Program Overview

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Digital Humanities (Data Science) (MSc)

About this course

On this digital humanities course, you'll develop the skills to step into the world of data science while using your humanities or social sciences background to make sustained arguments. You'll learn how to embed justice-led, climate-orientated and unbiased ways of working, elevating your capacity for future employment or further study.

This innovative digital humanities masters degree is for humanities and social science graduates looking to combine critical humanities thinking with data science skills and methods. You'll develop core skills in data analysis, management, harmonisation and visualisation.

You'll explore evolving relationships between humans, data and technology, and experiment with new ideas about data science, justice and society. You'll also learn how to combine data science and humanities to create an impact in a range of industries that use digital methods for data-driven work.

As a master's student on this humanities data science course, you'll benefit from:

• dedicated learning spaces and a collaborative culture with academics and fellow students
• opportunities to take part in knowledge exchange and enterprise activities
• engagement with a wide range of academic, technical, and professional expertise in digital humanities
• access to audio-visual recording and production, motion capture, 3D imaging and printing, and virtual reality equipment and technologies
• the option to complete additional modules from other humanities postgraduate programmes

We regularly review our courses to ensure and improve quality. This course may be revised as a result of this. Any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Find out why, when, and how we might make changes.

Our courses are regulated in England by the Office for Students (OfS).

Course lead

Your course lead is Dr Lexi Webster, Deputy Director of Digital Humanities. If you have any questions about the course you can email Lexi at lexi.webster@soton.ac.uk.

Course location

This course is based at Avenue.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Download the Course Description Document

The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.

• Download Course Description Document

Entry requirements

You'll need a 2:1 degree or higher in a humanities or non-numerate social science subject.

Candidates who do not meet the specific entry requirements are still encouraged to apply and will be considered, as will those with non-traditional qualifications or professional experience.

Find the equivalent international qualifications for your country.

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:

• overall score: 6.5
• reading: 6.0
• writing: 6.0
• speaking: 6.0
• listening: 6.0

If you do not meet the English language requirements through a test or qualification, you may be able to meet them by completing one of our pre-sessional English programmes before your course starts.

If you don’t meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Pre-masters

If you don’t meet the academic requirements, you can complete a pre-master's programme through our partnership with OnCampus. Learn more about the programmes available.

Course structure

This is a full time digital humanities and data science master's where your studies will take place over 12 months. This is divided into three semesters, with a total of six months of taught learning.

Semester 1 and Semester 2

You'll study a variety of core and optional modules.

From your core modules, you'll learn how to:

• integrate humanities thinking with the underpinning principles and methods in data science
• use humanities thinking to positively challenge traditional approaches to data science
• embed a justice orientated approach
• manage, visualise, analyse, and present humanities data

Optional modules will enable you to combine data driven and humanities focused topics. This will allow you to consider the relationships between humanities and computational work in greater depth.

Semester 3

You'll complete your own digital humanities project portfolio. In this final project, you'll address an authentic industry task or research problem through a combined humanities and data science approach. You'll negotiate the specific content and form of this project with an academic supervisor, based on your expertise, interests, and future goals.

Modules

The modules outlined provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. As a research-led University, we undertake a continuous review of our course to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand. Find out why, when and how we might make changes.

For entry in academic year 2025 to 2026

Year 1 modules

You must study the following modules:

• Digital Humanities Research/Professional Project
• Methods in Humanities Data Science
• Principles of Humanities Data Science

You must also choose from the following modules:

• Approaches to Literary Genres
• Business, Morality, and Markets
• Cultural Heritage within Environmental Impact Assessment
• Data Management for Humanities Research
• Digital Forms
• Digital Screen Cultures
• Ethics at Work: Customers, Companies, and Cooperation
• Global Challenges in Context: Conflict and Security
• Global Challenges in Context: Energy and Environment
• Global Challenges in Historical Context: Migration and Asylum
• Global Cultural Heritage
• Humanities Data Science Placement
• Literary Industries and New Media
• Memory in National and Transnational Contexts
• Narrative, Place, Identity
• Nation, Culture, Power
• Organisational Ethics and Philosophy of Management
• Philosophy and Ethics in Psychology and AI
• Popular Fiction and Digital Culture
• Professional Practice
• Text as Data
• The Ethics of Climate Change
• Translation Technology

Learning and assessment

Learning

You'll learn through a range of teaching and learning methods, including:

• lectures
• computer labs
• interactive workshops
• independent study materials
• individual and group working
• problem and project based learning

There is also a range of bookable technology and equipment to help support your learning ranging across:

• audio-visual recording and production
• motion capture
• 3D imaging and printing
• virtual reality

You'll also have access to our dedicated collaborative spaces, such as the Digital Humanities Hub. In addition to its use as a general co-working space, the Digital Humanities team will host regular academic and technical office hours for more tailored support.

Assessment

Core modules on the programme are assessed based on real-world contexts and professional standards in the world of data science.

