MSc Data Science with Advanced Research

Course Details

Course Subject

Total Credit

180

Qualification

Postgraduate Taught

Awarding Body

University of Hertfordshire

Academic Level

Level 7

Course Location

Hatfield

Course Duration

2 Years

Course Fees

£ 18950 Yearly

MOI

Accepted

OIETC

Accepted

Intakes

January/September

Work Placement

About The Course

About the course

Data is the currency of all but the most theoretically-based scientific research, and it also underpins our modern world, from the flow of data across international banking networks and the spread of memes across social networks, to the complex models of weather forecasting. The constant generation of data from our digital society feeds into our everyday lives, affecting how we receive healthcare to influencing our shopping habits. In order to handle, make sense of, and exploit large volumes of available data requires highly skilled human insight, analysis and visualisation. The professionals working in this field are called ‘data scientists’, who blend advanced mathematical and statistical skills with programming, database design, machine learning, modelling, simulation and innovative data visualisation. These professionals are in high demand in both public and private sectors in the UK and worldwide. This programme aims and learning outcomes are built around two guiding principles:

To provide comprehensive understanding of the fundamental mathematical and statistical concepts underlying data science, and how they are implemented in algorithms and machine learning techniques to solve a variety of data processing and analysis problems.
To provide training in the practical skills relevant to data science, central of which is the ability to write clean and efficient code in industry-recognised languages (in particular, Python and R), but also includes data handling, manipulation, mining and visualisation techniques.

Why choose this course?

3rd for computer science in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES, Advance HE, 2023).
This programme is distinctive in its philosophy of widening participation and provides a route to gain skills and training in data science to those from a background not traditionally associated with the STEM-themes of mathematics, statistics and programming. The programme is designed to be appealing to a broad range of students who are seeking training or up-skilling in data science.
You will benefit from the expertise of astrophysicists, physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists with international research profiles. Their day-to-day research involves application of, and in some cases the development of new, data science skills, from fundamental statistical analyses, the use of distributed high-performance computing, and research into novel artificial intelligence algorithms.
We aim to make the programme distinctive in terms of the mixture of hard and soft skills, and the close personal relationship that we are developing with employers, which will feed into the programme through continuous assessment of the latest industry-relevant tools, which are continually evolving as new technology and software becomes available.
You will experience a multidisciplinary approach to data science by experiencing challenges in computer science, creative arts, medical and business environments.
You will have the opportunity to attend a wide range of research-focused seminars to excite and spark your intellectual curiosity.
Computer Science saw 90% of its research ranked as world-leading (Research Excellence Framework, 2021).

English Requirement

You have to get at least 6 band socre of IELTS

General Requirement

Entry requirements and key information

For Near-STEM students, the normal entry requirements for the programme are a good (2:1 or above) Honours Degree (or equivalent) in a STEM subject (e.g. Mathematics, Engineering, Physical Sciences etc). If a student has a relevant STEM degree, then they will be considered ‘Near-STEM’. They will be offered the opportunity to participate in the Data Science Core Skills bootcamp but will not be required to participate/attend.

For Far-STEM students, the normal entry requirements for the programme are a good (2:1 or above) Honours Degree (or equivalent). The subject of the degree is not defined, since (a) many different, disparate subjects might have a Data Science relevance (e.g. Business, Geography), and (b) some students might possess a non- STEM degree but have relevant experience (e.g. from employment). For far-STEM students who do not possess a good Honours Degree or equivalent, applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Applicants may be asked to submit a short portfolio providing evidence of:

A basic level of numeracy (e.g. GCSE maths)
Experience and competency with IT / software (e.g. use of Microsoft Excel)
Experience of a basic interaction with data of any form (e.g. inputting values, making calculations, examining imaging, etc.)