?Nature of the degree: BDatSci
This programme is approved by the Department of Higher Education and Training, the Council on Higher Education and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). The programme has been on offer since the beginning of 2021. It is a full-time programme and part-time studies not possible nor remote or online.
Interdepartmental and interfaculty collaboration
This programme is presented in four faculties, namely Economic and Management Sciences, Science, AgriSciences and Arts and Social Sciences. The faculty where a student is registered in the fourth year, will award his/her degree.
Application procedure and closing date
Apply electronically at www.maties.com by 31 July of the year before your intended studies. For more on the application and admission process, see relevant links above or visit the website given here.
Programme structure
The BDatSci programme consists of a set of core modules on all four year levels. The core modules lay the foundation for studies in the field of data science. For the rest, you have a relatively free choice between the focal areas to enable you to focus on a very specific field within the data science environment. In choosing any additional modules (not part of a focal area), please take note of the stipulations regarding timetable clashes in the general section at the beginning of the various faculty calendars.
Therefore, it is possible within this programme to focus on a specific area of study, called a focal area. You will officially register for BDatSci in the faculty that offers the focal area.
Focal areas
The objective of focal areas is to help you choose a specific career focus within the BDatSci programme. The focal area is not a programme, and the module combinations are compulsory within a focal area. The module combinations within each focal area fit in with the lecture and assessment timetables resulting in no clashes.
For easy reference all eight focal areas of BDatSci are listed below. The name of the faculty where the programme is offered is given in brackets, and you will find the description of the focal area in that faculty's Calendar:
- Analytics and Optimisation (Economic and Management Sciences),
- Behavioural Economics (Economic and Management Sciences),
- Statistical Learning (Economic and Management Sciences),
- Applied Mathematics (Science),
- Computer Science (Science),
- Statistical Physics (Science),
- Statistical Genetics (AgriSciences), and
- Geoinformatics (Arts and Social Sciences).
?With a degree in Data
Science, graduates can put their skills to use to solve real-world
problems in fields as diverse as genetics, healthcare, e-commerce,
finance, government or retail, to name but a few.
The programme
will offer a diverse student cohort the opportunity to gain knowledge of
foundational modules in core disciplines such as statistics, computer
science and mathematics, and they will also be exposed to new
technologies and concepts in the field of data science. Together with
this solid foundation, students will choose a focal area within a
data-rich environment, enabling them to obtain the necessary
domain knowledge in their chosen field.
This degree is
the only one of its kind in South Africa. After completion thereof,
graduates will be able to continue with a Master's degree in their chosen
field.
