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.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

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

Find out about postgraduate events

Apply online

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

Apply now for your place

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 – provides an understanding of contemporary database management systems. Explores a methodology for database design and development, and develops skills in searching, reporting and analysing the data. Topics covered include database implementation and administration, data modelling and business intelligence.
  • Introduction to Statistical Data Analysis with R – provides  knowledge of the 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 – develops analytics-specific project planning concepts within this context, enabling students to design and manage analytics projects and present the business case to senior management.
  • Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery in Data – find useful and relevant patterns, trends and anomalies in data sets, and summarise them in a form which may be used to support enterprise decisions – one of the great challenges of the information age. Emphasis is on the big, real-world picture rather than inside-the-box systems design engineering details. 
  • Industry project – substantial, independent project undertaken with the supervision of a member of the teaching team. Projects are normally industry-based using real data sets.

Option modules*

  • Multivariate Analysis and Statistical Modelling – design statistical experiments, analyse multivariate data and apply classical and modern statistical modelling techniques. Enhances skills in the use of specialist software such as R, SPSS or SAS.
  • Forecasting and Credit Risk Analysis – 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. You'll also develop an understanding of forecasting methods and their application using examples from areas such as economic and marketing time series.
  • Medical Statistics – introduction to the methods originally designed for clinical trials and now being used in other contexts including sociology and marketing research. Topics include assessment of risk factors, comparing treatments and assessing survival data.
  • Programming for Analytics with SAS – develop skills and competence in computer programming using SAS in the context of data analytics. The module includes teaching materials developed in collaboration with industry-leading experts in statistics and analytics from the SAS Institute.

*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, Brighton
  • 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 Brighton.

Dr Alexey Chernov's full profile

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's full profile

Dr Anestis Touloumis

How this course is delivered

How will my course be taught?
For the academic year that starts in September 2022 we’re planning for all students to be taught face-to-face on campus, enhanced by some online learning.

Students who started their course with us in 2021 are on campus for some face-to-face learning including tutorials, workshops, laboratory classes and studio sessions. They are also taking part in off-campus learning activities such as placements, field trips and study visits. And all of our campus facilities – libraries, learning spaces, restaurants, gyms and more are open.

Like all universities we are following government guidance and we are monitoring the pandemic very closely. Should Public Health advise it we have robust plans in place for additional safety measures to be introduced to enable everyone to continue learning on campus, and, as a last resort, for students to continue their learning remotely.

We will update you regularly on our teaching plans for the next academic year as you progress your application with us.

When does my course start?
The 2022 academic year begins on Monday 26 September 2022. Teaching for most courses starts the following week.

Many education courses, some health science courses including Medicine, and some postgraduate business courses have an earlier start date. Check your offer letter for the start date of your course.

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 Brighton 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.

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 students whose language skills do not match the IELTS scores set out here should consider applying for this course through our Extended Masters programme.

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.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 8,856 GBP

International (full-time)15,462 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.

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 you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering in the 2021–22 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 Brighton.
  • 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.

For architecture, interior architecture, design and product design, additional costs are as follow

  • 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.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2022–23.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Over the last four years Moulsecoomb has undergone a major transformation, planned with accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability in mind.

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

On campus you’ll find professional-standard facilities and learning resources for all of our subjects and a brand new academic building Elm House, alongside the library, student centre, fitness facilities and the Students’ Union.

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

Two people walking past Mithras halls

Accommodation

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students who apply by 30 June.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
  • Moulsecoomb campus is linked to Moulsecoomb Place, Mithras halls and Varley Park. All halls are self-catered.
    • Varley Park offers a mix of rooms. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.
    • Moulsecoomb Place halls are all self-catered and are located right on campus.

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

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Halls

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Park

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Students eating at the Hub

Students eating at the Hub

Local area

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & 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.

Brighton 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 Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton 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. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

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.

Cricket Academy

New for September 2023, our Cricket Academy offers aspiring players the opportunity to continue their cricket development alongside studying for a degree. The programme offers a world-class training environment with the highest quality coaching.

Find out more about the Cricket Academy.

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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