Data related degrees, what and where?

[JudyGemstone]

hello. I wondered if anyone knows anything about data analysis type courses, as I have no clue! My son finished his a levels last summer and got BBC in Govt and politics, law and psychology. So 112 ucas points.

he likes data, stats, quantitative research etc. he’s good at maths and got 8 at gcse, but only a 4 in computer science.

would a data science and analytics degree or social sciences type degree be a good option? Or maybe need an a level in maths/computing?

he would consider psychology too. He likes the idea of a year studying abroad and ideally not 100% essay based.

Any thoughts appreciated!

When is the deadline for ucas applications? This seems very late to be looking. Best to look at former polytechnics.

Portsmouth and deMontfort maybe?

You generally need an A level in maths to study Data Science.

He could look at an apprenticeship in Data Analytics

I think it’s 25th Jan, yes very last minute which is typical!

Yeah there’s a Portsmouth course he likes the look of, says minimum tariff 112 which he has, but suggests you need a relevant subject at A level, although doesn’t say what those are. My thinking is that psychology has some data involved which he got a B in.

If he is that disinterested maybe a last minute degree, and associated debt, is not the best option. Are there any apprenticeships where he can learn on the job?

No info at all on preferred subjects at A level. Maybe email admissions?

I'd have thought Psych would be ok. It often counts as a science. To be blunt though what has he been doing for the last six months - this should have been sorted months ago. Has he asked his college for a reference? It's probably way after their internal deadline to guarantee it's on time.

Would a social science degree with quantitative methods be of interest? Less likely to need Maths A Level I would have thought.

www.nuffieldfoundation.org/students-teachers/q-step

If he wanted to do a BSc which did request A level Maths there may be an option for a Foundation year to cover anything he missed by not doing so. Some Psychology degrees do require A level Maths and places are competitive so he needs to be prepared for that and ideally have relevant work experience.

he could look at an access course to give him more choice of university, if the lack of maths a level is limiting

I would really question him what he means by data and analytics. Is it the computer science type course or something else?

Without A level maths, I wouldn’t encourage entry to a computer science or data science degree. Most not only specify maths but sometimes FM.

Would he consider an apprenticeship? At work we’ve hired someone over the years who haven’t the right subjects for a numerate degree but work their way up learning on the job and gaining qualifications on the way.

As PPs say, time is of the essence within the current UCAS application cycle. However, it would be sensible for your DS to reflect on what they enjoy, what they are good at and whether they can evidence that to themselves and to any relevant university and/or employer. Some questions I would be asking myself include:

Why did I choose the A-levels I did?
What aspects of those subjects did I enjoy and not enjoy?
Were my A-level results what I and my college expected and, if not, why not?
What were my plans in Y13 for post A-levels, have I achieved those and, if not, why not?
What am I doing with my (paid and free) time now, post Y13, and what aspects am I enjoying?
If I am considering the university route, what aspects am I drawn to?

The answers to these questions may help guide your DS and narrow down choices to those that are most likely to engage him.

Some PPs have suggested apprenticeships. There are apprenticeships available in data analytics (more often at L4 rather than L6) and whilst these can have a 112 point or BBC threshold, employers will be looking for tangible evidence of interest in analysing and presenting data.

Unlike UCAS, which is centralised with clear deadlines, applying to individual apprenticeships requires the drive and self-organisation to follow through over the course of what are typically multi-stage selection processes. This is a point your DS will need to appreciate if considering that route.

Thanks for this, I’ve sent it to him. There’s a university of Bristol centre too, which is where we live.

He’s been working 40 hours a week in a shop and saving money. He’s been looking for ‘proper’ type jobs too but not had any success yet, hence now thinking about uni again.

Civil service were considering a social data science apprenticeship which might be up his street.

Several unis are Q step centres . They offer degrees in quantitative methods with social sciences. Sheffield is one, Manchester another. High entry requirements, mind.

Tell him to Google Q step.

Sorry, missed a couple of post and see it was suggested.

He's been working 40 hours a week on top of school?!?

There are lots of DDAT training positions in civil service and other public bodies.

Oh God, another reading fail.

This is what I’m try to establish with him, I’d say something else’ but not sure what, I know he really liked the stats/quants part of his psychology course, which is the bit most psychology students hate!

I’m wondering about social sciences or similar over data science.

He would consider an apprenticeship definitely, these seem to be more aimed at adults already working than 18/19 year olds though - I saw a thread on here saying an 18 year old has more chance of getting into oxbridge than onto a degree apprenticeship which is not the impression given in all the articles.

It says in the OP he finished his A Levels last year.

Oh sorry I see you already spotted it.

Degree apprenticeships are very hard to get on to! They also often have higher grade requirements than similar degrees.