Program Overview

MSc Data Science (Scientific)

The MSc Data Science (Scientific) program is designed to equip students with the skills needed to solve data science questions in different fields of science. The course is led by the Department of Chemistry and focuses on practical data science skills, rather than theoretical bases or algorithmic structure.

Overview

• Year of entry: 2026 (September)
• Start date: September 2026
• Length: 1 year full-time
• School/department: Department of Chemistry

Course Content

The program consists of four core modules and two option modules, allowing students to tailor the degree to their own academic interests. The core modules include:

• Programming for Data Science
• Machine Learning for Data Science
• Skills for Data Scientists
• Data Science Project Development
• Data Science Research Project The option modules include:
• Statistical Techniques for Data Analysis and Machine Learning
• Machine Learning in Chemistry: from atoms to atmospheres
• Group Project
• Spatial Analysis and Modelling for Flood Risk Management
• Data Science in Healthcare

Fees and Funding

• Annual tuition fees for 2026/27:
  • UK (home): £13,900
  • International and EU: £32,900
• Funding opportunities:
  • UK government Masters loans
  • Funding for UK students
  • Funding for international students
  • Chevening Scholarships

Teaching and Assessment

• Teaching format: Combination of lectures and practical workshops
• Facilities: Well-equipped computer classrooms with a wide range of installed software
• Teaching location: Department of Chemistry, with occasional sessions elsewhere on Campus West
• Assessment and feedback: Each module consists of 20 credits, with the final research task totalling 60 credits

Careers and Skills

• Career opportunities:
  • Data scientist
  • Research scientist
  • Research software engineer
  • Science policy advisor
  • Data analyst
  • Informatician
• Transferable skills:
  • Team working
  • Self-management
  • Application of IT and numeracy
  • Problem-solving
  • Communication and literacy
  • Consultancy skills

Entry Requirements

• Qualification: 2:2 or equivalent in a natural science, medical science, or engineering
• English language: IELTS (Academic and Indicator) 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component
• Other international qualifications: Equivalent qualifications from your country

Learning Outcomes

The program is designed to equip students with the skills needed to:

• Design, implement, and document computer programs to manage, manipulate, and visualize digital data
• Identify and implement appropriate data science and machine learning methods to analyze complex datasets
• Develop and evaluate training and testing datasets and methods
• Assimilate the data, language, and techniques of previously unfamiliar scientific disciplines
• Create project proposals that align to professional and ethical standards of a field
• Design, perform, and evaluate the outcomes of an independent research project in a data science application area

Research Areas

Previous research projects within the department include:

• Reassessing data to find missing chemical modifications
• Hierarchical cluster analysis of biogenic secondary organic aerosol in Beijing
• Bioinformatics of Covid-19
• Identifying stress response regulators in wheat using gene regulatory network modelling
• Predicting persistent depressive symptoms in older adults

About the University

The University of York is a research-intensive university founded on excellence, equality, and opportunity for all. It is a member of the Russell Group and has a strong reputation for academic excellence. The university is committed to providing a world-class education and research experience for its students.