Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
MSc
Key facts
Start dates
September 2025 / September 2026
Location
Course length
Full time: 12 months
Part time: 24 months
Overview
The MSc in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence provides you with the skills and understanding necessary to gather, identify, process, analyse and use data using AI techniques. You will learn fundamental theory and practise concepts that will equip you with the professional skills needed in the workplace.
The explosion and wealth of available data in a wide range of application domains gives rise to new challenges and opportunities in all areas. One challenge is how to use this unprecedented scale of data, and how to gain further insights and knowledge to improve the quality of offered products and services. Artificial Intelligence plays a central role in understanding data and developing intelligent systems that can learn from themselves and assist organisations in strategic decision making.
How to apply
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
To join this course you'll need a 2:2 bachelor's degree in the physical or social sciences where you have developed analytical knowledge and understanding in mathematical sciences.
Typically this includes applicants with knowledge and familiarity with basic computing, mathematics and statistics concepts and methods at bachelor's degree level.
Applicants with other qualifications, plus work experience from other fields, who have quantitative skills and familiarity with data analysis and modelling ideas will also be considered.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
If your first language is not English you will require a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 6.0 in all components.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Application process
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
| Travel and associated costs if relevant when undertaking work placements. | £30-700 per year |
If you are considering bringing your own computer, most of the software we use is on Windows machines though there is some use of Linux. We do not use Apple MacOS and their use is not required but some students do choose to bring MacOS machines so a Mac can be a viable choice if you so wish.
|
£500-1200 |
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £10 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
The MSc in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence has a modular course-unit design. This provides you with flexibility and choice if you are considering taking the course part time
To qualify for a master’s award you must pass all the modules listed in the “Study modules” section below. For the PGDip and PGCert you will be able to select modules from that list. Please contact us for more details.
Brand new facilities
All Computing courses are moving from Wheatley Campus to brand new, custom designed buildings at our main Headington site. These buildings will open in the 2024/25 academic year. You'll benefit from state-of-the-art facilities and equipment including a VR cave, digital, computing and robotics labs, as well as social learning spaces, teaching rooms and cafe space.
Study modules
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
In the MSc, you’ll complete 6 taught modules of 20 credits each, and a dissertation of 60 credits.
We’ll help you understand everything you’ll need for your career, including; how to analyse and process data, how to recommend products based on this data, and predicting future trends in the market.
You’ll complete your dissertation over the summer, with support from a supervisor. This is your opportunity to put your new knowledge to work on a project of your choice.
Our course has a supportive teaching and learning strategy based on active student engagement. We use a variety of teaching and assessment methods such as critical appraisal reports, data analysis reports, software applications, and presentations
Learning methods include:
- blended learning
- formal lectures
- problem solving practicals
- guided independent learning
- use of the computer based learning environment ‘Moodle’
- independent research
- software data analyses
- experiments.
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
Assessment is 100% coursework and covers a range of activities including:
- reports
- data analysis
- programming
- presentations.
We encourage you to relate the assessment tasks with professional activities. And to relate your achievements with professional standards.
You will have the opportunity to work independently and in groups. Where appropriate, we use self and peer assessment to encourage you to get involved in your own professional development.
Research
The School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics is home to world-leading and award-winning research.
Our focus is on user-inspired original research with real-world applications. We have a wide range of activities from model-driven system design and empirical software engineering through to web technologies, cloud computing and big data, digital forensics and computer vision.
Staff and students collaborate on projects supported by the EPSRC, the EU, the DTI, and several major UK companies.
Computing achieved an excellent assessment of its UoA (Unit of Assessment) 11 return for REF 2014 (Research Excellence Framework).
Students on this course can be involved with research in the following research groups:
After you graduate
Career prospects
Jobs around data science and AI (data scientist, data analytics, data engineer, data manager) have become increasingly important over the last decade. This is because data science holds the key to tackling the fundamental problem created by the revolution in the development of computers and automated systems in the 20th Century: how to make sense of the unprecedented volumes of data that are generated daily?
Currently, global demand for combined statistical and computing expertise outstrips supply, with evidence-based predictions suggesting a major shortage in this area for at least the next 10 years. For graduates in data science and AI this shortage presents opportunities to enhance career progression in one of the most crucial areas of modern science.
Graduates from the programme will be ideally equipped for a career in a wide variety of industries. Graduates are employed across a whole range of jobs including Data Scientists, Data Analyst, Statisticians and Data Engineers.
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.