Master of Sciences Applied Data Science @ Utrecht University

Why did you choose this study?

During my study at the Aviation Academy I found myself gravitating towards data related topics and decided to choose the minor Data science at the AUAS. After this introduction to the field of data science, I worked on data related topics for both my third year internship and my thesis. These research’s provided useful insights into daily operations based on previously unused data.

With the growing importance of data driven decision making and the large number of collected data in the aviation industry, I knew that a study in Applied Data Science would result in ample job opportunities due to the unique combination of having knowledge about both data science and aviation.

Could you progress directly from the Aviation Academy or did you need a premaster, for example

The programme requires a certain number of obtained ECTS in statistics, Python and R. However, I obtained all mandatory ECTS during my courses and minor which allowed me to skip the pre-master.

Are there any points you can focus on during your studies at the Aviation Academy that would be in favour of further study?

Personally, I did not have to take a pre-master since the statistics courses during the Aviation Operations track from the second year granted enough ECTS for this requirement. In addition, the mandatory ECTS for the programming languages Python and R were obtained during my minor. So if you are interested in the Applied Data Science master and have the opportunity to take a minor in data science, I would suggest to do so.

Why would you recommend this study?

The Applied Data Science master at Utrecht University is a really broad study with topics ranging from geoscience to social media analysis. The study starts with a general introduction to bring everyone to the same level of knowledge.

After that you have to select two electives for each block. I really like this approach since it shows different domains in which data science can be applied. This way, the study shows what is possible and maybe introduce you to other fields which are interesting to you.

The master takes only a year to complete (if you can skip the pre-master), so it is a great pick if you are interested into data science, but do not want to take a regular two year long master programme.

What would you possibly do differently?

Looking back, I wouldn’t do anything differently. My minor selection enabled me to continue with an enjoyable master’s programme straight after HBO.

Are there any critical points on your further study?

While I personally find that the one year master programme is great to continue studying after HBO, while not being occupied for the upcoming years, it might be different for you depending on what you want from a master’s degree. In addition, due to the shorter time period compared to most other master programmes, the workload is higher than the Aviation Operations track.

More info: Applied Data Science - Utrecht University (uu.nl)