A digital world of big data

Data has become an important and widely used raw material. The amount of data is currently increasing so rapidly that the global amount of data is doubling every two years. In 2024, the total amount of stored data amounts to 176 zettabytes (1 zettabyte is 10²¹ bytes).

The growth of data is mainly due to social media and video streaming, but that is changing. By 2025, businesses and organizations will create and store 60 % of the world's data, according to the International Data Corporation.

Data must be processed, that is: collected, sorted, stored, analysed, understood, secured and utilised. With a Master’s degree in data science, you become an expert in processing data on several levels. You gain an understanding of programming, both practical and theoretical, and you gain knowledge about, for example, statistics, machine learning and database systems. The programme also includes courses in IT security and ethics.

The programme has a theoretical syllabus, which gives you knowledge about the possibilities of the subject on an abstract level. However, the teaching is predominantly practical and based on examples and projects. As a student, you will participate in a lot of group work, especially within your field of study, but also interdisciplinary.

The students in the Master’s Degree Programme in Data Science come with many different skillsets from all kinds of Bachelor’s degrees. You can look forward to having fellow students who may have a Bachelor’s degree in, for example, business economics, design culture, sports and health, or digital marketing communication. In this way, you will build onto your degree in a diverse environment, where it is natural to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries and acquire knowledge and viewpoints from other professional areas.

As a data science student at our Kolding campus, you will find that all of your teachers speak English and that your syllabus is in English. This is because the teaching language of the programme is English and your teachers are from all over the world. You will quickly get used to being taught in English, and at the same time this will prepare you for a global job market.

When applying for the programme, you will have to choose one of three possible areas of specialization: Economics and Business Administration, Human Informatics, or ITC Systems.

You need not be able to program when you apply. Teaching in programming begins at a level where everyone can participate. However, it is an important prerequisite that you have an interest in learning to program and that you are highly motivated. Several courses also assume that you have a good mathematical understanding and perception. But it is not essential that you remember all the mathematics you learned in school prior to your Bachelor’s degree.

Graduates of the programme are entitled to use the academic title Master of Science (MSc) in Data Science.