Studying Data Science

Data science is a subject that makes sense of formless data. It is an interdisciplinary field incorporating elements of mathematics, statistics, economics and computer science. Data science professionals use a combination of statistical tools, computer software to manipulate, present and extract insights and trends from raw data collected from various sources. Raw data can come from social media, card transactions, surveys, scientific data sets, sensors and mobile data.

By processing this raw data, data science professional can answer questions related to business and sales enhancement, scientific problems and policy issues. For this reason, these professional are hired by public, private and academic sectors.

Australian universities deliver well-organised, industry-relevant programmes that are valued by employers. In fact, a lot of the programmes are embedded with a work experience option which involves either undertaking a work placement or completing a relevant project at an external company.

Several of Australia’s 37 universities offer programmes in data science.

Some of the universities where you could study are:

• Monash University
• Macquarie University
• Western Sydney University
• RMIT University
• University of Technology Sydney
• University of Queensland

Salary and Career Prospects

Data Science professionals are hired by online retail companies (Amazon, eBay), including IT and tech (Microsoft, Apple), retail and hospitality (Marriott, Woolworth), banks (ANZ, Commonwealth), healthcare organisations and the government.

Some of the roles graduates take up are:Data Scientist, Analytics Specialist, Data Analyst, Data Architect, Data Engineer, Data Miner, Research Scientist and Web Analyst.

Salaries vary depending on qualifications, job role, location and experience. As a guide, data science professionals are paid around $120,000 a year (82 lakhs INR approx).

Why Study in Australia?

Australia has cemented its place as one of the best study destinations for international students. There are 37 universities in Australia; with 7 featuring in top 100 and 15 in top 250 in QS World Rankings 2019.

Prominent IT and technology companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, in addition to home-grown brands like Atlassian and Aconex operate in Australia. Cities of Melbourne and Sydney have a thriving start-up and innovation landscape.

Australians enjoy year-round good weather, high salaries, access to spectacular beaches and a healthy work-life balance. The country is vast and beautiful and has something to offer for everybody, be that opera, music concerts, films, outdoor activities or beaches and surfing.

International graduates are typically offered post-study work visas of up to 3 years upon graduation.