Masters in Data Science in Australia: Course Guide for International Students
Pursuing a Masters in Data Science in Australia takes 1-2 years depending upon the prior qualification and experience of a student. Australian Universities offer a graduate degree in Data Science in the form of PG Diploma and Masters across the subject areas of Data Science, Information Technology, and Analytics.
Masters in Data Sciences primarily revolves around the concepts of Mathematics and Computing and can be opted by anyone from the allied fields. Through this course, students will be able to develop meaningful insights from the data gathered.
Why Study Masters in Data Science in Australia?
Every year thousands of international students head forward to study in Australia, especially to pursue higher education from Australia.
- By September 2019, Australia witnessed a surge of 11% in the international student enrollment with atotal enrolment of 720,150 students in various subjects.
- In the coming years, the demand of the data scientists will take a high leap such that any data scientist will be earning three times the salary of the median salary of Australians.
- One of the surveys conducted by the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA) states that the data scientists at the top position may earn up to 30,0000 AUD annually.
- Economic surveys conducted by Deloitte in 2017 states that the Data Science workforce in Australia is likely to soar from 301,000 individuals in 2016-17 to 339,000 individuals in 2021-22.
- An increase of around 38,000 employees at an average growth rate of 2.4% every year.
Graph 1: The above-given graph depicts the predicted number of data scientists to be employed in Australia in the upcoming year based upon previous predictions (Between the years 2017 and 2022).
Program Highlights
| Level of Degree | Graduate |
| Types of Degrees | MS (AQF Level 8) |
| Duration | 1-2 years |
| Types of Programs | Graduate Diploma and Masters |
| Admission Process | Based upon 4-year Bachelor's degree/Equivalent |
| English Proficiency Requirement | IELTS: 6.5; TOEFL (internet-based): 87 |
| Average Tuition Fee | 37,000 AUD |
| Average Salary | 100, 697 AUD |
Masters in Data Science in Australia: Top Universities
You can unleash the innumerable career opportunities in Data Science with these top universities in Australia for Data Science. Tabulated below are the basic details in regard with top universities offering the program:
| Rank | Institution | Program | Duration | Program Fee (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #32 | University of Melbourne | Masters in Data Science | 2 | 71,242 |
| #40 | The Australian National University | Master of Applied Data Analytics* | 1.5 | 48,384 |
| #42 | The University of Sydney | Master of Data Science | 1 | 46,000 |
| #51-100 | University of New South Wales (UNSW) | Master of Information Technology (Data Science) | 2 | 51,840 |
| #51-100 | Monash University | Master of Data Science | 1.5-2 | 33,600 |
| #51-100 | University of Queensland | Master of Data Science | 2 | 90,240 |
| #51-100 | The University of Technology Sydney | Master of Data Science and Innovation | 2 (fulltime); 4 (part-time) | 79,104 |
| #101-150 | RMIT University | Master of Data Science | 2 | 71,040 |
| #101-150 | The University of Adelaide | Master of Data Science Master of Data Science (Applied)- Online** | 2 2.5 | 86,000 107,500 |
| #101-150 | Queensland University of Technology (QUT) | Master of Data Analytics | 2 | 69,400 |
| #151-200 | The University of Western Australia | Master of Data Science | 1.5 (fulltime); 2 (part-time) | 78,200 |
Masters in Data Science in Australia: Admissions
Planning to study abroad? International students who wish to study data science from Australia must be familiar with the following details.
Where to apply
Most of the Australian Universities follow a more or less similar admission process. Being an international student, you will be directed towards the online application portal of the respective university. Alternatively, a few of the universities allow international applicants to apply through a set of approved agents in their home country.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible for a master degree in Data Science in Australia, an international student will require a 4-year undergraduate degree or equivalent in a relevant field
- Fields in which UG can be done: Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering, Physics, Economics, or Finance
- A minimum average score of 65% or a GPA score of 5.0 on a 7-point scale.
Although the basic eligibility criteria to get admission into Data Science in Australia is similar in all the universities, there are a few criteria that differ university wise. Let’s have a look:
| Institution Name | UG Degree Requirement | English Language Requirements | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Melbourne | 65% (minimum) in a relevant subject | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 79 | Prior knowledge of Computer Programming, Calculus, Linear Algebra |
| The Australian National University | Minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0 | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 68 | 3 years of relevant work experience for non-honours UG degree |
| The University of Sydney | A UG degree with honours in a quantitative discipline* with a minimum credit average (65%) | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 85 | None |
| University of New South Wales (UNSW) | 70% | IELTS: 6.0 TOEFL: 72 | None |
| Monash University | 60% | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 79 | None |
| University of Queensland | Minimum GPA of 5.0 on a 7 point scale | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 87 | None |
| The University of Technology Sydney | Bachelor degree, or higher qualification, in a relevant discipline | IELTS: 7.5 TOEFL: 102 – 109 | At Least 3 years of professional/industry experience |
| RMIT University | GPA of at least 2.0 out of 4.0 in a relevant field | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 79 | None |
| The University of Adelaide | Minimum GPA of 4.5.* | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 79 | None |
| Queensland University of Technology (QUT) | Minimum GPA of 4.0 (on QUT's 7 point scale). | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 79 | None |
| The University of Western Australia | A bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification | IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 82 | None |
*A total of 12 units may be granted in advance to eligible applicants who have successfully completed the Big Data MicroMasters program with a minimum overall score of 65%.
