Data Science

Hours for taught courses

Each 15-credit course that is part of this degree is delivered intensively.

Each course:

• is delivered over three weeks, followed by an assessment
• takes around 150 hours of study and assessment time to complete
• will require around 40 hours per week of study time for three weeks, including preparing for assessments.

This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes.

You can take one to four courses per term, to progress through the degree at a pace that suits you.

Courses are delivered one at a time, consecutively.

You can to an extent set your own study hours each week to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study around the clock.

Activities at fixed times

There will be some activities that are scheduled at fixed times, such as online meetings with your tutor, or assessments with deadlines.

Hours for 60-credit project

A 60-credit project is around 600 hours of study time. This is around one term of full-time study.

You can dedicate a full term to your project and work on it full-time. Or you can complete it part-time, spreading the hours you dedicate to it over two or more terms.

When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.

But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.

Your most important commitment to your course will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.

Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your course each week:

• Be realistic
• Create a weekly schedule as a guide

If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your tutors via MyAberdeen and email. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.

We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:

• Careers and Employability Service – including one-to-one advice sessions
• Disability support
• IT support
• Library support
• Student Support Service – help with finances, stress, wellbeing and non-academic issues
• Student Learning Service – study support, with advice sessions available via phone or Skype
• Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) – run by students for students
• Toolkit – clever apps and free training that can make your study life easier

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

Pay as you go allows you to spread payments over several terms.

When you pay

You make a payment before the start of each term.

How much you pay

You only pay for the credits you want to study in the upcoming term.

It’s up to you how many credits you take each term. This gives you control over your costs and your workload.

• Taking fewer credits will increase the length of your studies.

We break down the total cost of this qualification into cost per 15-credit course and your dissertation.

Costs for this degree, starting in academic year 2022/23

15-credit courses

• £1,345 in academic year 2022/23.
• £1,410 in academic year 2023/24.
• £1,480 in academic year 2024/25 (provisional).

60-credit project

• £3,200 in academic year 2023/24.
• £3,360 in academic year 2024/25 (provisional).

Tuition fees typically rise a little each academic year and a fee rise of 5% is confirmed for 2023/24. The fees quoted for 2024/25 are provisional and subject to change.

This is an example payment schedule for tuition fees. It’s based on the typical route through the degree.

You can take more or fewer credits per term than is shown in this example.

Term 1) January – April 2023 | Academic year 2022/23

• Take two 15-credit courses @£1,345 each.
• Fee for term = £2,690.
• Payment due in January.

Term 2) May – August 2023

• Summer break. There is no teaching in the first summer of your degree.
• No payment due.

Term 3) September – December 2023 | Academic year 2023/24

• Take two 15-credit courses @£1,410 each.
• Fee for term = £2,820.
• Payment due in September.

PgCert exit point

With 60 credits earned, you now have the option to exit with a PgCert.

Total fee for this route to your PgCert = £5,510.

Term 4) January – April 2024

• Take two 15-credit courses @£1,410 each.
• Fee for term = £2,820.
• Payment due in January.

Term 5) May – August 2024

• Summer break. There is no teaching in the second summer of your degree.
• No payment due.

Term 6) September – December 2024 | Academic year 2024/25

• Take two 15-credit courses @£1,480 each (provisional).
• Fee for term = £2,820 (provisional).
• Payment due in September.

PgDip exit point

With 120 credits earned, you now have the option to exit with a PgDip.

Total fee for this route to your PgDip = £11,290.

Term 7) January – April 2025

• Embark on your 60-credit project.
• Fee for project = £3,360 (provisional).
• Payment due in January.

Term 8) May – August 2024

• Complete your project.
• No further payment is due.

MSc complete

On passing your project, you’ll have earned 180 credits and will be awarded an MSc.

Total fee for this route to your MSc = £14,650.

Note: Fees for academic year 2024/25 are provisional and subject to change.

Learning resources

All books and resources you need are included in your tuition fee. They will be available online and you do not have to you buy your own copies.

