Data Science

Statistical inference and programming from the first year, then data engineering, machine learning and visualisation, usually applied to real datasets from healthcare, finance or government.

• Statistics
• Programming
• Data visualisation
• Machine learning
• Communicating findings

A representative structure for a course of this kind. Module names, the balance between compulsory and optional, and the order they run in are set by each university — two courses with the same title can be taught very differently.

Requirements are set per course, per intake, by each university. The figures below are placeholders showing the shape of a typical offer for a course of this kind, not an offer from anyone.

The same course, at the universities that teach it. The spread is normal — it is why applying to a range rather than to one level of offer is the standard advice.

• Example Metropolitan University

  BBB–BBC at A-level or an equivalent international qualification

  IELTS 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5

• Example Riverside University

  AAA–ABB at A-level or an equivalent international qualification

  IELTS 6.5–7.0 depending on the course

• Example Castleton University

  ABB–BBC at A-level or an equivalent international qualification

  IELTS 6.0–6.5 depending on the course

Across the universities that teach it, tuition runs from £16,500 to £38,000 a year. Tuition is the largest single line and the one you have least control over once you have accepted an offer — accommodation and the city are where a year actually gets cheaper or dearer.

• Example Metropolitan University

  Manchester · about £1,050 a month to live

  £16,500–£21,000

• Example Riverside University

  Bristol · about £1,250 a month to live

  £22,000–£38,000

• Example Castleton University

  Birmingham · about £1,020 a month to live

  £17,000–£25,000

Full scholarships are rare and competitive. Partial awards and fee reductions are far more common, are often assessed automatically at the point of offer, and a surprising number go unclaimed.

• Example Metropolitan University

  • International Merit Award — £3,000. Automatic for applicants exceeding the standard offer.
  • Placement Year Bursary — £1,000. For students taking an assessed industry placement.

• Example Riverside University

  • Global Excellence Scholarship — £5,000. Competitive, awarded on academic record and a written statement.
  • Science Bursary — £2,000. For students entering mathematics and the physical sciences.

• Example Castleton University

  • Castleton Global Scholarship — £3,500. Awarded on academic merit at the point of offer.
  • Business Leaders Award — £2,000. Competitive, for business and economics entrants.

Averages are useless here. The only figure worth planning against is one built from the city, the accommodation and the course you are actually considering.

• Cost calculator
• Scholarship finder
• What a UK year costs

Graduates of courses like this commonly move into the areas below. None of them is a fixed track — a degree opens doors rather than choosing one for you.

• Data science
• Analytics
• Quantitative research
• Machine learning engineering

Each one covers what the work actually involves, the skills it needs, and the other degrees that lead there.

• Data Scientist

  Find the story hidden in the numbers.

  Read the guide

• Financial Analyst

  Work out what something is really worth.

  Read the guide

• Software Engineer

  Design and build the systems people use every day.

  Read the guide

3 universities teach this course in the example catalogue. The course is the decision; the university is the setting you make it in — so compare them on the city, the cost and the support rather than on reputation alone.