M.Sc. Data Science
Data Science is a hot topic, which gains in importance as a cross-sectional topic almost everywhere including natural sciences, engineering, and medical science.
Data Science deals with the extraction of knowledge and usable information from data. The available data sets are often very large, heterogeneous, and partially unreliable. Data Science is an interdisciplinary field with its roots in computer science, mathematics, and statistics and it has a strong link to various application areas.
The essential constituents of data science are data analysis and systems engineering.
Therefore, this course of study is going to convey modern methods of data analysis as well as algorithms and techniques for the development of information systems.
The students are provided the possibility of specialization within the framework of an application area:
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Computer Science and Mathematics
- Business Analytics
- Computational Life Science
- Computational Social Science
- Physics
Degree Content
The curriculum is divided into a foundational area with about 44-64 CP, a seminar (5 CP), a practical course (7 CP), and an area of specialization with about 14-22 CP, plus some room for "additional competences" with maximum 12 CP. Courses offered in the specialisation area form the basis of the final thesis with 30 CP. Following the idea of the Integrated Interdisciplinary University, the final thesis can be written not only in the core fields computer science and mathematics, but also in one of the following application fields: Business Analytics (BA), Computational Life Science (CLS), Computational Social Science (CSS), and Physics (P).
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Program Structure |
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Foundational Area (44-64 CP) |
Introductory Courses (mandatory): |
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Elective Core Courses |
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Data Science Ethics (mandatory): Ethics, Technology, and Data (4 CP) |
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Additional Competences (0-12 CP) |
Wide range of electable courses from the university's program |
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| S/P (12 CP) | Seminar (5 CP) and Practical Course (7 CP) | |||
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Specialisation Area (14-22 CP) including Master's Thesis (30 CP) |
Computer Science (CS) |
Mathematics (M) |
Computer Science and Mathematics (CSM) |
Application Area (BA, CLS, CSS oder P) |
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Lecture courses |
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Master's thesis |
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The foundational area covers the main methodological foundations of data science. It consists of a list of selected modules from computer science and mathematics, among them the introductory modules "Introduction to Data Science" and "Mathematics of Data Science". An additional part of the core area is the module "Ethics of Data Science".
As "additional competences", students have the possibilities to choose up to 12 CP in courses from a wide range of areas, for example a language course or a non-technical subject.
The second part of the curriculum is the specialisation area, leading towards the final master's thesis. While the specialisation areas "Computer Science", "Mathematics", and "Computer Science and Mathematics" focus on strong methodological competences, a specialisation in one of the application areas, as listed above, enables students to work on applied data science problems in the context of another discipline.
Prerequisites
The program builds on bachelors' programs mathematics and computer science. It presupposes a bachelors degree in mathematics, computer science, physics, or a related area.
The required educational background is formulated in the examination regulations. The examination board determines whether the entry requirements are fulfilled.
Career Prospects
Data-Science methods are used in a broad spectrum of applications in science and industry.
Data science gains increasing importance in the industry due to the desire and the need for utilizing the information that becomes available because of the comprehensive networking of terminal equipment - Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 - the widespread use of social networks and the availability of immense amounts of measurement, multimedia and simulation data. In addition to the companies from ICT, financial and service sectors, also "classical" industrial companies look for graduates with this qualification profile.
Data Science is also a hot research topic, which gains in importance as a cross-sectional topic almost everywhere including natural sciences, engineering, and medical science.
Examination Rules
Regulations that apply for all Bachelor and Master courses of study as well as detailed information about the necessary documentation of required language skills can be found in RWTH’s Comprehensive Examination Regulation. Examination regulations are only published in German as they are legally binding.
The Subject Specific Exam Regulations regulate academic goals, the course of study layout, and exam procedures. The appendix to the regulations contains the description of the modules, from which the course of study is composed, regulate academic goals, the course of study layout, and exam procedures. Examination regulations are only published in German as they are legally binding.
Faculty
The Master course of study in Data Science is offered by the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics in the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics, and Computer Science.