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Data Science and Analytics MSc

Course code

I200PDATA

Start date

September

Subject area

Computer Science

Mode of study

1 year full-time

2 years part-time

1 year (staged study) part-time

Fees

2024/25

UKĀ Ā£13,750

InternationalĀ Ā£25,000

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Overview

From social networks, ecommerce and government through to sensors, smart meters and mobile networks, data is being collected at an unprecedented speed and scale. But big data is of little use without 'big insight'. The skills required to develop such insight are in short supply and the shortage of skilled workers in the data analytics market is cited as a key barrier to unlocking everything that data has to offer.

The Data Science and Analytics MSc programme provides these skills, combining a strong academic degree course with hands-on experience of leading commercial technology, and the chance to gain industry certification. You will develop both your critical awareness of the very latest developments in data science and the practical skills that help you apply data science more effectively in a wide variety of sectors including finance, retail and government.

You’ll gain knowledge of key concepts and the nuances of effective data analysis. You’ll gain confidence in your own critical understanding of the challenges and issues arising from taking heterogeneous data at volume and scale, understanding what it represents, and turning that understanding into insight for business, scientific or social innovation. You’ll develop a practical understanding of the skills, tools and techniques necessary for the effective application of data science.

The course is designed to offer you the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in several data analytics tools (e.g. Hadoop, Spark, Tableau), programming languages (R, Python) and machine learning libraries.

A series of sessions in Python is offered to support students who are less familiar with programming.

You will also have the opportunity to obtain an SAS certificate such as SAS Base Programming, which is a recognised industry qualification, following a two-week SAS certification ‘boot camp’.

If you don’t want to commit to full or part-time study of the entire MSc, you can develop your educational portfolio over a longer period of time by undertaking staged study that leads to the award of Postgraduate Certiļ¬cate (PGCert in Data Science), Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip in Data Science and Analytics) and Data Science and Analytics MSc in separate stages.

The MSc in Data Science and Analytics will be a good fit for you if you are curious to learn how to use data to answer interesting questions, want to learn how to apply data science software tools (such as R Studio or Python) to solve problems, are interested in the ethical aspects and governance that handling data requires and want to acquire skills to report and present your analysis results.

The roles that our graduates are typically recruited to within these organisations include analytics consultant, big data engineer/scientist, business analyst, clinical data scientist, data design specialist, data scientists, developer/development engineer, enterprise/technical architect, forecast analyst, marketing/customer and/or insight analyst, quantitative analyst and web analyst.

Brunel’s Women in Engineering and Computing mentoring scheme provides our female students with invaluable help and support from their industry mentors.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

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Course content

This incredibly relevant and current course will equip you with all the skills you need to venture out into the world of analytics and big data.

This course can be studied 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time or 1 year (staged study) part-time, starting in September.

Year 1

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

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Careers and your future

Your MSc in Data Science and Analytics from Brunel will equip you to work in leading data science organisations.

Companies seeking to employ our data science graduates include Accenture, AstraZeneca, AXA Insurance, British Airways, Capgemini, Experian, FICO, GE Healthcare, HSBC, nPower, Orange, PayPal, Sopra and Waitrose.  

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UK entry requirements

  • A 2:2 or above UK Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification from a scientific, engineering, or a numerate subject.

We welcome applicants with other qualifications and industrial experience (relevant to the subject area), who will be assessed on an individual basis. Such applicants may be required to attend an interview and/or aptitude tests

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EU and International entry requirements

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
  • BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all) 

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

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Fees and funding

2024/25 entry

UK

Ā£13,750 full-time

Ā£6,873 part-time

International

Ā£25,000 full-time

Ā£12,500 part-time

Staged Masters UK/EU: £4,580

Staged Masters International: £7,870

More information on any additional course-related costs.

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase. 

See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Scholarships and bursaries

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Teaching and Learning

How the course will be delivered

Required equipment

How you'll learn on your course

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Assessment and feedback

Your progress will be assessed by a balance of coursework, class tests and exams. Assessments range from written reports/essays through to conceptual/statistical modelling and programming exercises.

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.

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