Overview
Big Data has become a major phenomenon in the 21st century world of business, rendering traditional data processing applications inadequate and increasing the demand for sophisticated data analysts who can collate, interpret and draw value from complex data sets.
Responding to this trend, our new integrated Master’s course brings together a range of mathematical, statistical and computational techniques, which incorporate probability, predictive analytics and advanced modelling to extract value and make sense of multiple sets and large amounts of data. As an integrated undergraduate and postgraduate course, you can qualify at Master’s Level.
One of the top 15 universities in the country (Guardian University Guide 2020), Coventry has a long tradition of teaching mathematics with a strong emphasis on its applications in practical situations.
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
Course information
Businesses and organisations from almost every sector have woken up to the power of data analytics. Used effectively, they can inform decision making within business and finance, predict and dispense medical treatment within the healthcare system and help improve performance in sports or interpret data from smartphone apps like Nike+ and Hawk-Eye in cricket and tennis.
Throughout your studies, you will have opportunities to participate in a series of skills development sessions to improve your digital literacy, as well as presentation and writing skills, particularly in a mathematical context. We will familiarise you with a range of computational software related to the fields of mathematics and statistics, such as R, SPSS, LaTeX, Excel, Matlab, Python, Maple and Minitab.
Why choose this course
A diverse range of sectors, such as the IT industry, health, sports, finance, marketing and sales, are crying out for graduates with the ability to think clearly and logically, analyse complicated data sets, solve problems, make recommendations and communicate technical information in a language everyone can understand.
A good grounding in mathematical thinking, statistics and computing is essential for creating and using algorithms and systems that identify patterns and extract value from masses of data.
Coventry University has a long tradition of teaching mathematics, statistics and computing with a strong emphasis on its applications in practical situations. This new course blends all of these subject areas with a view to tackling a huge variety of interesting and engaging problems from business and industry – from fraud detection and credit risk to efficiency improvements and optimisation of delivery methods.
You’ll have access to our computing facilities, which enable you to gain experience using mathematical software packages, like MAPLE and MATLAB®. You can also receive one-to-one assistance from Sigma, the University’s internationally-renowned Centre for Excellence in Mathematics and Statistics Support, which previously won the Times Higher Education (THE) award for Outstanding Support for Students.
Our teachers are active researchers in applied mathematics with expertise in fluid dynamics and complex systems, who share their research findings through teaching and supervising projects and also offer opportunities to apply for summer research internships (subject to availability and application). Past students have, for example, undertaken internships analysing social networks of past cultures through ancient and mythological narratives or studied lattice models of polymers.
How you’ll be taught
The programme can be studied full-time over three years of study with the option of extending this to four years, by taking a sandwich year in the form of an industrial training placement or study abroad between Year 2 and Year 3.
We are immensely proud of the high levels of student satisfaction on our suite of Mathematics courses – 100% overall for Mathematics and Statistics in the latest National Student Survey (NSS). All students said they feel staff are good at explaining things, have made the subject interesting and are enthusiastic about what they are teaching.
Throughout the course, great emphasis is placed on practical skills development; some of your time being spent on computer laboratory sessions, which may involve the use of Mathematical software to solve mathematical problems, and we also run examples classes covering things like going over solutions to exercises.
You will have opportunities to work with staff on real-world problems from industry, commerce and research groups, as you would in professional practice. This means that you can develop professional skills at the same time as you learn the technical content of your degree.
We will encourage you to attend employer presentations organised by the University and also run our own sessions, which have previously covered government operational research and included some of our past students talking about their job roles and careers.
Career prospects
Data analysts have job prospects in areas such as business analysis, risk analysis, energy demand forecasting, health analytics, sports analytics, web analytics, games data analytics, social media analytics and many, many more.
Our suite of Mathematics degrees has an outstanding track record in employability with 93% of BSc (Hons) Mathematics graduates in work or further study after six months (DLHE 2014/15) and 76% of those employed in professional roles.
To improve your employment prospects and gain valuable professional experience, we strongly encourage you to spend a year on industrial training after Year 2. Our award-winning Faculty careers service, EEC Futures, which won the ‘Best Placement Service in the UK’ award at the National Undergraduate Employability Awards in 2015 and 2016, will provide assistance to help you find an appropriate placement. Previous students have worked as Financial Analyst at IBM, Gaming Financial Analyst for Warner Bros, Finance Assistant at Scottish Power, Business Performance Process Analyst at National Grid, Power analyst at E.ON, Customer Service Analyst for Cummins.
The University’s careers services can help you in applying for graduate jobs in your final year of study. Recent graduates on similar courses have embarked on Finance Graduate Schemes, as a customer services analyst, graduate actuary, information analyst and trainee accountant for companies like E-On, National Grid, Thames water, NHS, Hodge Lifetime Solutions and Prime Accountants. Others have also used their qualifications to progress into teaching careers, as well as postgraduate study to obtain MSc, MPhil and PhD qualifications.
Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University’s Careers and Employability team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.