After completing the BSc in Mathematics, Statistics & Accounting with us, Scott chose to continue his journey at Strathclyde by pursuing the MSc in Data Analytics. Here, Scott tells us about what it's like being a student within the Business School.
What lead you to the MSc Data Analytics course at Strathclyde?
I enjoyed the statistics and programming side of my undergraduate degree and decided it would be really useful for me to enhance these skills by studying data analytics; it is a growing field and something which I thought would be a great career path to go down. I chose to do this at Strathclyde as I already knew how much I enjoyed studying here and I knew that I could not go wrong by returning.
What has been your experience of the classes?
I have felt like every class I took taught me skills that I will be able to use in the workplace. Since the course was split across three departments, I developed a broad range of skills which will help me in the future; from technical skills to the ability to work and present directly to clients. The lecturers were very supportive in every class and were always on hand whenever I reached out for some help. They were sharp in their responses to emails and provided office hours when you could speak to them over Zoom.
What has been your experience of the online learning environment and support offered by the University?
Having to study online for the year was, of course, not ideal, but it was managed in a way that somehow stopped it from feeling like I spent the whole time sitting in my bedroom. There was a lot of support available from lecturers and staff for issues directly related to the course but also for other issues such as career advice and physical/mental health support which was nice to know the staff went above and beyond to care for our wellbeing.
What has been your experience of the experiential part of the programme?
The ‘Data Analytics in Practice’ module was a very useful and interesting class which forced us to enhance our technical skills as well as present to and fulfil the needs of a client. The class involved completing a task for different clients in a variety of industries throughout the year. Each client had different tasks/expectations for us and so each one was a new learning opportunity. This class gave us a taster of the experiences we will have as data analysts in the workplace and, because of that, was a vital component of the course.
The MSc summer project also helped us to gain experience working with clients as we were able to either define our own project or select a project from a database the university provided. I decided to define my own project and worked alongside Rangers WFC to carry out data analysis work for them. This was an enjoyable and important experience for me as it allowed me the first opportunity to put into practice the skills I had learned throughout the other two semesters.
How does the course fit into your longer aspirations for study/career in the future?
I am now actively seeking to find a graduate job as a data analyst, with a specific interest in sport. I would be very happy to use what I have learned on this course in any business type/industry but have an ambition at some point in my career to match up my academic side with my passion for sport.
What is it like to be a student at Strathclyde and in the city of Glasgow?
I love Glasgow. I have always lived here and, even though I had opportunities to study elsewhere, I never really considered leaving during my studies. The university campus is located in the city centre which makes it an easy place to reach on public transport and an ideal place to socialise with so many restaurants, pubs, and many other fun attractions within short walking distance. If you’re interested in sport, music or pretty much anything then there will be a club you can join and meet like-minded people.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
I would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in a career which is remotely related to numbers/programming/analysis to sign up for this course. I was unsure what I wanted to do after completion of my undergrad, so Covid almost made my decision to go back to university for me, and I’m very glad it did. I feel much more confident when applying for jobs thanks to the skills I learned over the last year and my CV has improved significantly by being able to say I can use R, Python, SQL, MATAB and others.
