MSc Artificial Intelligence and MSc Data Science

Data Science is a broad field of study around deriving meaning from data. It’s about the collection, processing, storage, modelling, warehousing & analysis of data. Data Scientists use tools, applications, and algorithms to make sense of data. They help to inform business decision making and make prediction about future trends.

Artificial Intelligence is about equipping machines with the ability to execute reasoning by mimicking human intelligence. This is often achieved through teaching machines from experience. Artificial Intelligence Professionals use tools such as machine learning and natural language processing to design machines which can identify patterns and make predictions – they build, test and deploy AI models.

The two disciplines overlap very frequently, for example, machine learning relies on the availability of large data sets to train machines. Data Scientists often use intelligent agents to derive meaning from their data sets. It’s important that data science students also study some artificial intelligence and that artificial intelligence students also learn some data science. That’s why these two courses have some overlap while the modules which are specific to the different courses are specially designed to focus on the relevant areas.

These are conversion M.Sc. courses which means that they are open to applicants with degree qualifications from any subject area, not just from computer science or mathematics. Students currently enrolled on the courses include people with degrees in psychology, music, architecture, business studies, sociology, English, health studies, biomedical science, engineering, computer science & mathematics to name just a few. This means that these courses offer a rich learning environment where each individual brings their own expertise from their own subject area to the discussion.

Yes, of course. As these are conversion M.Sc. courses, we fully recognise that many applicants will not have studied much maths or programming in the past. That’s why we have developed a free online “bridging course” to help prepare you for your studies. This course includes short videos, handouts, and quizzes to help bring your maths and programming up to speed. This support course is available to you for the duration of your studies, and it is updated and extended with new material and resources as necessary.

Generally, we look for at least a 2.2 (second class honours grade 2) in an honours degree as well as maths skills which are equivalent to GCSE grade 4 or higher. We can also accept applicants with alternative qualifications and/or industry experience.  If you have alternative qualifications/experience, then just get in touch and we can explore the options available. You can find more information on the course homepages on the University website.

• Full-time – 14 months
• Part-time – 28 months

This is a bit longer than usual because we set aside time for the industry internships/placements. There are four different start dates each year.

There are four start dates per year – you can find the dates here:

• April
• September
• November
• February

No – All students will be given the opportunity to apply for an internship, but we cannot guarantee that you will be successful. As part of the course students will have the opportunity to apply to do a paid internship with one of our industry partners, a list which includes The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Transport for West Midlands. Industry partners will also support the programme by providing students with case studies based on real events and will provide their cloud training environment to allow modelling of real-world scenarios.

Yes – After you have applied for and been offered a place on the course, you will be invited to apply for the scholarship.

An important aim for this programme is to increase the number of people from groups currently underrepresented in the AI and Data Science fields, and to encourage graduates from diverse backgrounds to consider a future in these occupations. In support of this aim a number of scholarships of £10,000 are available to students enrolled on this course. This programme will prioritise scholarships for female, black and disabled students. All students who have a firm offer of a place on the course will be invited to fill out a scholarship application.

These are new courses – Accreditation will be sought after the first group of students graduate.

Full time students are required to be on site one day each week, there may be other classes on other days which can be accessed remotely.

Yes – The dissertation follows the BCS guidelines and therefore requires an artefact.