Edinburgh Award in Community Building

If you are a Year 2 Undergraduate student, you can take part in the Edinburgh Award in Community Building to develop transferable skills and gain recognition from the University

The Edinburgh Award in Community Building is designed to support you in developing and practicing your transferable skills by reflecting on the positive impact you have on others. The tailored and reflective process is designed to help you identify skills to focus on and develop, both throughout your time in the programme and beyond. 

The Edinburgh Award is a skills development programme that you can do while studying at the University of Edinburgh, to get recognition for getting involved in activities outside of your studies and to get even more out of those experiences. There are several versions of the Edinburgh Award available, and which one is right for you depends on the activity you are doing. For more information about the Edinburgh Award and other versions available please see the Edinburgh Award website.

Here in the School of Mathematics, we exclusively run the Edinburgh Award in Community Building. 

If you are an undergraduate student in Year 2, the Edinburgh Award in Community Building represents a great opportunity for you to start thinking about your own development in a supportive and relaxed environment, feel part of the School of Mathematics community, and meet new people in your year. 


The Award runs October to March and entails roughly 50-hours over the academic year. The Award is wrapped around a variety of activities and skills sessions, which means that you get to tailor your Award journey to your own development needs. 

The focus of this Award is to plan, develop, organise and run a community building activity, with other students who are completing the Award, for Maths students in Year 1.  

To complete the Award you must:

  1. Attend three input sessions (3 hours)
  2. Participate in skills development workshops (14 hours)
  3. Write and submit three short reflective pieces detailing your progress on the Award and complete two peer reviews (5 hours)
  4. Design, organise, promote and run a community building event (28 hours)

During your time on the Award you will choose the skills you want to develop and will actively work on developing them. Being able to take responsibility for your skills development is incredibly useful, particularly while also reflecting on your progress, what you could change in your approach, how much you've learned will help set you up for success in the future.

By completing an Edinburgh Award, you will be able to:

  • Identify skills gaps and proactively plan how to improve
  • Demonstrate real-world examples of where they have put specific skills into practice​
  • Develop reflective practice​s
  • Identify how to create an impact on themselves and others​

Transferable Skills Development​

Your experience from participating in the Awards can help to develop and demonstrate your broader skills, showing what you have learned in addition to your academic knowledge. These transferable skills can also impact on the rest of your life by helping your studies, your personal growth, your future career and how you engage with the wider world. Students who have previously completed the Edinburgh Award have commented on how they really enjoyed the skills development aspect of the Award. 

Career Readiness

The Edinburgh Award in Community Building can help you to stand out from the crowd, adding something extra to your CV. The job market is tough, but the good news is that the activities you do outside of your degree are considered by potential employers. Employers look for graduates who:

  • are self-aware
  • capitalise on their strengths
  • will have impact wherever they work
  • are committed to personal development and life-long learning
  • can confidently provide evidence for these claims

Employers are looking for applicants who can show they have a commitment to personal and professional development, as well as have the ability to articulate their skills and capabilities. The Edinburgh Award in Community Building helps you develop these skills, as well as evidence them in a verifiable way.  

Official Recognition from the University

The Award will appear on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) alongside your degree.​ You will also receive a certificate of recognition from the University of Edinburgh for every version of the Award completed.​

The Opportunity to Contribute to the School of Maths Community

In completing the Edinburgh Award in Community Building, you have the chance to have a direct, positive impact on your very own academic community. You will also have the chance to meet other students in your year. 


Registration for the 2025/2026 programme, for the Edinburgh Award for Community Building, will open at 9am on Monday, 8 September (2025). 

Check back here in September 2025 to sign-up. 


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