MSc Applied AI and Data Science

All industries now use data science, and data analytics are increasingly identified as essential industrial activities. The position of data scientist is rapidly becoming a required post for any company that wishes to take full advantage of the data that they collect. This course is designed to give you the skills to step into a career as a data scientist in a wide range of industries and companies.

Our university's postgraduate courses have been recognised for their ability to support your career. We are a top 10 UK University for employability (UniCompare Rankings 2025), and a top 10 UK university for industry connections and funding in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024.

Graduates of the MSc Applied AI and Data Science programme are well positioned to enter a wide range of careers, equipped with both the deep technical expertise and the practical, research-informed approach necessary to excel. 

Specifically, graduates may find opportunities in sectors such as:

• Technology and software development: Designing and implementing machine learning algorithms, developing AI-powered applications, and creating data-driven solutions in industries such as fintech, e-commerce, and gaming.
• Healthcare and biotechnology: Applying data science techniques to medical research, personalised medicine, bioinformatics, and health data analysis to improve patient outcomes and advance medical discoveries.
• Finance and consulting: Using advanced analytics to analyse financial markets, assess risks, create predictive models, and provide data-driven consulting services in areas like investment banking, insurance, and fintech.
• Government and public policy: Leveraging data science to inform public policy decisions, optimise resource allocation, and analyse social, economic, and environmental data for governmental planning and strategic initiatives.
• Retail and marketing: Applying data analytics to understand consumer behaviour, optimise marketing strategies, and develop recommendation systems that drive customer engagement and business growth.
• Research and academia: Pursuing further academic study, such as PhD programmes in data science, machine learning, or AI, and contributing to cutting-edge research in social computing, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics.

For this course, ideally, we are looking for these qualifications:

• A minimum 2:2 honours degree in computer science, or a minimum 2:2 in a relevant subject (such as maths, physics, or engineering), or two or more years of relevant working experience (such as programming, data analytics or machine learning)

Up to 20 hours/week during term, full-time during holidays