A student talks with a local business manager

What will I study?

We have arranged placement projects for over 350 students over the last 10 years of our programme. Our students have undertaken projects at many leading companies, including Unilever, Siemens and The Bank of England.

We have worked with a wide range of organisations to provide our students with insight and experience of real-world data science. Throughout their course our students have contact with representatives from industry through group projects on live data, company talks and skills workshops. Our students have performed placement projects at Unilever, Raytheon, The Bank of England, Siemens, The Co-operative Insurance and many more. Within our programme, we also emphasise helping students develop the transferable skills that will enable them to make the most of careers opportunities. In addition to our industry seminars, we work closely with students to help them present themselves to potential employers most effectively.

Our placement process has been consistently praised both by our partner organisations and by our students as offering exceptional opportunities for students to launch their data science careers.

If you do not choose to work in a partner organisation, you also have the opportunity to base your dissertation on either:

  • A research project based at the University -if you are interested in building a career in data science research.
  • An enterprise project - if you are interested in starting your own data science business.

Previous placements

  • Dom Clarke

    WWL NHS Trust
    "The whole process was great, everyone at the office welcomed me with open arms and helped me with anything I wanted. I was provided with total flexibility to use any methods I desired, it was really MY project. It has been a perfect placement and provided the essential skills for a full-time position within the data science area."

  • Hwan Lee

    AstraZeneca
    "Gaining a deep understanding of the use and impact of my work allowed me to better appreciate the role and responsibilities of data scientists in the pharmaceutical industry. The placement made it easier for me to be a future data scientist by helping me to confidently answer interview questions for the job application processes."

  • Sean Sheehan

    The Behavioural Insights Team
    "I learned an enormous amount over course of the project, and being able to contribute to a substantial project in this way has increased my confidence in my own ability. The experience has proved to be especially valuable in securing work after completion of the course."

Course structure

The Data Science MSc is structured into three distinct terms. Your path through the course has a series of options depending on both your academic background and your choice of modules.

  • Term 1: Core modules

    Term 1 provides core data scientific knowledge and skills training and is divided into three compulsory modules. The modules are delivered by the School of Mathematical Sciences and the School of Computing and Communications.

  • Term 2: Optional modules

    Term 2 allows for specialism in either advanced technical or application areas. Applications offered are those for which there is a considerable demand for data scientists. The specific pathways are delivered by subject-specific experts from across the University.

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