Data Science

Entry requirements

Admission requires a good honours degree with a substantial academic component of Computing or IT that includes study of databases and programming.

English language requirements

Important: If your first language is not English, or your first degree was not taught in English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability.

The minimum requirement for English language is IELTS 6.5 (with no component under 6.0).

We also offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement prior to starting your master's programme:

• 20 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.0 with no skill lower than 4.5)
• 14 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.0 with minimum of 5.0 in writing and no skill lower than 4.5)
• 10 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.5 with no skill lower than 5.0)
• 6 weeks English (for IELTS 5.5 with no skill lower than 5.5)

Months of entry

January, September

Course content

Our Data Science masters teaches the theory and skills for managing and analysing large, complex data sets – sometimes called Big Data. You'll learn how to model, store and process these data sets using the latest algorithms and techniques. Modern methods and tools for visually exploring the data will also be covered. The MSc course offers the key skill set of a data scientist. Optional courses provide an opportunity to explore closely-related areas based on the internationally leading research work of our academics. Computer Science at Heriot-Watt is ranked 6th in Scotland by The Complete University league tables (2021).

The skills you learn through the Data Science masters will be applicable to industrial applications, as well as to scientific data exploration. In some cases, the MSc project can also be carried out in collaboration with an outside industrial or academic organisation

Fees and funding

See University website