NATIONAL COLLEGE OF IRELAND

The course structure accommodates a wide

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN audience of learners whose specific interests in

DATA
data analytics may be either technically focused or
business focused.

ANALYTICS
The course will be delivered using academic
research, industry-defined practical problems,
and case studies. This approach will naturally
foster a deeper knowledge of the subject area and
FACTFILE Spread the cost with
our direct debit plan
create transferable skills for work such as critical
thinking, problem-solving, creative thinking,
Application communication, teamwork, and research skills.
Apply online at www.ncirl.ie The course is completely delivered by faculty and
industry practitioners with proven expertise in
Part-time Schedule Start Date data analytics.
Sept 2024
Duration
Indicative Timetable Who is the course for?
2 years; 4 semesters with a final
Two evenings per week,
internship/research practicum. This course is ideal for graduates that are looking
18.00 - 22.00 and every
second Saturday. to progress into the emerging data analytics
Delivery market to increase their employment potential.
Blended - Livestream with some The course is suitable for graduates who have
Fees
on-campus stream classes, scheduled
€4,700 per annum technical or mathematical problem-solving skills.
in advance.
€9,400 total fee
(Fees revised annually) Graduates from disciplines that have not
Full-time Schedule Start Date developed these skills will need to be able
Sept 2024 and Jan 2025 to demonstrate an aptitude for technical or
Duration mathematical problem solving.
Indicative Timetable
1 year; 3 semesters with a final
Students need to be available
internship/research practicum
09.00-18.00 Mon – Fri. Award and Progression
Class days and times vary. The Master of Science in Data Analytics is awarded
Delivery
Campus – Classes will take place by QQI at level 9 on the National Framework
EU Fee of Qualifications. Students who successfully
face-to-face on campus.
€6,800 total fee
complete this course may progress to a major
(EU/Ireland applicants)
(Fees revised annually)
award at level 10 on the NFQ. Students may also
elect to exit early with the Postgraduate Diploma
Course Description in Science in Data Analytics at level 9 on the NFQ.
The overall goal of the MSc in Data Analytics programme is to
provide graduates with essential research and development skills in Entry Requirements
Data Analytics. It is envisaged that graduates from this programme A minimum of a level 8 (honours degree)
will be well equipped to perform independent research that qualification (2.2 or higher) on the National
enables them to make informed and critical decisions regarding Framework of Qualifications. Applicants may
requirements elicitation and analysis, implementation, evaluation, be from a cognate/STEM background. Standard
and documentation in Data Analytics. Furthermore, the programme applicants for the programme are those who
seeks to produce graduates who are able to provide insight, gain hold computing or numerate degrees. All
value and discover knowledge (at an organisational, societal, or applicants for the programme must provide
personal level) from data through exercising the skills that are evidence that they have prior programming
developed through the programmes. experience (e.g., via academic transcripts or
recognised certification). For candidates who
Upon completion of this course, graduates will be able to: do not have a level 8 qualification the College
• Conduct substantial and extensive independent research and operates a Recognition of Prior Experiential
analysis in the field of Data Analytics. Learning (RPEL) scheme meaning applicants
• Formulate and implement a novel research idea using the latest who do not meet the normal academic entry
industry practices. requirements, may be considered based on
• Demonstrate expert knowledge and a critical understanding of relevant work or other experience. Non-English-
data analysis, statistics, and the tools, techniques and speaking applicants must demonstrate fluency in
technologies of Data Analytics utilised in both technical and the English language as demonstrated by an IELTS
business contexts. academic score of at least 6.0 or equivalent.
• Critically assess, evaluate and communicate business & technical
strategies for Data Analytics.
• Formulate, design, assess, and implement effective business
& technical solutions for Data Analytics.
• Critically assess and evaluate security, privacy, sustainability, and
ethical issues associated with the storage, transfer, and processing
of data for analytical purposes.

48
40
 NATIONAL COLLEGE OF IRELAND

Laptop Requirement
This programme has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
policy. Specifically, students are expected to successfully
participate in lectures, laboratories and projects
using a portable computer (laptop/notebook) with a
substantial hardware configuration. The minimal suitable
configuration is 8GB of RAM (16GB are recommended);
a modern 64-bit x86 multicore processor (Intel i5 or
superior); 250+ GB of available space in hard disk; WiFi
card; and a recent version of Ubuntu, macOS, or Windows.

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure their

computer is functioning correctly and that they have full
administrator rights. NCI IT cannot provide support for
these personal devices.

Some students may be able to avail of the Student Laptop

Loan Scheme, subject to eligibility. See page 87 for more
information.

COURSE CONTENT YEAR 1 - 2

Core Modules
• Statistics and Optimisation
• Analytics Programming and Data Visualisation
• Data Governance, Ethics and Sustainability
• Business Intelligence and Business Analytics
• Data mining and Machine Learning
• Deep Learning and Generative AI

Elective Choices
• Data Intensive Scalable Systems*
• Modelling and Simulation*
• Domain Applications*

Research Elective
• Research Practicum
or
• Internship**

*Elective modules are subject to availability and a

minimum number of students required to run
a module.

**The Internship module is available to students as

an elective in their final semester. Please note that
in view of the restrictive and specialist nature of the
programme, the School of Computing reserves the
right not to offer certain modules on an elective basis.

Assessment
The course will be assessed with a blend of project
work and exams. This varies between modules but
typically assessment is 50% continuous assessment
and 50% exam.

Please note that in some instances exams may take

place in the daytime, evenings and at weekends.

49