Course summary
The importance of Big Data grows year on year, with sectors including healthcare, manufacture, retail, administration and more reliant on the insights that accurate data capture and analysis can provide. Study Data Science and Analytics at Royal Holloway, University of London and you’ll develop the practical skills needed to handle and analyse data in a wide variety of fields, preparing you for a rewarding career in Big Data.
- You’ll study in a department with a strong reputation for research excellence. The Department of Computer Science was ranked 11th in the UK for the quality of its research publications (Research Excellence Framework 2014), and you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to this leading research culture with your own Individual Project.
- This flexible programme gives you the chance to tailor your learning to your own strengths and interests, with a broad range of optional modules including Online Machine Learning, Methods of Bioinformatics and Microeconometrics providing scope and variety. You’ll be well-equipped to continue your studies at PhD level, which will place you in a strong position to pursue more advanced, research-based roles after graduation.
- work with methods and techniques such as clustering, regression, support vector machines, boosting, decision trees, and neural networks
- work with structured, unstructured, and time-series data
- work with software packages such as MATLAB and R
- design data processing solutions for data-intensive analytics problems
- work with modern tools for massively distributed data processing, such as Hadoop and Pig, and Cloud Computing tools such as Amazon S3, EC2 and Elastic MapReduce
- design Extract-Transfer-Load (ETL) pipelines
- design Data Warehousing and Decision Support System (DSS) solutions
- work with highly-scalable data-storage solutions, such as MongoDB, Cassandra, HBase, and other NoSQL Data Stores
- work with data-intensive computing technologies, such as Hadoop MapReduce, Spark, Hive, and Pig
- work with Cloud Computing tools, such as Amazon S3, EC2 and Elastic MapReduce
- Follow your passion for Data Science and Analytics at Royal Holloway and you’ll graduate with a desirable Masters degree from a highly regarded department, as well as transferable skillset that’s both in short supply and in high demand by employers. Our location near the M4 corridor – also known as ‘England’s Silicon Valley’ – means students can benefit from networking and placement opportunities with some of the country’s top technology institutions.
- Benefit from strong industry ties, with close proximity to ‘England’s Silicon Valley’
- Graduate with a Master's degree leading to excellent graduate employability prospects.
- Tailor your learning with a wide range of engaging optional modules
- Choose from a one-year programme structure or add an optional year in industry
Modules
Mandatory modules: Data Analysis; Computation with Data; Programming for Data Analysis; Database Systems; Large-scale Data Storage and Processing; Individual Project. A range of optional modules are also available.
Assessment method
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including coursework and a dissertation. The placement is assessed as part of your degree.
How to apply
International applicants
With almost a third of our students joining us from outside the UK, Royal Holloway is a diverse community with a strong international spirit. Ranked highly in the UK and the world for international outlook in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Royal Holloway’s position recognises our global research impact and partnerships as well as student and staff diversity. Our alumni are found in 160 countries, working in industry, the arts, public sector and other areas, Royal Holloway is truly international both in ethos and impact. Within the 9,850 students enrolled at Royal Holloway, over 130 nationalities are represented, making our campus truly cosmopolitan. In addition, of the 104 societies and associations which enrich the post-study social life of our students, a quarter have an international flavour. We know a diverse community makes for a more creative and harder-working environment which benefits all our students, wherever they are from. Students from overseas can apply for all of our undergraduate degrees. We offer a range of additional support specifically for international students, including through our Centre for the Development of Academic Skills. For example, ‘Academic English’ for international students is provided for non-native speakers of English. The courses are designed to help you meet the challenges of academic work, including writing essays, following lectures, taking part in academic discussion and giving presentations. We also offer additional degree preparation courses for international students. See our website for full details. We have a number of scholarships that are dedicated to international students to help with tuition fees for undergraduate degrees. You can find a list of our current scholarship opportunities on our website.
Entry requirements
2:1 Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, Physics, or other subjects that include a strong element of both mathematics and computing. Normally we require a UK 2:1 (Honours) or equivalent in relevant subjects but we will consider high 2:2 or relevant work experience. Candidates with professional qualifications in an associated area may be considered. Where a ‘good 2:2’ is considered, we would normally define this as reflecting a profile of 57% or above.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Republic of Ireland | £13200 | Year 1 |
England | £13200 | Year 1 |
Northern Ireland | £13200 | Year 1 |
Scotland | £13200 | Year 1 |
Wales | £13200 | Year 1 |
Channel Islands | £13200 | Year 1 |
EU | £28500 | Year 1 |
International | £28500 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Provider information
Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham
TW20 0EX