Do I ever have to attend the college in person?
Is there scope to link assessment work with my day job?
What software / tools are used on the course?
Is the MSc very maths / statistics heavy?
Do I need programming to do this course?
Is it mandatory to attend the weeky online classes?
What if my degree is not from Ireland?
Is the fee the same for non-Irish students?
The workload is heavy as you would expect for an MSc programme, although it will differ depending on previous relevant experience you have.
There are two modules per semester. Typically, assessment for each module includes 2 or 3 literature reviews and a practical assessment to analyse a dataset(s). So in essence you are submitting work every two or three weeks. Semester 1 tends to be the hardest term as the theory can be challenging to begin with, and students are getting used to managing their time & workload. Semester 2 has a more practical focus as one of the modules is a project module, and by semester 3 students tend to be quicker at writing papers, and are more comfortable with data science topics areas having covered a lot of the ground work already.
Do I ever have to attend the college in person?
No, all aspects of coursework and assessment is done via Adobe Connect, our online classroom environment, and Moodle, our virtual learning environment. While you are welcome to visit the ITB campus at any time and meet with us, many online students visit campus for the first time on graduation day.
Is there scope to link assessment work with my day job?
Yes, all project work may be work related. This includes the project module in semester two (data science applications) and the MSc Research Project in semester four. If required, ITB will facilitate non-disclosure agreements.
Is it mandatory to attend the weeky online classes?
Attendance is not mandatory. All lectures are recorded. Lecture recordings are made available after the lecture (within one working day), and students have access to all recordings for the duration of the MSc programme.
What software / tools are used on the course?
All practical assessment work will be completed using open source tools. There are a selection of market leading data analytics tools that have either open source versions or academic licence options. These include Rapidminer, R, Talend, Tableau, HortonWorks (Hadoop sandbox), Quantum GIS, postgreSQL, postGIS and Python IDE’s. In addition, ITB is a partner in IBMs Bluemix academic initiative giving all MSc students access to the IBM’s platform-as-a-service cloud offering (IBM CLoud) which incorporates a range of big data analytics tools. Students may also use other tools provided they are appropriate for the task and covered by a valid license.
Is the MSc very maths / statistics heavy?
There is a quite a bit of Mathematics on the course as would be expected in an MSc focused on Data Science. Students are expected to understand how techniques work to ensure correct intrepretation of results, and facilaite correct optimisation of algorithms used. For example, the Data Mining Algorithms module coves the maths behind 10+ algorithms, some of which are based on statistics (e.g. Naïve Bayes, Bayesian Networks, Regression), some of which are based on AI / Machine Learning (Neural Networks, Decision Trees, Rule induction) and some are based on set theory such as Apriori and FPGrowth. The Data Exploration and Preprocessing algorithms covers statistics for data exploration, correlation, PCA and the effect of data transformations (e.g. Log, 1/x etc). The Statistics module covers statistical techniques in depth.
Do I need programming to do this course?
It depends on the electives you choose. All modules with the exception of Programming for Big Data can be completed without writing code - you can use existing, open source, implementations of algorithms and techniques. You may augment existing implementations with you own code, or do some scripting yourself for data cleaning or preprocessing, but that’s optional. Students who elect to do the Programming for Big Data module will require an understanding on fundamental programming concepts.
What if my degree is not from Ireland?
If your Degree is from outside Ireland/UK you must apply to Quality and Qualification Ireland (QQI) for a comparability statement indicating the level of your award on the Irish Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). You can find more information on the QQI website here.
Is the fee the same for non-Irish students?
Yes, the course fee is the same for all applicants, regardless of your location.