertaken in that year.

The majority of the fourth year involves applying the knowledge and skills you have acquired in the first three years to an independent, research project of your choice.

You will undertake an advanced research project – either individually or in groups, depending on the degree. This involves applying the skills and experience you have developed during your degree to a real-world problem, potentially carrying out original research, and potentially using more advanced lab-spaces, software, technologies and equipment.

Whether as an individual or a group, you will be supported in your research by an academic supervisor, who will regularly check in on your progress and ensure you have the right tools and knowledge to succeed in your project.

Each of our degree programmes is a bit different in terms of the kind of project you get to choose. But the majority involve finding a solution to real-world problems in science or industry, including areas such as net zero technologies, health, advanced computing and AI.

Some of our programmes, such as the MSci in Computer Science or AI, allow you to work with external partners in industry or government, developing software solutions to challenges they face in the real-world, allowing you to gain work experience. Other programmes including in Chemistry allow you to work in other departments and faculties at King’s, such as health and medicine, a King’s affiliated hospital, or the Francisc Crick Institute - a globally leading research institute in biomedical research.

The fourth year enables you to hone and develop transferrable skills highly valued by employers, such as independent working and leadership skills, project management, creative and analytical thinking, working as a team, and communication and presentation skills.

For many of our programmes, alongside assessing you for the project itself, you will also be tested through a viva presentation to peers and senior academics at the end of the project, including some presentations in front of experts from industry.

The fourth year therefore provides students with a strong advantage in a competitive job market and a boost to their careers. As you will graduate with a Master’s, this may help set you apart when applying for roles, given a Master’s degree is higher than a Bachelor’s. A student with an MSci is more likely to find themselves on a fast-track career with a higher salary and more opportunities as a result of the extra investment in their skills.

As you acquire additional experimental and theoretical research and lab skills, the MSci/MEng enables you to work in environments where an in-depth knowledge and practice in the subject is essential. Additionally, some students get to publish their research findings from the project in academic journals and even attend conferences to share their research outside King's. Therefore, if you are considering a career in research – whether in academia or industry, it is highly recommended to study the MSci/MEng followed by PhD.

The integrated undergraduate Master’s degree is graded in much the same way as the Bachelor’s degrees (rather than the traditional standalone Masters grading system of pass, distinction or fail). This means that at the end of your degree, you’ll receive a 1st, 2.1, 2.2. or 3rd.

The main difference you’ll come across in the grading of an undergraduate Master’s is how each year of the programme is weighted. Each year of a four-year undergraduate integrated Masters is usually weighted 0:1:2:2, with the third and fourth years being worth twice as much as the second.

For the majority of our year in industry programmes, we offer the MSci, meaning you will study for a five-year degree. You will undertake the year in industry or year abroad alongside BSc students in your third year, and return to King’s for your fourth and fifth years, with the last year being the MSci year. Please consult departmental degree pages to check the specific details on each degree.

If you apply to follow the an MSci or MEng programme as an international student from the start of your undergraduate studies (i.e. you apply for these programme through UCAS), you can apply for a single student visa that will cover the full duration of your programme, including the final masters year. You will not need to reapply for the fourth year.

If you choose to study for a three-year Bachelor’s course followed by a one-year MSc programme you would need to apply, and pay separately for, one visa for each programme of study.

If you switch to the MSci or MEng halfway through your course, having initially been registered for the BSc or BEng, you will have to apply for a new visa to cover the duration of the longer programme. This will entail additional costs. However, if you switch from MSci or MEng to a BSc or BEng, you do not have to pay to change your visa – the visa you have will simply be "curtailed" when you graduate from the shorter programme.

No! One of the great advantages of the integrated Master’s for overseas students is that you only need to apply once for a student visa. This visa covers you for full duration of the four-year programme. This is in contrast to taking a BSc followed by an MSc in the UK, where you would need to apply for a separate visa for the MSc.

However, if you choose to study for a three-year bachelor’s course followed by a one-year MSc programme or to switch to the MSci (or MEng) halfway through your course, you will have to reapply for a visa to cover the duration of the new programme.

In some subjects the MSci or MEng programme does require a separate ATAS application for some applicants, which is not needed for Bachelor’s programmes. In such cases it is almost always the case that an ATAS certificate would have been required for related MSc programmes had a student chosen the BSc + MSc route.