Data Science (MSc)

The msc in data science is aimed at providing opportunities for those who wish to establish expertise and employment in data-centric, largely quantitative areas within a broad range of professional disciplines and areas of employment. 

A cross-disciplinary approach is therefore central to the delivery of the programme.

According to Hal Varian, Google's Chief Economist, "The ability to take data - to be able to understand it, to process it, to extract value from it, to visualise it, to communicate it - that's going to be a hugely important skill in the next decades." It is these skills and the knowledge that underpins them that are the focus of this programme.

What makes this course different

• Flexible- This programme is very popular for both home and international students. The taught components are delivered in block mode, allowing working professional at home and abroad to more easily take the course and fit it in with their busy schedules.
• Student focused- Integration of concepts, techniques and applications to enhance students' knowledge and skills in the analytics pipeline.
• Expert software- Open Source software tools which are widely used in the field of data science to extract value from data.

Course modules
Year 1

• Mental Wealth; Professional Life (Data Ecology) Core Module
• Advanced Decision Making: Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Core Module
• Spatial Data Analysis Core Module
• Data Science Dissertation Core Module
• Variation for Online Learning Students Core Module

Your future career

• The advantage of studying this programme is that it will uniquely qualify you in a field that is increasingly recognised as being central to most professional areas and for which job opportunities have been rising exponentially. Holders of an MSc in Data Science will have an advanced qualification in this area and it will prepare them for a professional or research career. Holders of this qualification will be eligible to apply for membership of the Royal Statistical Society.
• Our students are professionals and graduates from a diverse range of disciplines. All are improving their career options and general expertise in this expanding market. They include data analysts from local councils, an IT teacher, an accountant, a chief software architect from Bermuda, a business manager with EDF Energy, a systems analyst, a system design analyst with Microsoft, and a psychologist. Other students have graduated from IT, sports science, neuroscience, microbiology, mathematics, physics, business, economics, law, civil engineering, and international management.

How we support your career ambitions

• We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone
Our dedicated and award-winning team provide you with careers and employability resources, including:

• Online jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, and flexible part-time work.
• Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
• 1-2-1 career coaching services 
• Careers workshops and employer events 
• Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight.

We are careers first
Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top

• Enterprise and entrepreneurship support 
• We are ranked 6th for graduate start-ups 
• Networking and visits to leading organisations 
• Support in starting a new business, freelancing and self-employment 
• London on our doorstep

What you'll learn

• This course gives you the opportunity to look at data across a wide range of subjects and sources, including finance, business, crime, health, education, planning, community, natural environment, and social media.
• You will gain hands-on experience in handling data through your coursework and projects. Recent students have been analysing crime data, drawing on material similar to that used for research undertaken by our course leaders for the Metropolitan Police and Essex Police.
• They have also conducted data projects for companies such as KPMG and Thames Water as well as for the Department of Health and NHS Foundation Trusts.
• Course modules include Data Ecology, Quantitative Data Analysis, Spatial Data Analysis, and Advanced Decision Making, as well as your research dissertation.
• The specialities of our academic team include data cleansing, data integration, data quality, data analysis, data mining, and geocomputation. Their research engages them in a variety of data from crime statistics to natural hazards, and from public health to business. It keeps them at the forefront of new developments in the field.
• The cross-disciplinary approach to the subject at the University of East London means you can follow your own area of interest, enhancing your knowledge and skills under the expert guidance of your researchers.
• "Our definition of data science is the science, engineering, and practice of extracting value from data that impacts business, governance, and society," says course leader, Emeritus Professor Allan Brimicombe.
• "We strive to maximise the potential of all our students so they can make valuable contributions to, and enhance their careers in this new fast-growing and vibrant sector."

How you'll learn

• This programme includes four taught modules and a research dissertation and is available in full-time and part-time modes. Delivery of taught modules is by block and blended learning.
• Each taught module is based on one week's intensive attendance at the Docklands campus, according to an advertised calendar, usually at the beginning of each semester. Students are expected to have a laptop computer for in-class practical sessions. During the remainder of the semester, students can work on their reading, practical components (from a workbook) and coursework. Students will be supported on campus or online by tutorials. The taught modules on this programme are available to be taken as credit-bearing short courses by suitably qualified individuals.
• MSc Data Science is not a computer science programme, although there is an overlap between Data Science and Computer Science. Our programme is more methodology-oriented. In other words, we focus on how to run a data project, how to develop a data solution, or how to design a data product rather than how to develop a software system/tool, though we do use software to assist data analysis and data mining while some of our students did develop tools/apps in their projects.
• You need to take two modules each semester. In addition to the two weeks of intensive sessions at the beginning of the semester, you are required to attend two learning sessions every week, which are timetabled and monitored to follow the rules of the Home Office. Each such learning session is three hours so that totals six hours every week.
• If you choose to accept our offer, you are agreeing to this learning agreement. If you are applying for the January entry of 2024, be aware that you will have modules of Advance Decision Making and Spatial Data Analysis in Term 2, then have modules of Data Ecology and Quantitative Data Analysis in Term 1, finally you will have your dissertation in Term 2 next year.

How you will be assessed
All the learning outcomes of the programme are assessed through:

• Laboratory session portfolios
• Coursework
• Research dissertation