Data Science and AI

Birkbeck, University of London
Postgraduate MSc Full-time 1 Year Computer science

About this course

Our MSc Data Science and AI offers you an intensive course to help you gain important skills and knowledge in data science and artificial intelligence.

Why choose this course?

  • This course is ideal if you are new to the subject of computer science and wish to gain the foundations for a successful career in IT as a data scientist or analyst, or wish to gain a deeper understanding of how current AI methods work.

  • If you are already working in IT, this course provides you with the opportunity to strengthen and update your knowledge and skills in data science as well as equipping you with important new practical skills in the dynamic and growing area of artificial intelligence.

  • The modules you will take on both data science and AI are taught by experts in the field who regularly publish their research in these areas.

    What you will learn

    You will gain a broad knowledge of data science including tools, techniques and applications, and acquire valuable practical problem-solving and analytical skills. You will also acquire strong programming and data analysis skills using Python and R - the most popular programming languages used by data scientists today.

    Your training in artificial intelligence will involve machine learning, neural networks and natural language processing, so that you can gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of current AI techniques and applications. You will benefit from the chance to investigate specific areas of current research more deeply too.

    How you will learn

    This MSc Data Science and AI is available to study full- or part-time. If you choose full-time study, you will be able to start in either January or October. Part-time study starts in October. Both involve a mixture of daytime and evening classes and you will be taught via lectures, group exercises and practical sessions, for example in programming.

    To complete the course, you will undertake your own individual project, supported by a member of our academic team, to investigate in depth an aspect of data science and AI that particularly interests you.

    Highlights

  • You will study at our Bloomsbury campus in the heart of London, a city fast becoming one of the major European hubs for AI research and development.

  • Birkbeck established one of the first computing departments in the UK in 1957. Our research dates back to the late 1940s, when one of the first electronic computers was developed at Birkbeck by Dr Andrew Booth. We are now home to the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Group.

  • You will have 24-hour access to laboratories of networked PCs with a range of language compilers, database and other application software. We are connected, via the SuperJANET network, to the computers of other academic institutions in London, elsewhere in the UK and abroad.

  • The Birkbeck Knowledge Lab draws on multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies from across the sciences, social sciences and the arts, to investigate how digital technologies and digital information are transforming our culture.

  • Birkbeck was ranked in the top 25 universities in the UK for its Computer Science and Informatics research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

    Careers and employability

    On successfully completing this MSc Data Science and AI, you will have gained an array of valuable transferable skills, including the ability to:

  • demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems

  • act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional level

  • conduct a critical appraisal of material synthesised from research papers

  • communicate conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences

  • deal with complex issues systematically and creatively.

    You will find data science and AI graduates following career paths in the following kinds of roles:

  • data scientist

  • data analyst

  • programmer

  • software developer

    • Study Options

    This course is available in 2 study options:

    Full-time Shown above

    Duration: 1 Year

    Qualification: MSc

    Location: London

    Part-time

    Duration: 2 Years

    Qualification: MSc

    Location: London

    Career Prospects

    Graduates from this course typically go into the following occupations:

    2139 Information technology professionals
    2134 Programmers and software development professionals
    2133 IT business analysts, architects and systems designers
    2433 Actuaries, economists and statisticians
    2136 IT quality and testing professionals
    2311 Higher education teaching professionals

    Related Courses

    Law and Commercial Law

    Birkbeck, University of London

    LLB (Hons) Full-time 3 Years UG London

    A-Levels

    BBC

    UCAS Points

    112 points

    Law and Human Rights

    Birkbeck, University of London

    LLB (Hons) Full-time 3 Years UG London

    A-Levels

    BBC

    UCAS Points

    112 points

    Law and Language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish)

    Birkbeck, University of London

    LLB (Hons) Full-time 3 Years UG London

    A-Levels

    BBC

    UCAS Points

    112 points

    Course Details

    Qualification
    MSc
    Study Mode
    Full-time
    Duration
    1 Year
    Start Date
    2025
    Academic Year
    2025
    Campus / Location
    London
    Scheme
    Postgraduate
    Subjects
    Computer science

    Offered by

    Birkbeck, University of London

    London

     View university profile
    Visit university website