Data science and analytics courses
Let’s explore the possibilities of data science and analytics together.
In today's data-driven world, data science and analytics are crucial for both business and scientific research.
We offer theoretical and applied courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, aimed at providing graduates with increasingly in-demand skills in data science and analytics.
Postgraduate courses
Our postgraduate courses are delivered across a range of sciences and social sciences departments and provide options for advanced study, for those wanting to gain a deeper subject knowledge as well as conversion courses, for those looking to upskill from an alternative undergraduate background.
Explore our range of courses to decide which meet your experience and career aspirations. Apply today to join a community of innovators and leaders in data science.
Course overview
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that applies and develops computational methods to extract and report on insights from biological data. It includes importing, tidying, visualising, analysing and communicating and is applied to complex problems in any domain of biology and beyond.
Prospective applicant profile
This course is aimed at bioscientists with no previous experience of programming or bioinformatic analyses. By undertaking this course, you will therefore receive a thorough grounding in research bioinformatics that will enable you to pursue a bioscience PhD with a computational component or a range of other specialist career paths within industry.
Career opportunities
- Bioinformatics scientist, engineer or technician
- Research software engineer
- Data scientist
- Data science and analytical roles in other fields
See Bioinformatics (MSc) course page
Course overview
This course is ideal for a wide range of individuals, including aspiring data scientists and analysts, business professionals looking to enhance their data-driven decision-making, and recent graduates from STEM fields like mathematics, statistics, engineering, science, and technology. It's also suitable for computer science or IT professionals seeking to transition into business roles and for those considering a career change into the data field. Public and social sector employees who need to use data to improve services will also find this course particularly valuable.
Prospective applicant profile
You should hold, or expect to hold an undergraduate degree in any subject, provided that previous studies have included computer programming and quantitative topics such as calculus, linear algebra, probability, and statistics. We may consider your application even if you do not fit this profile, as long as you can demonstrate the necessary quantitative knowledge and programming experience through relevant work experience.
Career opportunities
- Data scientist
- Analytics engineer
- Business analyst
- Market research analyst
- Quantitative analyst
- Policy analyst
- Management consultant
See Business Analytics (MSc) course page
Course overview
This course builds on your existing skills in computer science and mathematics. It will develop your training in the field of data science and allow advanced study into a range of specialised domains such as cloud based data analytics, governance of data science, and advanced data engineering.
Prospective applicant profile
You should hold, or expect to hold an undergraduate degree in computer science or a subject with a substantial programming component. You'll need to demonstrate sufficient background in programming and maths, and have a knowledge of basic algorithms or data science.
Career opportunities
- Data scientist
- Data engineer
- Business intelligence analyst
- Data architect
- Machine learning engineer
See Data Science (MSc) course page
Course overview
This course will produce data analysts with a focused specialism in data science underpinned by formal training in advanced statistics and machine learning.
Prospective applicant profile
You'll demonstrate sufficient background in mathematics and statistics and have knowledge in calculus, linear algebra and key topics in statistics and data science. If you don't have a strong academic background in statistics and data science, you should have relevant work experience involving data analysis.
Career opportunities
- Data scientist
- Statistician
- Pharmaceutical and medical data scientist
See Data Science (Artificial Intelligence and Statistics) (MSc) course page
Course overview
This course is designed to 'upskill' psychology graduates (and those from neighbouring disciplines) to prepare for a career in data science. With a particular emphasis on human-related data sets that are common in industry and third sector organisations including the use of social media data, customer surveys, neuroimaging data, and census data to address problems relevant to businesses, charities and governments. You'll graduate with a unique set of skills that will allow you to work professionally such data sets and indeed any that involve human behavioural data.
Prospective applicant profile
You'll have a background in psychology with experience of studying statistics or quantitative methods at an advanced level, or relevant work experience in data science.
Career opportunities
- Data scientist
- Research scientist
- Statistical analyst
- Science policy advisor
- Informatician
See Data Science (Human Behaviour) (MSc) course page
Course overview
This course will equip you with the skills needed to solve data science questions in different fields of science, and to be agile enough to adapt to new fields and challenges as economic and scientific demands change. You'll study topics such as data analysis, programming and machine learning. You'll select a focus area from one of the participating departments and plan a research project in that area.
This course is delivered across the Department of Biology, Department of Chemistry, Department of Environment and Geography, Hull York Medical School and the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology.
Prospective applicant profile
Designed as a conversion course for natural sciences or engineering graduates, this course will equip you with the skills to succeed even if you don't come from a formal mathematical or computational background. It also provides a route for computer scientists who wish to apply their skills solving problems in other sciences.
Career opportunities
- Data scientist
- Research scientist
- Research analyst
- Policy advisor
- Healthcare data analyst
- Environmental analyst
See Data Science (Scientific) (MSc) course page
Undergraduate courses
Course overview
This course aims to produce multi-skilled, highly competent graduates who are equipped to make significant contributions to their career field and for society as a whole. You'll be provided with a solid foundation in the principles and practices of data science, including relevant computer science components such as coding and machine learning, and mathematical areas such as probability, statistics and calculus.
Prospective applicant profile
You'll need a solid background in mathematics but this course will provide you with the fundamental knowledge that all computer science graduates should possess.
Career opportunities
- Data scientist
- Data engineer
- Data analyst
- Statistician
- Business intelligence analyst
- Machine learning engineer
- Data architect
- Software engineer
Why study data science and analytics at York?
Research excellence
Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry and Psychology are top ten research departments according to the Times Higher Education's ranking of the latest REF results (2021).
Fantastic facilities
Our departments offer cutting-edge facilities including computer labs, dedicated study spaces and the Viking research computing cluster.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Study courses with a range of departments across our sciences and social sciences faculties.
Careers
Data is shaping the world around us - from how businesses make decisions to how we live our daily lives. As technology continues to evolve, industries, governments, and individuals are producing more data than ever before - and making sense of it has never been more important.
This growing need for insight from data is creating new opportunities for people with the right analytical and problem-solving abilities. Organisations across every sector are looking for people who can interpret complex data, spot trends, and turn insights into action.
At York, our undergraduate and postgraduate courses in data science and analytics are designed to give you the skills and confidence to thrive in this field — whether you’re just starting out or ready to take your next professional step.
The reason I got into data science was because I wanted my job to have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.
Henry Patient, Masters in Data Science alumni. Read Henry's story on Alumni Voices.
Get a taste of studying data science
Join our free online course to get a feel for what studying data science at university is really like.
You’ll explore the benefits and risks of deep learning, and how it’s used in systems like facial recognition and assistive technology. Along the way, you’ll also consider the ethical questions it raises—like what happens when a system learns from biased data, or when we put our trust in decisions made by something no human can fully understand.
