Data Science - Analytics & Applications

Overview

Providing high quality professionals for the Data Science industry.



Summary

If you have previous computing experience and want to build skills to develop your career, then this is the perfect opportunity for you to begin to specialise in Data Science, a key growth area within the IT sector.



Data Science skills are typically in high demand in many industries including IT, business, security, health, intelligent transport, energy, and the creative industries. Data and analytics capabilities has developed rapidly in recent years. The volume of available data has grown exponentially, more sophisticated algorithms have been developed, and computational power and storage have steadily improved. Most companies, however, are not capturing the full potential value from data and analytics because they do not have the required expertise.



To help address these challenges, the Postgraduate Certificate in Data Science will provide you with the knowledge and skills in key technologies used in data collection, curation, processing, integration, analysis, and visualisation, applied to a variety of data types. Students will be introduced to a data scientist toolkit that can be applied to build data-driven applications.



About

This specialist postgraduate course in Data Science is aimed at highly-motivated graduates with a good Honours or non-Honours degree in computing, engineering or a related discipline. While the course has a particular focus on the employment needs of the local economy, the skills and abilities developed are easily transferred to a more global stage.



A major challenge for companies is attracting and retaining the right talent—not only data scientists but business translators who combine data savvy with industry and functional expertise. The science of extracting information from data continues to increase in importance in various disciplines in which the large volume and complexity of the data imposes unprecedented challenges to the data analysis approaches traditionally employed in these disciplines. This course enables graduates to build skills for career development and begin to specialise in the general area of data science.

F/T Programme

Year One

Business Intelligence and Analytics

Data Science Foundations

Big Data Technologies



P/T programme

Year One

Business Intelligence and Analytics

Data Science Foundations



Year Two

Big Data Technologies

Applicants must:

(a) have gained



(i) an Honours or non-Honours degree in the subject areas of computing, engineering or related discipline from a University of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or from a recognised national awarding body, or from an institution of another country which is recognised as being of an equivalent standard;



or



(ii) an equivalent standard in a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma or an approved alternative qualification in the subject areas of computing, engineering or related discipline;



and



(b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent);



In exceptional circumstances, as an alternative to (a) (i) or (a) (ii) and/or (b), where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.



English Language Requirements

English language requirements for international applicants

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.



Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

Attendance

This is a full-time programme which begins in September and the three modules will be delivered in one semester. The programme is delivered in-person at the Derry~Londonderry campus. It is not available in distance learning/online delivery mode.



The part-time programme offers two points of entry in each academic year in September and January. The three modules are delivered across two semesters. For September intake, the course is typically completed between September - May, and for January intake the course is typically completed between January - December. The programme is delivered in-person at the Derry~Londonderry campus. It is not available in distance learning/online delivery mode.

Start Date: September 2025.

Career options

The key message from employability and work-related learning initiatives is that enhancing opportunities to develop work-related learning and employability enhances the learning of the subject being studied. We understand the importance of including real industrial and commercial contexts to our student's experience, so this Postgraduate Certificate in Data Science will pursue opportunities for industrially linked teaching material and student project work.



A recent statement from Ulster University’s Careers Office indicates that Data Analysts are in high demand across all sectors, such as finance, consulting, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, government and education. Data analysts can work in large companies such as the ‘big four’ consultancies or financial services firms, or consumer retail firms, small and medium sized businesses such as marketing agencies’ or the public sector.