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Data Science and Analytics with a year in industry at Royal Holloway, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2024 - 20252025 - 2026
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Open days

14May
Royal Holloway, University of London - Postgraduate Open Afternoon (Central London campus)
Postgraduate

Course summary

The importance of Big Data grows year on year, with sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, administration and others reliant on the insights that accurate data capture and analysis can provide. Study Data Science and Analytics with a Year in Industry 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. 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 academic 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 upon graduation. Skills that you will acquire include the ability to:

  • 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 develop their skills and experience with a year in industry at some of the country's leading technology institutions. By electing to spend a year in business you will also be able to integrate theory and practice and gain real business experience. In the past, our students have secured placements in blue-chip companies such as Centrica, Data Reply, Disney, IMS Health, Rolls Royce, Shell, Sociéte Générale, VMWare and UBS, among others.
  • 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.
  • Gain invaluable knowledge, experience and contacts with a 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, examinations 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

England £14400 Year 1
Northern Ireland £14400 Year 1
Scotland £14400 Year 1
Wales £14400 Year 1
Channel Islands £14400 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £14400 Year 1
EU £31100 Year 1
International £31100 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

These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2025/26. Students studying on the standard part-time course structure over two years are charged 50% of the full-time applicable fee for each study year. Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase all postgraduate tuition fees annually, based on the UK’s Retail Price Index (RPI). Please therefore be aware that tuition fees can rise during your degree (if longer than one year’s duration), and that this also means that the overall cost of studying the course part-time will be slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. This figure is the fee for EU and international students starting a degree in the academic year 2025/26. For further information, please visit: https://royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/fees-and-funding/postgraduate/tuition-fees/ These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2025/26 academic year, and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.
Data Science and Analytics with a year in industry at Royal Holloway, University of London - UCAS