Skip navigation
Data Science and Analytics (Including Placement Year) at University of Essex - UCAS

University of Essex

Degree level: Undergraduate

Data Science and Analytics (Including Placement Year)

Course options

Course summary

Data is the lifeblood of our society. From medicine to government offices, and market research to the environment, the collection and analysis of data is crucial to understanding how to improve, create and guide products and services across the globe. Harvard Business Review recently described the job of Data Scientist as “the sexiest job of the 21st century”. Data science is about doing some detective work and carrying out the investigations needed to inform important decisions and to predict new trends. Technology is growing and evolving at an incredible speed, and both the rate of growth of data we generate and the devices we use to process it can only increase. At Essex, we help you to understand how utilising the speed and processing-power of computers can assist in using data to make better decisions. You discover the new methods and the smart, unusual questions needed to make sense of both structured and unstructured data. Your course balances solid theory with practical application through exploring topics including:

  • Mathematical skills
  • Computer science and programming
  • Statistics and operations research
  • Artificial intelligence, databases and information retrieval
  • Ethical issues around the use and processing of data
  • Specialist skills in the areas of big data, data analytics and data science
You can spend your third year on a placement with an external organisation, learning about a particular sector, company or job role, applying your academic knowledge in a practical working environment, and receiving inspiration for future career pathways. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our placements team. Students are provided with support to secure a placement. Recent placements undertaken by our students have been with ARM, Microsoft, Intel, Nestlé, British Aerospace, and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, as well a range of SME software and hardware companies. If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. A successful career in data science requires you to possess truly interdisciplinary knowledge, so we ensure that you graduate with a wide-ranging yet specialised set of skills in this area. You are taught within our Department of Mathematical Sciences and our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering. Data scientists are required in every sector, carrying out statistical analysis or mining data on social media, so our course can open the door to almost any industry, from health, to government, to publishing.

Modules

Many of our courses offer a choice of optional modules to tailor your learning experience. More information about these can be found on the University of Essex website.


How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
I1GB
Institution code:
E70
Campus name:
Colchester Campus
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

At Essex we consider your whole application – not just grades. If you don’t meet the exact grade requirements, you may still be considered. We’re dedicated to helping students from underrepresented groups to access an Essex education. We may give you a Contextual Offer up to two A-Level grades below our standard conditional offer based on where you live, your school, and other details from your application. Involvement in our on-campus events may also support eligibility for a Contextual Offer.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://www.essex.ac.uk/undergraduate/applying-to-essex


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
75%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9250 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 Year 1
Scotland £9250 Year 1
Wales £9250 Year 1
Channel Islands £9250 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250 Year 1
EU £21525 Year 1
International £21525 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

Fees displayed are for the 2025-26 academic year. Fees may increase for each academic intake and each academic year of study.
Data Science and Analytics (Including Placement Year) at University of Essex - UCAS