BSc (Hons) Computing (Data Analyst) with foundation year
Our BSc (Hons) Computing (Data Analyst) with foundation year is ideal if you enjoy looking for patterns, noticing trends and making new discoveries. We offer the knowledge and skills needed to interrogate and make sense of data, unlock vital insights and communicate your discoveries, so you can help companies turn data into profit and productivity.
Course details
The Harvard Business Review has called the data scientist ‘the sexiest job of the 21st century’*. Our BSc (Hons) Computing (Data Analyst) with foundation year course offers a route into this exciting career, along with global opportunities in a huge range of sectors. Data analysts provide up-to-date, accurate and relevant data analysis for organisations, making recommendations to improve business performance. Throughout this course, we’ll guide you as you develop technical knowledge and applied skills with a range of data structures, software development procedures and analytical tools.
The foundation year is the first year of this degree, offering an excellent grounding in the fundamentals of computing, programming and mathematics. It’s designed to prepare you for degree level study.
After the foundation year, our expert and dedicated team will cover managing, cleansing, abstracting and aggregating data, a wide range of standard and custom analytical studies, as well as data visualisation techniques. We’ll support you as you learn how to provide insight and analysis through clear visual, written and verbal communication. The department’s strong links with business mean you’ll have the chance to work on ‘live briefs’ in your coursework assignments, so you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy real-world context and application for the skills and knowledge we’ll help you develop.
With intentionally small class sizes, we can offer you meaningful and personalised interaction with our dedicated and enthusiastic lecturers – many of whom are active researchers and come with extensive industry insights and experience. Meanwhile, guest speakers and lecturers give you access to highly relevant and up-to-date input from industry settings.
All of this is backed by our well-equipped IT suites, where you’ll get to apply and develop your learning individually and in groups, with expert guidance and support.
* https://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century visited on 26/03/2019
- UCAS points: 48
- Start date: 21/09/2020
- Location: The University of Bolton
- Award: BSc (Hons)
- UCAS code: G301
- Duration: 4 years
Course highlights:
- The department – and the wider University – provides a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
- Your teaching and tutorial team brings an impressive range of professional experience and technical prowess to the course, so you’ll have the chance to explore and evaluate a range of perspectives relating to your studies.
- A big part of our commitment to your progress is helping you develop your employability and industry networks. So we’ll encourage you to attend guest lectures that give your learning context, offer industry contact, and contribute to your underlying professional development.
- By underpinning our content and assignments with a strong industrial focus, we foster a keen understanding of the role and value of data analysis in the business environment, and help you develop essential skills such as attention to detail, communication and time management.
- We’ll focus on your individual needs, and provide personalised support to help find the learning strategies that best support your learning and ultimate success.
Key features:
- Our dedicated laboratories, servers and end-hosts feature high-specification hardware and the latest software, so you’ll have industry-equivalent hands-on experience.
- You’ll also get to experience the latest technologies, such as OpenStack – developed by Rackspace and NASA.
- As you’d expect, many of our computing facilities are accessible online, so you can work on your assignments wherever you are, and whenever inspiration kicks in.
- We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as background research, critical reasoning and problem solving, as well as professional communication, time management, teamwork, and lifelong learning.
- We’ll also encourage you to build a portfolio of evidence representing the projects and tasks you’ve completed during your studies, ready to impress potential employers.
- We continually monitor and update the course to reflect current and ever-changing issues in computing, and to keep your learning in line with technological advances and innovations.
Entry requirements
- UCAS points: 48
- Start date: 21/09/2020
- Location: The University of Bolton
- Award: BSc (Hons)
- UCAS code: G301
- Duration: 4 years
Your Level 3 subjects must include a technology related subject; for instance, A-level Mathematics or BTEC Extended Diploma in Computing.
You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English and Mathematics.
We're more than happy to have an informal chat with you about this course, either over the phone or in person. If you wish to meet in person, please contact the Programme Leader to arrange a mutually convenient time. (While we reserve the right to interview it's not our usual practice for this course.)
If English isn’t your first language you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details. Find out more
Career opportunities
Our BSc (Hons) Computing (Data Analyst) with foundation year offers a comprehensive overview of key data analysis principles and methods, along with a broad grounding in technology solutions, making our graduates highly competitive in the global jobs marketplace.
As a graduate, you’ll possess a deep technical understanding of data quality and data analysis processes and methods, as well as a sound knowledge of data protection and legal issues, and the fundamentals of data structures, database system design, implementation, maintenance, and data architecture.
During the course, you can also expect to develop a wide range of technical, professional and interpersonal skills, such as attention to detail, team working, problem solving, communication and presentation skills, time management, and lifelong learning.
What can I do with this qualification?
Graduates from this programme should prove valuable to private, public and third sector organisations of all sizes and across the full spectrum of industries. Employers include financial services firms, retail companies, marketing agencies, higher education institutions, pharmaceutical companies, the government and intelligence services, telecommunications and IT firms, and insurance companies.
On successful completion of the course, you’ll be well prepared for a career in data analysis and to work your way up to positions of greater responsibility and leadership. You’ll also be ready to progress to postgraduate-level study or additional IT certification in order to develop your expertise further. Popular areas for further study include business, marketing, statistics and finance.
Studying for a PhD or professional doctorate is another option.
Alternative career options
- Digital copywriting
- IT sales
- IT training
- Teaching
- Research and development
- Network engineering
- Product management
- Technical writing
- Social media management
- Cyber security
- Information systems management
- Games development
Professional recognition
Fees & funding
Home/EU fees
| Year of study | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry year | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | |
| 2019/20 | £9,250 | £9,250 | £9,250 | £9,250 | - | £37,000 |
| 2020/21 | - | null | null | null | null | null |
International fees
| Year of study | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry year | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | |
| 2019/20 | £9,250 | £12,450 | £12,450 | £12,450 | - | £46,600 |
| 2020/21 | - | null | null | null | null | null |
The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
The University is currently awaiting Government guidelines as to EU fee charges for students commencing study in 2019/20.
UK undergraduate tuition fees are subject to UK government approval and are subject to the outcome of the Teaching Excellence Framework.
Contact The University
Key facts
-
UCAS code:
G301 -
Course type:
Full-time -
Start date:
21/09/2020 -
Location:
The University of Bolton -
Award:
BSc (Hons) -
UCAS points:
48 -
Duration:
4 years
Contact us
Abdul Razak
Programme Leader
Email: A.Razak@bolton.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1204 903476
Adam Isherwood
Admissions Tutor
Email: A.Isherwood@bolton.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1204 903075
Andrew Parker
Lecturer
Email: A.Parker@bolton.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1204 903467
Enquiry Team
University of Bolton
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1204 903903
Useful links
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