Overview

The programme will create opportunities for students in the Computer Science, Statistics, Physics, Electrical Engineering or related fields to gain an interdisciplinary perspective on the emerging fields of Data Science.

This programme forms part of the DSI-funded National e-Science Postgraduate Teaching and Training Platform (NEPTTP). Students will register with their Home Institution but will attend the coursework component at Wits University in the first year. On completion of the coursework modules, students will move back to their Home Institutions for their second year of study.

The programme comprises compulsory and elective modules. Cross-disciplinary data-driven projects are offered both within the University and from a wide range of industry partners. A candidate must undertake modules to the value of 180 credits and must successfully complete the following courses: 

Compulsory courses (Year 1 at Wits)

• Research Methods and Capstone Project in Data Science (15 credits)
• Data Privacy and Ethics (15 credits)

Elective courses

• Adaptive Computation and Machine Learning (15 credits)
• Data Visualisation and Exploration (15 credits)
• Large Scale Computing Systems and Scientific Programming (15 credits)
• Large Scale Optimisation for Data Science (15 credits)
• Mathematical Foundations of Data Science (15 credits)
• Special Topics in Data Science (15 credits)
• Statistical Foundations of Data Science (15 credits)

Research Report (Year 2 at Home Institution)

• Research Report: Data Science (90 credits)

Careers

Graduates of the programme can find data-orientated roles within academic institutions, technology, healthcare companies and the finance sector.

Funding

Competitive DSI-NICIS MSc bursaries, covering tuition, accommodation and stipend, are made available by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) to qualifying offer holders with a record of excellent academic achievement. Priority for bursaries will be given to South African Citizens and Permanent Residents.

Please click here for more information.

Entry Requirements

• A Bachelor of Science with Honours from Wits or another university
• A graduate of this or another university who holds a degree in another faculty whose curriculum has ordinarily extended over not less than four academic years of full-time study.

Applicants are required to have a Bachelor of Science with Honours degree from a relevant discipline in Science (Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics) or a relevant NQF level 8 qualification or a relevant Professional Engineering Degree with demonstrable knowledge of basic principles of Computing, Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics.

Applicants require a minimum of 65 percent in their NQF level 8 qualification and fulfil any additional institutional application requirements of the institution through which they are applying, and must be co-approved by the Consortium.

University Application Process

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.