MSc in Data Science

Please note: this course is now closed for international applicants for 2023. It remains open for UK applicants.

Do you wish to work in the industry or plan to pursue further study? Are you interested in data science and its application to science and technology? If so, this course is for you.

On this MSc, you’ll learn about the theory and practice of state-of-the-art data science with applications ranging from mathematics to physics, and from biology to computer science. You’ll develop the skills to provide and use appropriate and up-to-date tools to deal with large datasets common in industrial practice and academic science.

You’ll learn in an intellectually stimulating environment and develop your research skills. Your MSc dissertation, supported by one of our expert faculty, gives you the opportunity to explore in-depth an area of your choice. You can choose to focus your studies on one of these four streams:

• Mathematics
• Physics
• Computer Science
• Life Sciences

Full-time and part-time study

Choose to study this course full time or part-time, to fit around your work and personal life. Modules for the full-time course are listed below.

For details about the part-time course, contact us.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2022/23. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to COVID-19, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let our applicants know of material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown below.

Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

All year

• Dissertation (Data Science)

Autumn teaching

• Algorithmic Data Science
• Data Analysis Techniques
• Data Science Research Methods
• Mathematics and Computational Methods for Complex Systems

Spring teaching

• Data Science Masters Research Proposal
• Machine Learning
• Wider Topics in Data Science

Options

Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

Autumn teaching

• Advanced Methods in Molecular Research
• Applied Natural Language Processing
• Programming in C++
• Programming through Python

Spring teaching

• Advanced Natural Language Processing
• Frontiers in Particle Physics
• Genomics and Bioinformatics
• Image Processing
• Monte Carlo Simulations
• Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations (L.7)
• Particle Physics Detector Technology
• Statistical Inference (L.7)
• Wearable Technologies
• Web Applications and Services

There’s strong employer demand for skilled people in artificial intelligence and data science. The UK Government’s Digital Strategy predicts that within 20 years, 90% of all jobs will require some element of digital skills.

The versatility of this course is highlighted by a wide range of career options. Typically, our graduates become data scientists in industry, particularly in:

• Technology and engineering
• Computing
• Finance and banking.

Other careers paths may include:

• Management
• Civil Service
• Scientific research
• Teaching
• Academia.