Our world contains an unimaginably vast amount of digital information. Extracting meaning from this data can drive business forward, enable next-generation scientific breakthroughs and produce benefits that make a positive difference in our world. But it’s a challenging task which requires strong skills and training.

Data scientists are the people with that expertise, which explains why they have become key players in today’s job market. From industries as varied as health, defence, finance, transport and logistics, to agriculture, media and technology, there’s a growing reliance on data science professionals to deliver meaningful business insights.

Prepare yourself for excellent employment opportunities in this fast-growing field with the Master of Data Science and Decisions. Your study will explore programming languages, problem-solving and processing/interpreting/presenting data using qualitative and quantitative techniques.

This Master of Data Science and Decisions explores the methods for organising, modelling and analysing large and complex data for business, governments or other organisations. You’ll study core foundational knowledge combined with a specialisation in quantitative, computational, business or behavioural data science and decisions. You’ll also develop research and communication skills in data science through project work.

Full program structure

The Master of Data Science and Decisions can be completed in two years of full-time study. It can also be studied part-time. The program is made up of 16 courses, including 11 core courses, four courses from your chosen specialisation and one elective course from another specialisation.

• Core courses
• Specialisations
• Articulation

The era of Big Data

With quintillion bytes of data generated each day, it’s safe to say that we’re in the era of big data. Social media, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and artificial intelligence are driving the trends in data and influencing the role of data scientists.

As the big data boom rolls on, your skills will be central to a range of roles in information-rich industries including:

• internet search
• fraud detection
• targeted advertising
• logistics planning
• speech recognition
• image analysis
• genetic risk prediction
• virtual reality
• customer loyalty
• product development
• autonomous vehicles.

What does a career in this field look like?

Data science is a multidisciplinary field of study that blends mathematical methods, statistics, computing, business decisions and communication. Data scientists translate user data into insights that help companies understand their audience and personalise their products or services. Uncovering new insights and predicting trends has become vital in the retail, environmental, not-for-profit, IT and professional services sector.

Career opportunities in data science span across many industries from start-ups to established corporations including Coles, AirBnB, Spotify, Netflix and Greenpeace, to name a few. As a data scientist, you might be asked to calculate the price of new products for the market, determine warehouse or retail employee schedules, make predictions of environmental phenomena and model the spread of new diseases.

For entry into this degree, you must have one of the following: a Bachelor of Mathematics a Bachelor of Science with a major in mathematics, statistics or computer science a Bachelor of Data

IELTS: 6.5 overall (min. 6.0 in each subtest); TOEFL IBT (Internet Based): 90 overall (min. 23 in writing, 22 in reading, listening and speaking); Pearson (PTE - Academic): 64 overall (min. 54 in each subtest); C1 Advanced Cambridge: 176 overall (min. 169 in each subtest); C2 Proficiency Cambridge: 180 overall (min. 180 in each subtest); UNSW Global University English Entry Course (UEEC): Successful completion with a minimum overall grade of C+ and a minimum grade of C in the writing component.