Course summary

Data is everywhere. As the volume and complexity of data collected continues to grow, there is increasing demand for expertise in data science to support the analysis and visualisation of all this information. The MSc Data Science is a conversion course for graduates from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds looking to pursue a career, or upskill, in this new and rapidly developing field. Data Scientists are in short supply and there is high demand for data science skills across sectors including business, government, healthcare, science, finance, and marketing. Gaining useful insights from data involves logical thinking, technical skills and deep knowledge of the domain the data comes from. Graduates from Law, Finance, Marketing, Business, Creative Arts, Social Sciences, Linguistics, Health Sciences, Sports Science, Psychology, Geography, Biological Sciences and Engineering (to name a few) are best placed to analyse data from their own discipline and bring a unique perspective (and set of questions) to a data science team. The MSc Data Science is designed to support students with little previous experience of data analysis or computer programming to gain new skills such as working with databases; statistical thinking; programming in high-level languages; modelling; applying data science tools and packages; machine learning; information retrieval; data visualisation; and addressing the challenges of big data. These complement existing knowledge and skills from your undergraduate study or work experience, such as formulating questions, building arguments, writing reports, delivering presentations, creative problem solving, and a curiosity about data. Features of the course include working with other students with different backgrounds, experience and perspectives, and gaining broad experience of working with a variety of types of data to address diverse and interesting questions.