You will learn the foundations and methodologies that underpin data analysis through explorative statistics, statistical methods and machine learning.
In the framework of this specialization you will expand your skills and competences in making data viable and valuable from a business perspective by designing data-based products and effectively visualizing and communicating information.
Admission to this profile requires a set of specific skills. Universities of applied sciences individually assess the qualifications of their prospective students - it is a standard part of their admissions process.
The following bachelor’s degrees are among the most adjacent in terms of subject matter taught:
- Degree programs with a focus on ICT / Information Technology. These bachelor’s degrees encompass topics that mostly revolve around Data Engineering and algorithmic foundations. With a Data Science profile MSE, students complete their data analysis and services education including the acquisition of advanced skills in the fields of Statistics, Data Mining, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and by learning to devise, implement and deploy data services for companies.
- Degree programs with an Engineering and Management focus. These bachelor’s programs mainly teach content related to Data Services. Here, the Data Science MSE profile will complete your Data Engineering and Data Analytics skills and knowledge.
As Data Science graduates, you will have a wide range of career options, both in Switzerland and abroad.
With a specialization in Data Engineering, you may, for instance, assume positions in the fields of Big Data Software Engineering or IoT Software Engineering. If you focus on topics related to Data Analytics, you will likely find employment as a Data Analyst oder Data Scientist. If you choose to specialize in Data Services, you will have the opportunity to work as a Data Service Engineer or Operation Service Manager.
How would you describe the cooperation with the MSE students you supervise?
«It is a collaborative effort between my MSE students and me to ensure that my students are able to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in Data Science.»
What do you enjoy most about advising in the MSE?
«I enjoy most if I manage to help students select projects in partnership with our industry partners that align with my student’s interests and skills while also providing valuable learning and potential career opportunities.»
What are some lessons you've learned as an MSE advisor?
«I have learned to communicate clearly with my students about major expectations for the project, including the timeline, deliverables, and grading criteria. Defining milestones and early scheduling of milestone meetings organized together with our industry partners have turned out to be very helpful. Besides these goals, it is very important to give my students the freedom to explore and work independently and let them follow their interests and curiosity to come up with their own story.»
How do you keep your students motivated?
«If my students get the opportunity to present their work to project leaders of our industry partners, they will realize that their work may have an impact and create value for our industry partners. I motivate my students by showing the relevance of their work to them. Any relevant project obviously progresses with periods of struggles – that is normal.»
What’s your main reason to recommend the MSE degree programme?
«The MSE degree programme offers a unique combination of high quality lectures attended by students from all over Switzerland with heterogeneous backgrounds, a very personal relationship with the advisors, and in-depth interactions with our industry partners to work on challenging and relevant projects.»
Prof. Dr. Mirko Birbaumer, MSE Advisor
How has your MSE degree influenced your professional career?
«It gave me a lot of options to choose from since a degree in Data Science is very sought after. It also gave me confidence in the application process that I have the necessary skillset.»
What advice do you have for new MSE students?
«Try to inform yourself about the modules and what they entail to plan the best possible learning during your masters. Some courses overlap a lot which will save you some work but also costs you some of the learning.»
In which areas were you able to develop the most through your MSE studies?
«Since I didn’t know computerscience before starting, the learning curve in that area was very steep.
I especially developed my coding skills but also the understanding in deep learning and machine learning were huge steps in my development during these 18 months.»
What were your main reasons for choosing the MSE programme?
«I wanted to have a lot of practical work for my second master and the MSE programme offers 2 third of the degree as practical work, supported by modules where you learn the necessary skills which for me was the perfect combination and the reason why I chose this programme.»
Tom Daniël Christen, MSE Graduate
