Intro

Developed to meet the demand for data science professionals, our postgraduate Data Analytics course enables you to effectively structure, analyse and gain insight from a wide range of complex data across different industries.

Your learning is informed by current business developments through case studies looking at real-world data sets, research questions and scenarios. You have the opportunity to collaborate on projects with our industry partners, and can also use your own data, project ideas and industry links.

You will develop a skill set in specialist data analytics and associated software, quantitative methods and techniques, and business intelligence. Our staff are experts in their field and you have the chance to develop your knowledge in specialist areas where we have ongoing research and expertise, such as sequential forecasting, natural language processing and image processing.

Whether you are a recent graduate or an experienced professional wanting to gain data analysis skills, this course is available on a full or part-time basis to help you manage your studies around other commitments. 

Full-time students also have the option to add work experience to their masters through a year’s paid placement in industry.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location 91快活林: Moulsecoomb

Full-time 1 year/ 2 years with a placement
Part-time 2–6 years

September and January start dates

When can I start this course?

UK students can apply to start this course in September 2024 or January 2025.

International students can apply to start in January 2025. The September 2024 start date of this course is now closed to international students.

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
Normally a 2:2 degree in a subject area with a substantial quantitative element (for example, maths, statistics, computer science, engineering, economics). Alternatively a 2:1 degree in any subject area will be considered if the applicant can demonstrate some familiarity with and aptitude for mathematics and statistics concepts and methods.

Claims for the accreditation of prior (experiential) learning will also be considered.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Course content

Course structure

The course covers three main areas:

  • data management – structuring and manipulating data for analysis purposes
  • data interpretation – statistical analysis using advanced features of industry-standard software such as SAS, SPSS and R
  • project management – the business-specific and strategic aspects of analytics.

You will learn how to assess project viability, propose sound business cases and strategies for analysis, perform and oversee analysis and manage large data projects successfully as well as developing your critical appraisal and presenting techniques. 

SAS logo

Our mathematics department has SAS Academy status. SAS is one of the largest providers of business analytics software in the world. Academy status gives our students the opportunity to meet SAS customers and their industry partners at careers fairs, to train in skills needed by a wide range of companies and organisations, and to be prepared for SAS certification exams. 

Syllabus

You will study five core modules. One of these involves a major project, potentially in collaboration with industry. You will also choose option modules allowing you to focus on particular areas of interest.

Core modules

  • Data Management – databases form the underlying framework of information systems in business and organisations. This module aims to equip students with an understanding of contemporary database management systems. It provides students with a methodology for database design and development, and develops skills in searching, reporting and analysing the data
  • Introduction to Statistical Data Analysis with R – the module is designed to provide students with the knowledge of statistical foundations and computer programming underlying data analysis. Computer simulations in R will be used to explore the nature of random processes. Students will apply their new knowledge to complete a realistic data analysis project.
  • Business Analytics Strategy and Practice – data analytics take place in a business context, inextricably linked to the business strategy. This module introduces students to a variety of business and management concepts including leadership, change, team working and project planning, and to analytical methodologies, exploring analytical aspects of business goals, business knowledge, business evaluation and deployment of analytical results.
  • Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery in Data – in this module students learn to understand, select and apply a range of data analysis and machine learning methods for turning raw data into useful information and ultimately knowledge that provides a solid basis for operational and other decisions that arise within diverse professional contexts.
  • Project – this module requires completion of a substantial analytics project involving researching relevant patterns and trends in data that provide business information and knowledge. The data research enables the student to use concepts and methods learnt from taught MSc Data Analytics modules. Additionally it provides the opportunity for the student to demonstrate self-planning, self-study, initiative and motivation. It is anticipated that most research projects will be industrially based using real data sets.

Option modules*

  • Multivariate Analysis and Statistical Modelling – this module is designed to provide students with the capability to design statistical experiments, analyse multivariate data and apply statistical modelling techniques in practical scenarios. Students will enhance their skills in the use of specialist software of their choice.
  • Forecasting and Credit Risk Analysis – this module provides an introduction to the statistical methods used to estimate risk and reward in retail credit. There is a particular focus on credit risk and credit score models for application of loans. The module also provides students with an understanding of forecasting methods and their application using suitable examples from areas such as economic and marketing time series
  • Medical Statistics – this module is concerned with the application of statistical concepts, models and techniques to analyse, compare and evaluate the data from medical studies. The developed student skills will be applicable to other similar studies in scientific and business contexts.
  • Programming for Analytics with SAS – this module will enable students to develop skills and competence in computer programming using SAS in the context of data analytics. The course includes teaching materials developed in collaboration with industry-leading experts in statistics and analytics from the SAS Institute. An important aim of the module is to develop sufficient programming competence using SAS, understanding of statistical concepts for the student to perform a substantial project in data analysis and support effective decision making.
  • Data Analytics Industrial Placement – this module is an opportunity to undertake a minimum of 24 weeks' work experience in a data analytics role. The student will be able to put in practice their data analysis skills and knowledge acquired in taught modules, to reflect upon them in a business context and to enable and develop teamwork and leadership skills.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Placement year

To further increase your employability and international experience we offer full-time students starting in September the opportunity to take a placement year. This means that your course will take two years, but you’ll be graduating with work experience.

The year on placement in a role related to your course will allow you to put all that you have learned on your masters into practice, enhancing your career opportunities and giving you practical experience in your area of expertise.

The placement is assessed formatively throughout the year, giving you the chance to reflect on your experience and helping to build your CV.

