Data Science with Applied Research

Data science is a rapidly developing field of study within both academia and industry. Demand for data scientists is high in many industries, including IT, business, security, health, energy, etc., with many research opportunities available within the Data Science field.

This course will prepare you for a career as a data scientist, working in any profession where large amounts of data are collected and there is a need for skills in data acquisition, extraction, aggregation and representation, and data analysis using state-of-the-art machine learning techniques.

You will benefit from a firm grounding in the core disciplines of data analytics and information processing, partnered with a broad appreciation of other disciplines where data science can form natural synergistic relationships. Undertaking an applied research project across two semesters will provide an opportunity to develop the skills necessary to independently plan and organise an extensive piece of research in a selected application area, and to implement a novel solution over a sustained period.

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

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.

Applicants must:
(a) have gained

(i) a second class honours degree or better 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 has been recognised as being of an equivalent standard; or

(ii) an equivalent standard (normally 50%) in a Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma or an approved alternative qualification;

and the qualification must be 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).

If English is not your first language this course requires a minimum English level of IELTS (academic) 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5, or equivalent.

Visit ulster.ac.uk/englishrequirements for more details.

This course is open to international (non-EU) students.

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

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

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 MSc Data Science will pursue opportunities for industrially linked teaching material and student project work. In this regard, we will utilise our business and industry links to facilitate an industrially relevant student project. Such projects create valuable experiences for the student, and additionally, they can also help to build new and ongoing collaborations with departments and companies, with the potential to tap into funding streams designed for industry-academic research and development.

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.