External hard drive

Because this degree involves handling large data sets, you may have to purchase an external hard drive if you do not already have one, for storing data and coursework.

Printing

You may wish to set aside a small budget for printing, depending on how you like to work.

There are several ways you may be able to get help funding your studies:

• Employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors
• Student loans
• Scholarships – search our funding database for scholarships
• Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)

Find out more about funding options.

Student card

All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.

20% Alumni discount

You’re entitled to 20% off our postgraduate taught degrees and short courses if you have a degree from the University of Aberdeen. View Alumni discount details and eligibility criteria.

20% University of Aberdeen Community Discount

We’ve introduced our Community Discount to help local people and businesses retrain or upskill in light of the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the local economy and people’s livelihoods.

The discount applies to all our online postgraduate taught degrees, but not our short courses.

You’re eligible for this 20% discount if you:

• plan to apply or have already applied for one of our online Masters degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas or Postgraduate Certificates starting in September 2022 or January 2023, and
• are a resident of north-east Scotland, including Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray.

View full Community Discount details and apply.

How discounts work

Discounts are applied during your application process. You can only use one discount per application.

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world. You do not need a visa to study online with us.

See the minimum entry requirements above. If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check equivalent qualifications from your country.

English language requirements

Teaching is delivered in English.

We accept the following English language qualifications. These are the minimum scores required. You need to provide proof of your qualifications when you apply:

Duolingo English Test (taken from July 2019)

• 115 overall
• 90 in the sub-scores for literacy, conversation, comprehension and production

LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator, Written and Spoken – Level 1

• 33 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

IELTS Academic and IELTS Online

• 6.5 overall
• 5.5 for listening, reading and speaking
• 6.0 for writing

TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition

• 90 overall
• 17 for listening
• 18 for reading
• 20 for speaking
• 21 for writing
• TOEFL DI code is 0818

PTE Academic

• 62 overall
• 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency

• 176 overall
• 162 for listening, reading and speaking
• 169 for writing

If you hold a degree from a UK university then evidence of proficiency in English may not be required.

For full information about language requirements, see our English Language Requirements page.

You apply through our online Applicant Portal. It allows you to upload relevant qualifications and documents.

Applying to the University of Aberdeen is always free.

What you need to apply for this degree

• Degree transcript
• Personal statement
• Degree certificate
• CV / Resume

Apply now

Start with our step-by-step guide. It explains degree transcripts, what to write in your personal statement and how to use our Applicant Portal.

You can apply to start in either January or September.

Apply as early as you can. This is so we have time to review your application and get a decision to you. We also want to ensure you have time to enrol before teaching starts.

January 2023 intake

For our January 2023 intake, the application deadline is 5 December 2022.

You will need to accept your offer and provide any outstanding documents to meet the conditions of your offer by 19 December 2022.

Teaching starts on 23 January 2023.

September 2023 intake

Term dates and application deadlines will be announced in due course.

Studying Data Science involves storing and processing large datasets. You will need:

A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either

• Windows 10 or later; in this case you would ideally have a secondary Linux system installed.
• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.

Computer specifications

Any desktop or laptop should be the highest spec you can afford, with:

• a minimum of 16GB RAM (ideally 32GB or more); 8GB will suffice for most content, but will not be sufficient for the analysis of some datasets.
• a good graphics card (ideally, but not necessarily, NVIDIA).
• a fast processor (ideally Intel i5, i7 or i9).
• a sizeable hard drive or SSD (ideally 1TB or above).

External hard drive and memory stick

For storing and backing up your data and coursework, we suggest using an external hard drive with at least 1TB of storage space.

Reliable internet access

We recommend:

• a wired connection
• a minimum 6Mbps download speed and 2Mbps upload speed so you can take part fully in live sessions.

We will occasionally download large datasets or connect to databases, requiring fast connection speeds.

Speakers or headphones

• We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
• A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one from some interactive sessions.

Software

We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.

If a course requires any specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.

See our detailed IT requirements for more information.