Bachelor of Information Sciences (Data Science)

Specialise in data science for your bachelor of information sciences at massey. The bachelor of information sciences (data science) gives you the skills to fill the rapidly growing number of jobs in the area of data science and analytics. 

• You’ll learn how to make sense of complexities so others can understand them and how to apply computing to data-oriented challenges. You may have an interest in commerce, government, natural and social sciences. You can learn how to apply technology to drive potentially world-changing innovation, decision-making and research in those fields.
• Data Science brings together some of the most interesting aspects of computer science, IT and statistics in order to make a unique, custom-designed and relevant specialisation for the current job market.

A Bachelor of Information Sciences in Data Science is a good fit if you:

• You are curious, love problem solving and making discoveries
• Want to be on the cutting-edge of artificial intelligence innovations shaping the world
• Want a dynamic and stimulating career for life.

Planning information

• This is a guide. You are advised to check the Courses and specialisations section and the regulations for this programme on this page for the latest information on courses.

Your first year

• First year for a full-time student usually consists of eight courses.  Take electives (or courses from other majors) to get the total number of courses to eight.  Make sure you include courses that are prerequisites for the next level of courses you wish to study.  You can change your major up until the start of your second year and it is a good idea to keep your options open by taking courses such that you are ready to move on to several different majors.

In the first year of study, you should take the following courses:

• 159101 Applied Programming
• 159102 Computer Science and Programming
• At least one mathematics course – one or more of 160105, 160101, 160102
• At least one statistics course – one of 161111 or 297101 Statistical Data Science. Note: 297101 is more relevant to computing majors
• 247112 Science and Sustainability for ICT (or another Science and Sustainability course) 

See Courses and specialisations for the required courses at 200-level and 300-level.

Minors 

• Completing a minor is optional. Minors increase the breadth of your degree. They give you extra knowledge, attributes and capabilities. 
• A minor must be in a different subject from your major. 
• A Bachelor of Information Sciences (Data Science) with a minor 
• You may choose a minor from any University undergraduate degree that has recognised minors. If the minor is from another undergraduate degree, the regulations of that qualification will apply.  
• A data science minor (for students who are studying a different degree)
• If you are not studying towards a Bachelor of Information Sciences (Data Science) and wish to complete a minor in data science see the regulations for the requirements of this minor.

Computer requirements
You will need:

• Computer (laptop or desktop) (Mac or Windows) - needs to be no more than two years old at the commencement of your study
• Recent version of operating systems
• Chromebooks are not suitable

Official regulations

• To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.
• You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates.

Returning students

• For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
• In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.

Course planning key

• Prerequisites Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
• Corequisites Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
• Restrictions Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Core courses for the Bachelor of Information Sciences

• As well as the specialisation courses listed below, this qualification has core courses that you will need to complete.

Bachelor of Information Sciences core courses

• Careers and job opportunities
• A shortage waiting to be filled

LinkedIn’s 2020 Emerging Jobs Report lists Data Scientist and Artificial Intelligence Specialists as being the top three professions for the last three years. This trend is likely to continue throughout the disruptions in the job market and economic uncertainties.

Data scientists are in high demand because they:

• Innovate new products
• Drive greater efficiency in profitability in competitive environments
• Enable management to make better decisions.

The skills you learn at Massey University and the qualification you will receive are recognised throughout the world and enable you to work in any industry or government sector.

A career with variety
Some examples of careers that could lead on from this qualification include:

• Data Science Engineer
• Hadoop Big-data Engineer
• Business Analytics Consultant
• Data-product Entrepreneur
• Banking Fraud Detection Analyst
• Machine Learning Specialist
• Government Researcher
• Government Communications And Security Analyst
• Customer Insight Analyst
• Data Management Architect
• Text Mining Analyst
• Software Developer
• Scientific Researcher