Data Science and Analytics (Including Placement Year)

University of Essex
Undergraduate BSc (Hons) Sandwich 4 Years Computer scienceMathematics and statistics

A-Level Entry

BBB

UCAS Points

112 - 120 points

Avg. Graduate Salary

£30,000

About this course

Data is the lifeblood of our society. From medicine to government offices, and market research to the environment, the collection and analysis of data is crucial to understanding how to improve, create and guide products and services across the globe.

Harvard Business Review recently described the job of Data Scientist as “the sexiest job of the 21st century”. Data science is about doing some detective work and carrying out the investigations needed to inform important decisions and to predict new trends. Technology is growing and evolving at an incredible speed, and both the rate of growth of data we generate and the devices we use to process it can only increase.

At Essex, we help you to understand how utilising the speed and processing-power of computers can assist in using data to make better decisions. You discover the new methods and the smart, unusual questions needed to make sense of both structured and unstructured data.

Your course balances solid theory with practical application through exploring topics including:

  • Mathematical skills

  • Computer science and programming

  • Statistics and operations research

  • Artificial intelligence, databases and information retrieval

  • Ethical issues around the use and processing of data

  • Specialist skills in the areas of big data, data analytics and data science

    You can spend your third year on a placement with an external organisation, learning about a particular sector, company or job role, applying your academic knowledge in a practical working environment, and receiving inspiration for future career pathways. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our placements team. Students are provided with support to secure a placement. Recent placements undertaken by our students have been with ARM, Microsoft, Intel, Nestlé, British Aerospace, and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, as well a range of SME software and hardware companies. If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

    A successful career in data science requires you to possess truly interdisciplinary knowledge, so we ensure that you graduate with a wide-ranging yet specialised set of skills in this area. You are taught within our Department of Mathematical Sciences and our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.

    Data scientists are required in every sector, carrying out statistical analysis or mining data on social media, so our course can open the door to almost any industry, from health, to government, to publishing.

  • Entry Requirements

    A-Level Grades BBB
    UCAS Tariff Points 112 - 120 points

    Career Prospects

    Graduates from this course typically go into the following occupations:

    5244 Computer system and equipment installers and servicers
    2139 Information technology professionals
    2134 Programmers and software development professionals
    3132 IT user support technicians
    3131 IT operations technicians
    2431 Management consultants and business analysts

    Course Details

    Qualification
    Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
    Study Mode
    Sandwich
    Duration
    4 Years
    Start Date
    2025
    Academic Year
    2025
    Campus / Location
    Colchester
    Scheme
    Undergraduate
    Subjects
    Computer science, Mathematics and statistics
    Avg. Graduate Salary
    £30,000