Master of Data Science University of South Australia

Degree overview

• Enter the revolutionary area of big data where there is an increase in demand for data science skills1.
• Learn to analyse and visualise rich data sources, how to spot data trends, and to generate data management strategies.
• Complete coursework designed with industry including the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia and the leader in business analytics software – SAS.
• Use Python, R, SAS, Hadoop as well as other tools used by data science professionals.

1Deloitte Access Economics, The future of work: Occupational and education trends in data science in Australia, February 2018.

Snapshot

Enter the revolutionary area of big data where there is an acute shortage of data scientists. This is expected to drive future growth in the data science workforce, with an annual growth rate of 2.4% between 2016-17 and 2021-22 (which is stronger than the 1.5% per annum growth forecast for the entire Australian labour force)1.

Vast volumes of data are generated every day around the globe. The need to make sense of it has given rise to the revolutionary area of ‘Big Data’, and to a new career of ‘data scientist’. Data scientists find patterns, making meaning and drawing value from the seeming chaos.

Taught by leading researchers you will learn to analyse and visualise rich data sources, how to spot data trends and to generate insights based on data.

This postgraduate degree is offered as part of a suite of three programmes (graduate certificate, graduate diploma and master). Each qualification extends to the next, so you can easily transition to a master level qualification.

If you decide to exit this degree having completed the first four courses you will receive the Graduate Certificate in Data Science. If you have completed the first eight courses you will receive the Graduate Diploma in Data Science.

1Deloitte Access Economics, The future of work: Occupational and education trends in data science in Australia, February 2018.

Real-world connections

Research institutes and centres

The University is home to several research institutes, concentrations and centres, including:

• Advanced Computing Research Centre
• Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
• Future Industries Institute
• Institute for Telecommunications Research
• Phenomics and Bioinformatics Research Centre
• Defence and Systems Institute

All have industry-standard facilities, with world-renowned links and associations that provide a dynamic teaching and research base for students.

The University of South Australia also hosts regular employee master classes and employment expos, and alumni events in Australia and overseas.

Duration: 2 years (full-time)
Format: Full-time

You will start by developing foundation skills in data and statistics and then in the second year, you will study advanced skills in analytics. This will include courses such as:

• Predictive Analytics
• Unsupervised Methods in Analytics
• Research Methods
• Data Visualisation
• Customer Analytics in Large Organisations
• Advanced Analytic Techniques 1 & 2
• Social Media Data Analytics

You’ll finish your degree with a professional project where you’ll work in a structured project team, getting practical experience in modern data science techniques and practices.

The University of South Australia’s Master of Data Science gives you current knowledge of data science techniques and research. It caters to students with a mathematics or an IT background, with courses tailored for both.

You will learn to analyze and visualize rich data sources, spot data trends, and generate data management strategies. The coursework has been designed with industry, including the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia and the business analytics software leader – SAS.

The field of data science field is evolving at a rapid rate. It will continue to grow as savvy business leaders integrate analytics into every facet of their organization. Analytics, science, data, and reasoning are becoming embedded into decision-making processes, every day and everywhere in the business world.

Careers to consider:

• data scientist: understanding interfaces, data migrations, big data, and databases; taking the lead in processing raw data and determining the best types of analysis; mining large volumes of data to understand user behaviors and interactions; communicating data findings to IT leadership and business leaders to promote innovation
• big data visualizer: using visualization software to analyze data, drawing implications and communicating findings; providing input on database requirements for reporting/analytics; acquiring, managing, and documenting data (e.g. geospatial); creating visualizations from data or GIS data analysis
• business data analyst: working with stakeholders, analysts, and senior management to understand business strategy and the questions that need to be asked; identifying research needs; designing experiments and making recommendations based on results; driving complex analytics projects to support the business
• information security analyst: reporting and recommendations to prevent security incidents; security control monitoring; implementing new security technology, methods, and techniques; championing security best practice; reviewing systems for security risks and compliance issues
• data engineer: managing data workflows, pipelines, and ETL processes, preparing ‘big data’ infrastructure, working with data scientists and analysts
• machine-learning analysts: building and implementing machine learning models, developing production software through systems in big data production pipeline, working with recommendation systems, developing customer analytics solutions

No.1 university in SA for student satisfaction in IT (ComparED (QILT): Course Experience Questionnaire 2019-20, Computing and Information Systems – Overall Satisfaction Indicator (Postgraduate). Public SA-founded universities only)