Course details

Summary

Organisations increasingly need to process large volumes of digital data, from personal medical histories, to socio-economic statistics, to internet trends. Data scientists are one of the newest professions to come from this demand for effective storage, maintenance and use of 'big data'. Graduates with modern technical knowledge of computing systems and statistical simulation are needed to process information in a range of industries.

Data Science combines mathematics with technology innovation and practical results. You will study at the forefront of modern practices and issues in the digital world, including ethics and security of data, strategy development and statistical programming.

With such a wide range of industry applications and career opportunities, Data Science has been identified as one of the most essential and employable skills of the twenty-first century.

Recommended preparation

Year 13 studies in maths, statistics or computing will give you a good background for your first-year courses, however these are not essential to major in Data Science.

UC offers Headstart summer preparatory courses in January/February for those wanting more confidence in mathematics and statistics.

Courses

100-level courses

The first-year, 100-level courses required to complete a Bachelor of Science majoring in Data Science are:

COSC121 Introduction to Computer Programming

COSC122 Introduction to Computer Science

MATH102 Mathematics 1A

MATH120 Discrete Mathematics

STAT101 Statistics 1

200-level and beyond

Beyond first year, Data Science courses will further expand on data ethics; software algorithm programming; statistical analysis and computer modelling; and data wrangling and data mining.

Career opportunities

Graduates of Data Science will find their knowledge is in high demand, as there is a global shortage of expertise to support the steady growth in data collection and digitization.

Graduates will find employment in business and technology sectors as data scientists, data advisors, data/analytics consultants, and insight analysts.

Data Science graduates will also have a background in project implementation, research, critical analysis and problem solving, and communication skills discussing and explaining data findings, all of which are useful skills in a number of careers.

Further study

The Certificate in Science can be used as a stepping stone to a Bachelor of Science.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Certificate in Arts. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.