Data Science

Data science is a rapidly developing field of study within both academia and industry. Demand for data scientists and business analysts is high in many industries including IT, business, security and health sectors, intelligent transport, energy efficiency and the creative industries.

This course will prepare you for a future career as a data scientist or business analyst working in any profession where large amounts of data is collected and there is a need for skills in data acquisition, information extraction, aggregation and representation, data analysis, knowledge extraction and explanation.

You will benefit from a firm grounding in the core disciplines of data analytics and information processing, partnered with a broad appreciation of aspects of other disciplines where data science can form natural synergistic relationships.

We will help you to build your skills and professional network. Utilising our research expertise and industrial links, you will conduct data projects with internal departments and external university partners.

For further course details please see "Course Web Page" below.

Module Listing

Year 1

Module 1

Early Childhood Education: Policy and Practice
• International best practice and early childhood education
• Early childhood education policy and practice in Ireland
• Theory and practice of play in early childhood education
• Critiquing Aistear as a play-based curriculum framework
• Role of the practitioner in developing the selfregulated learner

Module 2

Psychology of Early Childhood
• Key concepts and debates in psychology of early childhood
• Learning theories: How do young children learn?
• Emotional and behavioural development in early childhood
• Early childhood in context
• Assessment & evaluation

Module 3

Language and Literacy in Early Childhood Education
• Literacy as social practice
• Emergent literacy
• Oral language development
• Formal and informal literacy skills
• The role of story in early years education

Module 4

Inquiry-Based Learning
• Key philosophical underpinnings and history of inquiry-based learning

• Key pedagogical principles underpinning inquirybased learning models

• Creating and resourcing an inquiry-based environment

• Assessment in inquiry-based learning

• Inquiry-based learning exemplified in mathematics and science

Year 2

Dissertation Module
• Research methodologies and research ethics
• The research design process
• Research proposal
• Dissertation

To apply to our postgraduate taught programmes, you must meet the University's General Entrance Requirements and any course-specific requirements.

These vary depending on the course and are detailed online.

If English language is not your first language this course requires a minimum English level of IELTS 6.0, or equivalent. Visit ulster.ac.uk/englishrequirements for more details on English language requirements.

For full entry requirements please see "Course Web Page" below.

Your Application
You can apply directly to Ulster any time of year. We advise that you submit your application two weeks prior to your course start date to ensure sufficient time to review your application and, should you be made an offer, complete all necessary enrolment admin.

To start an application, you must create an Ulster University account. Do not worry. You don't need to complete your application in one go. We understand that this is a big decision. Our admissions team are on hand to help you with both the form and any documentation that you may need as part of your application.

Application is through the University's online application system (see "Application Weblink" below).

How is the course assessed?
Assessment is linked to the modular nature of the course. It consists of assignments, essays, case studies and a literature review in year 1, followed by a research proposal and dissertation in Year 2.

ECTS Credits: 90

Full-Time (Magee)/Part-Time (Magee or Belfast).

What are my career options?
Graduates of the course will be well prepared for many leadership, evaluative and management roles in early childhood education. This includes school principalship or management of an early childhood education setting. Graduates will be well placed to offer professional development for practitioners in primary schools and in early childhood education settings. Graduates could engage in policy work or apply for positions in the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills. Opportunities also arise from time to time for employment in early years professional organisations such as Early Childhood Ireland.