Work placements are optional, and you'll arrange your placement with support from our dedicated Placements and Employability team.

We offer a two-year international study visa route to support applications for this course.

Student projects 

Examples of student projects include:

  • Predicting patterns in relation to data involved in mobile gaming
  • Factors affecting visitor behaviour and visitor numbers to the Royal Pavilion, 91快活林
  • The effects of Tommy John surgery on major league baseball pitchers
  • Automatic classification of students’ free-text responses in NSS and BSS surveys
Students on computer working

Staff profile

Dr Alexey Chernov

Dr Alexey Chernov, is a Senior Lecturer and course leader for the Data Analytics MSc.

Being a mathematician by education, Dr Chernov researches mathematical foundations of machine learning and artificial intelligence and teaches a wide range of mathematical and statistical courses.

He also collaborates with academic and non-academic partners on data analysis applied to practical problems. Dr Chernov is a member of Centre for Secure, Intelligent and Usable Systems, Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Group and Applied Data Analytics Research and Enterprise Group at the University of 91快活林.

Alexey Chernov

Dr Anestis Touloumis, senior lecturer in statistics

Dr Anestis Touloumis's research focuses on the development of novel statistical methods and R software. His work is often motivated from multidisciplinary collaborations, mainly with scientists from medical, biological, and computer science disciplines. In particular, he applied his methods to glioblastoma studies and empirical studies in diagrammatic logic.

Dr Anestis Touloumis

Careers

Prepare for your career 

In your career you need a combination of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and relevant experiences – and you’ll get all of this from your degree. 

  • With a flexible timetable to suit full-time or part-time students and commuters, and lecturers available to support you in your module choices, there are different study routes available to you.
  • Build advanced research, analytical and communication skills through working on your dissertation.
  • You will have access to computer and research labs equipped with specialist, sophisticated software including SAS, SPSS Statistics, SPSS Modeller, R, RStudio, Minitab, Maple and Matlab. 
Students presenting their ideas to industry

Industry links 

  • The course is designed in close consultation with industry partners including the NHS Business Services Authority, Teradata, BT, SAS, the Pensions Regulator and local 91快活林 companies.
  • Guest lecturers will share their knowledge and expertise with you, such as Tom Khabaza who is a founding chairman of the Society of Data Miners, author of 9 Laws of Data Mining and was involved in designing the course.

Graduate destinations 

A wide variety of organisations rely on data analytics specialists to produce valuable information for decision-making, for example commodity price forecasting, customer intelligence, clinical trials, R&D and many other areas utilising large amounts of data.

Graduate destinations include:

  • government bodies such as the Pensions Regulator and local councils
  • transnational corporations such as Capgemini
  • local companies such as iCrossing.

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,450 GBP

International (full-time) 15,900 GBP

Placement year

Home 1,500 GBP

International 2,280 GBP


Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

Fee information for this course for 2025 entry will be updated here no later than December 2024.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2024–25.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that are included and any extras that you may be expected to pay while studying a course  in the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

  • Travel and accommodation costs are included for all mandatory taught residential field trips, but you’ll need to provide your own food and drink.
  • There will be opportunities to attend additional study trips or optional taught residential field trips throughout the school, but these are not required to pass your course. Normally, a contribution will be required towards expenses such as travel, entrance fees and accommodation. This will vary depending on where and how long the trip is, but you should budget around £1,500.
  • Where optional international field trips are offered, these are not required to pass your course. You should expect to budget £300–£500 for these, to cover flight, accommodation, food and entrance to museums. The total amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • If you choose to take an optional paid placement, you’ll be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation, food and drink.
  • Some students require specialist outdoor equipment and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) and should budget up to £150.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software; however, many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses. Find out what free software is available from the University of 91快活林.
  • Course books are available from the university, but you may wish to budget from £15 to £100 per year to buy your own copies and subscribe to design magazines.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but students may wish to print notes which would involve an extra cost.
  • Costs of up to £50 are included in the fees for students on engineering courses to pay for materials for their final year projects. On rare occasions where material costs exceed £50, they will need to be paid for by the student.

Architecture, interior architecture, design and product design additional costs

  • Students should budget around £25 for printing and binding dissertations in their final year.
  • In your first year of studies, you will need to buy a drawing and modelling toolkit. Each course will suggest a list of items of which some will be essential, and others optional. You should budget around £100–£250 for these.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £100 to £300 per year for printing and portfolio costs. Costs will vary depending on type of printer and type and size of paper used. Some students tend to work digitally, spending more on printing and some by hand, spending more on materials so these costs vary widely between students.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £10 and £100 for material costs per design project. Costs will vary depending on how and what you use to make models. You are encouraged to recycle used materials where possible.
  • You will need to budget between £5–£50 to exhibit work for the end-of-year show. Fundraising by the student society, BIAAS, normally helps towards this cost.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of 91快活林 seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you'll find new Students' Union, events venue, and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

91快活林: Moulsecoomb

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

  • Mithras Halls are stylish new high-rises in the heart of the student village at our revitalised Moulsecoomb campus with ensuite rooms for more than 800 students.
  • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently?
We can help – find out more about private renting.

Relaxing in halls

Modern accommodation at Moulsecoomb

Mithras halls room with a view

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Student Union social space

Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb

Local area

About 91快活林

The city of 91快活林 & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

91快活林 is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from 91快活林 to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from 91快活林
91快活林 Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our 91快活林 Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at 91快活林

Sport 91快活林

Sport 91快活林 brings together our sport and recreation services. As a 91快活林 student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

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Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

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