Typical assessment designs on this digital humanities degree include:

• written reports
• oral presentations
• video essays
• infographics
• posters
• project portfolio

We also encourage innovative approaches to communicating your work and designs and are keen to negotiate assessment outputs on core modules of the course. Assessments on optional modules made available outside of the core MSc Digital Humanities (Data Science) curriculum will be subject to their home subject's approach to assessment design.

Dissertation

In the last part of your course you'll complete the digital humanities final project and create an individual portfolio. The digital humanities project will enable you to engage with a traditional dissertation or a project responding to an industry problem using humanities data science techniques. You will be guided by a personal supervisor.

Academic Support

You’ll be assigned a personal academic tutor and have access to a senior tutor.

Careers and employability

The employability and enterprise skills you'll gain from this course are reflected in the Southampton skills model. When you join us you'll be able to use our skills model to track, plan, and benefit your career development and progress.

Download skills overview

Work experience opportunities

Choosing to do work experience is a great way to enhance your employability, build valuable networks, and evidence your potential. Learn about the different work and industry experience options at Southampton.

Read more

Careers services and support

We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022). Our Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise team will support you. This support includes:

• work experience schemes
• CV and interview skills and workshops
• networking events
• careers fairs attended by top employers
• a wealth of volunteering opportunities
• study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.

Your career ideas and graduate job opportunities may change while you're at university. So it is important to take time to regularly reflect on your goals, speak to people in industry and seek advice and up-to-date information from Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise professionals at the University.

More about careers support

Fees, costs and funding

Tuition fees

Fees for a year's study:

• UK students pay £9,250.
• EU and international students pay £25,400.

Check fees for other versions of this course.

Deposit

If you're an international student on a full-time course, we'll ask you to pay £2,000 of your tuition fees in advance, as a deposit.

Your offer letter will tell you when this should be paid and provide full terms and conditions.

Find out about exemptions, refunds and how to pay your deposit on our tuition fees for overseas students page.

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams. The fee you pay will remain the same each year from when you start studying this course. This includes if you suspend and return.

Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. There may also be extra costs for retake and professional exams.

Explore:

• accommodation costs
• living costs
• budgeting advice
• fees, charges and expenses regulations

Funding your postgraduate studies

A variety of additional funding options may be available to help you pay for your master’s study. Both from the University and other organisations.

Funding for EU and international students

Find out about funding you could get as an international student.

How to apply

1. Use the blue 'apply for this course' button on this page to take you to our postgraduate admissions system.
2. Create an account which gives you access to your own application portal.
3. Search for the course you want to apply for.
4. Complete the application form and upload any supporting documents.
5. Pay the £50 application assessment fee, (there are some exemptions, check terms and conditions).
6. Submit your application.

For further details of our admission process, read our step by step guide to postgraduate taught applications.

Application deadlines

UK students

The deadline to apply for this course is Tuesday 9 September 2025, midday UK time.

We advise applying early as applications may close before the expected deadline if places are filled.

International students

The deadline to apply for this course is Tuesday 26 August 2025, midday UK time.

We advise applying early as applications may close before the expected deadline if places are filled.

Application assessment fee

We’ll ask you to pay a £50 application assessment fee if you’re applying for a postgraduate taught course.

This is an extra one-off charge which is separate to your tuition fees and is payable per application. It covers the work and time it takes us to assess your application. You’ll be prompted to pay when you submit your application which won’t progress until you've paid.

If you're a current or former University of Southampton student, or if you’re applying for certain scholarships, you will not need to pay the fee. PGCE applications through GOV.UK and Master of Research (MRes) degree applications are also exempt. Find out if you’re exempt on our terms and conditions page.

Supporting information

When you apply you’ll need to submit a personal statement explaining why you want to take the course.

You’ll need to include information about:

• your knowledge of a subject area in humanities or social sciences
• why you want to study a postgraduate qualification in this course
• how you intend to use your qualification

No expertise or experience in data science is necessary.

Please include the required paperwork showing your first degree and your IELTS English language test score (if you are a non-native English speaker) with your application. Without these, your application may be delayed.

What happens after you apply

You'll be able to track your application through our online Applicant Record System.

We will aim to send you a decision 6 weeks after you have submitted your application.

If we offer you a place, you will need to accept the offer within 30 working days. If you do not meet this deadline, we will offer your place to another applicant.

Unfortunately, due to number of applications we receive, we may not be able to give you specific feedback on your application if you are unsuccessful.

Equality and diversity

We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: pgapply.fm@soton.ac.uk Tel: +44(0)23 8059 2721

Related courses

Digital Humanities (Data Science) (MSc) is a course in the Computer science and software engineering subject area. Here are some other courses within this subject area:

• MSc Aerodynamics and Computation
• MSc Artificial Intelligence
• MSc Computer Science
• MSc Cyber Security
• MSc Data Science
• MSc European Master's in Embedded Computing Systems
• MSc Internet of Things
• MSc Mobile Communications and Smart Networking
• MSc Software Engineering
• MSc Systems, Control and Signal Processing