Top universities for pursuing a Master’s in Data Science in the UK and Ireland

We all have that dream of going to Edinburgh, London, Dublin to visit the vivid culture of the UK and Ireland, explore the different architectures, aesthetics and beauty. While doing that many times, this dream turns into a passion for studying and settling there. But not to forget the quality of education here offers with its fully functional and advanced campus settlements, hence it becomes the best place to pursue higher education, like a master’s degree.

Moreover, in the UK and Ireland, for data science, you have various countries and high-quality universities that cater to different budget options and not only that, these courses are accompanied by practicums, internships and real-time projects that enable you to get the best of educational and professional world combo. Also, the UK and Ireland offer you apprentice opportunities, where you can study and work, so that you can reduce your burden of educational loans. Below are some reasons we can state to pursue a master’s in data science from the UK and Ireland.

1. Affordable education: Compared to the US and Australia, the UK and Ireland Universities offer a wide range of budget options in terms of tuition fees, which you can choose according to your own budget. Public universities in cities like Dublin, Manchester, and London offer you courses at lower costs compared to those in the USA, with a wide range of scholarships too.

2. World Class Education: When we talk of quality education, we don’t have to give testimony to the quality that UK and Ireland offer in any field, with state-of-the-art campuses and research facilities.

3. Strong industry connections: UK and Ireland universities are well known for their strong industry connections with university-to-organisation partnerships through which you can take advantage of several exchange and dual programs opportunities. And once you are nearing completion of your course, you can also get several paid internships in top organisations.

4. Cultural and Professional exposures: The UK and Ireland arealso among the best destinations to develop soft skills, which are one of the most essential aspects of a global career that you would seek in your future, which will increase longevity and adaptability.

Data science can be categorised into 3 main parts: Big data, Business intelligence and Machine learning. Big data refers to unstructured data in everyday life through orders, comments, clicks, etc., in which you can use the unstructured data into a structured form. Business intelligence deals with presentation and analysis through visual reports to improve the decision-making process. Machine learning engages with algorithms and mathematical models and focuses on use of data to imitate the way humans learn. We can categorise modules of data science as below:

• Data analytics

• Big Data Engineering

• Data mining

• Data Management

• Predictive Analysis

• Data Visualisation

• Machine learning

• Data Engineering

Now let us look at the market opportunity in the UK and Ireland, and especially in data science, which will enable you to understand how the UK and Ireland fare in terms of employment opportunities.

• In terms of revenue, the UK and Ireland region accounted for 7% market share in the global data analysis market

• The UK and Ireland data market generated a revenue of USD 4,666 billion in 2024.

• The market is expected to grow at a rate of 25% CAGR from 2025 to 2030, which is a huge indicator of the growing data market in the UK and Ireland.

• The employment rate in the UK and Ireland was 75% in 2024.

The table below highlights the growing data market.

No of Jobs per role:

After qualifying from the best universities in UK and Ireland you will have direct opportunities to land jobs in the field of Program Management, Research Analysts, Data Engineering etc., with organizations like Siemens, Barclays, PwC, World Bank, UN, BMW, Mecedes, Databricks Ernst and Young etc., ready to offer intake.

Also, there are other common recruiters like Apple, Deloitte Black Swan Data, Peak, etc., who offer lucrative jobs. Below we will look at expected renumeration of different positions in UK and Ireland.

*Source: Glassdoor, pay scale and EU data Jobs

Data Science is a field for the present and future, whether it may be human mind or AI, companies will survive only if they understand past data to create future data and growth, hence investing in data science will be one of the best options you can go for. It’s not only an academic pathway but will enable you to become a future leader. With the UK and Ireland offering top courses with state-of-the-art facilities, you won't regret once after joining a data science program here.

Also, with increasing data science market and top recruiters always are in search for quality students, you will stand a chance to excel in your life in UK and Ireland with excellent cultural and socio environment background.

Then why wait, if your dreams are large and goals are high, and want to take the correct step forward in future, why not contact us, with our able and experienced team of counsellors, we will give you the right counselling and options to join one of the courses in data science as per your interest in some of the best institutions in the world.

Get in touch with IDP experts for end-to-end guidance on studying in the UK and Ireland.

Bharath is a part of IDP IELTS Examiner Planning team at South Asia Headquarters in Gurgaon. In his current capacity, he’s responsible for planning examiner schedule and successful conduction of IELTS Speaking tests. His role is critical to cater to our ever-growing IELTS exam.

He has been associated with the education industry for the past 6 years and has spent major part organising educational programs and workshops after which he entered the IELTS industry in ensuring IELTS tests are delivered as per set standard. In past, he has also organised various workshops in different career fields both in India and outside India.