Our BSc Data Science and Computing will give you a strong foundation in mathematics, statistics and computer science and the skills to tackle real-world problems. You will learn cutting-edge techniques for collecting, storing, analysing and visualising data, and how to extract information to inform decision-making across various organisations, essential for a career as a data scientist or data-driven software developer.

**Why choose this course?**

- This course offers a balance between learning current skills, essential in today's marketplace, and a deep understanding of the fundamentals, which provide a solid basis for long-lasting professional success.

- Whilst studying this degree you will uncover valuable insights from data, a skill highly sought after by employers across business, finance, manufacturing and the public sector.

- You will consider social, professional and organisational issues that play a key role in understanding how data science and computing contribute to the future of businesses and organisations.

- The degree is accredited by the British Computer Society, the professional body for computing in the UK, which supports IT professionals and promotes the ethical and responsible use of technology.

**What you will learn**

Data science combines data analytics, applied statistics, computer science and software engineering. You will gain a broad knowledge of computing and mathematics and acquire strong programming and data analysis skills using Python, R and Java - the most popular programming languages used by data scientists.

**How you will learn**

Teaching may include formal lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical classes. Many computing modules include laboratory-based exercises. All lectures are recorded and materials are made available online.

For the majority of the programming modules we adopt a 'flipped classroom' approach, where you watch short videos and perform appropriate reading before the class, making this an active rather than passive learning experience.

**Foundation Year**

If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.

**Highlights**

- Birkbeck was ranked in the top 25 universities in the UK for its Computer Science and Informatics research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

- Birkbeck established one of the first computing departments in the UK in 1957. Today, we provide a stimulating teaching and research environment for both part-time and full-time students.

- Our world-class research in data science, data analytics and software engineering at the Birkbeck Institute for Data Analytics (BIDA) informs our teaching and our interactions with business, public and third-sector organisations.

- We have four modern computing laboratories, with a total of 133 workstations. The labs have projection facilities and are air-conditioned. Our wide range of software runs on a number of platforms including Unix, Windows and Linux. The local area network is a switched gigabit/10gigabit ethernet. Our computers are connected to the SuperJANET academic network.

**Careers and employability**

On successfully graduating from this BSc Data Science and Computing, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

- problem-solving

- analytical thinking

- communication

- teamwork

- project management.

Graduates can pursue careers as programmers, data scientists or software engineers. Job opportunities exist in software companies, healthcare, banking, insurance, policing and tech companies as, for example:

- machine learning engineers for artificial intelligence software

- analytics associates/data scientists

- quantitative analysts

- graduate software developers.