MSc Operational Research and Applied Statistics
Cardiff, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 28,200 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas | for home: £11,450
Introduction
Our MSc in Operational Research and Applied Statistics aims to equip you with the necessary analytical skills, methods and ways of thinking to tackle and analyse complex organisational problems, help make better decisions, and become confident statistical analysts.
This course is ideal training and experience for those looking for career opportunities in areas such as Operational Research, management science, statistics, management consultancy, business analytics, supply chain management, and government operational research/statistics.
You will undertake case studies and project work which will give you the opportunity to put your skills into practice and provide valuable experience of working in the field. The dissertation project, typically undertaken with an industrial partner, will allow you to work with complex data in a creative manner and a problem-solving environment, as well as to communicate your ideas and findings effectively.
This is a one-year full-time programme.
Why Study this Course
This programme is designed to equip you with the necessary analytical skills, methods and ways of thinking to tackle and analyse complex organisational problems, help make better decisions and become confident statistical analysts.
A Range of Study Options
Available on a one-year full-time or three-year part-time basis.
Develop Transferable Skills
Acquire transferable operational research and statistical skills that are highly sought after in a broad range of sectors.
Research Expertise
Learn from experts in the fields of Operational Research and Statistics.
Industry Experience
Gain valuable work experience on placement opportunities available with industrial partners in the UK and abroad.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
We are committed to investing up to a total of £500,000 in this high value competitive scholarship scheme to support UK students who are planning to start an eligible Master’s programme in 2024/25.
Each Scholarship is worth £3,000 and will be awarded a tuition fee discount.
Eligibility
UK students are eligible to apply for the Scholarship. You normally need to have achieved at least a 2.1 or equivalent in your first degree to be eligible. You need to submit an application to study at Cardiff University and be made an offer to study before your fee status can be confirmed.
Curriculum
This one-year course includes a three-month period working with a company on a real problem that they have identified.
You will take 80 credits of core modules and 40 credits of optional modules in the taught component of the programme. This is followed by a 60-credit summer project.
The programme will prepare you with essential techniques in Operational Research and Applied Statistics, and then allow you to select from optional courses in topics such as supply chain modelling, healthcare, and Statistics and Operational Research for Government (delivered with input from the Office for National Statistics and Welsh Assembly Government).
You will have the opportunity to put the theory into practice, through case studies and project work in the ‘real world. An important feature of the MSc is the project dissertation, allowing you to work with an external company.
Core Modules for Year One
- Computational Methods
- Foundations of Operational Research and Analytics
- Foundations of Statistics and Data Science
- Further Operational Research
- Dissertation
Optional Modules for Year One
- Time Series and Forecasting
- Supply Chain Modelling
- Statistics and Operational Research in Government
- Healthcare Modelling
- Financial Mathematics and Modern Actuarial Risk Theory
- Credit Risk Scoring
- Stochastic Search and Optimisation
- Statistical Programming with R and Shiny
- Mathematical Methods for Data Mining
How Will I Be Assessed?
During the course, your development will primarily be monitored via tutorial sheets, with other means where appropriate.
Written examinations, often in combination with an in-course element form an overall assessment.
Program Outcome
What Skills Will I Practise and Develop?
You will study a variety of problem-solving techniques, allowing you to build and use mathematical and statistical models, alongside skills to develop your abilities to communicate effectively to others.
This course has particular value in developing transferable skills including critical analysis and evaluation, the ability to undertake original and creative research, teamwork and the development of IT and presentational skills.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
This programme prepares you for a career in areas such as operational research, management science, statistics, risk analysis, financial modelling, actuarial risk and credit scoring, management consultancy, business analytics, supply chain management, and government operational research /statistics.
Our School of Mathematics has well-established and strong links with many employers of Operational Researchers and Applied Statisticians, who regularly offer projects and/or recruit our students.
If you prefer to continue on a more academic career pathway, you may choose to continue your studies with a PhD.
Program delivery
How Will I Be Taught?
The methods of teaching we employ will vary from module to module, as appropriate depending on the subject matter and the method of assessment. We teach using a mixture of lectures, seminars, computer workshops and tutorials.
You will apply the skills you develop through presentations, research assignments, case studies and the summer project.