Admission Requirements
Unlike other countries, Australia does not require international students to submit GRE or GMAT scores for getting admission into a master degree in Data Science. Here we bring you the documents essentially required by all:
- Bachelor Degree Certificate: Proof of completion of a Bachelor degree is the minimum eligibility requirement. Scoring above 70% in Bachelors is decent enough to help you get into the MS in Data Science program.
- Statement of Purpose: It constitutes the most important part of your application as it’s a mirror to your academic achievements and helps you state the facts that cannot be determined from your degrees. While writing these SOP you need to focus more upon your past accomplishments and your future career goals and your intent behind pursuing a Masters in Data Science.
- Letter of Recommendation: You need to arrange three letters of recommendation which should be preferable from your teachers or academic counsellors.
- Curriculum Vitae/Resume: In case if you have had professional exposure to data science or statistics, you can produce it in the form of a CV/resume and enrich your application. Work experience of 2 years in a relevant field is pretty decent.
- Overseas Students Health Insurance: It is a mandate to get yourself covered under the Overseas Students Health Insurance before taking any program in Australia. This will be valid throughout your course duration.
- Visa: Upon acceptance of a full-time program, check if you meet the requirements of the Australian Student visa (subclass 500) and apply for it. Your promptness shall help you in attaining the visa much before the start of the program.
Admission Decision
After submitting your application, you need to wait around 6-8 weeks for the admission offer. The admission notification is usually sent either via post or through an email.
To accept the order, you need to pay the enrollment fee. Subsequently, the university will send you an ‘Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment’ (eCoE) through email. The email will contain information related to the course fee, course start date and the duration of the course. You will be required to produce eCoE while applying for a student visa to study in Australia.
Cost of Studying Masters in Data Science in Australia
Before planning a master degree in Data Science in Australia, it is imperative to outline the overall expenses that you need to incur for the entire course. Let’s get into the facts before jumping into any decision.
Pre-arrival Cost
The pre-arrival cost includes the expenses that you need to make while you decide to pursue masters in data science from Australia. This majorly includes the cost of the standardized tests one needs to take, visa cost and health insurance cost.
- Cost for standardized tests: Among the tests required to study in Australia, you will be required to take only the English language test if you are hailing from a non-English speaking country. A few such popular English language tests and their cost are tabulated below.
| Exam | Cost (AUD) | Cost (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 215-240 AUD | 13,250 |
| TOEFL (ibt) | 160-250 AUD | 11,468-17,919 |
| PTE Academic | 375 | 13,300 |
| Occupational English Test | 587 | 27553 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced Test | 129 | 6000 |
- Visa: You will require a student visa ( subclass 500) for pursuing education in Australia. Before making an application for a visa, make sure that you meet the requirements for an Australian student visa. The cost for an Australian Visa majorly costs around 620 AUD; 29,187 INR
- Overseas Students Health Insurance Cost (OSHC): It is essential to get OSHC and get yourself insured before arriving in Australia. This will cost you around 438 AUD per year; 20657 INR
- Flight tickets: Travelling to Australia from India will cost around 594-720 AUD, i.e., 28,000-34,000 INR
- Deposit Payment: All the universities in Australia will require you to make the deposit payment to confirm your admission. The enrolment fee differs from institution to institution.
Post-Arrival Cost
Most of your post-arrival cost is tuition fees, the remaining of it is the cost of living in Australia. Given below is an image comparing the cost of study (tuition & and accommodations) at popular universities offering the program:
Masters in Data Science in Australia with Scholarships
| Scholarship | Amount (AUD) | University | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne School of Engineering Scholarship | 5000 - 20,000 | University of Melbourne | High academic excellence is eligible to apply |
| ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science International Postgraduate Merit Scholarship | 25% rebate on tuition fee | Australian National University | Based upon the merit, automatically considered |
| School of Computer Science Master of Data Science Entry Scholarship | 6000 (one-time) | The University of Sydney | academic merit, and performance in quantitative subjects |
| Future of Change Scholarship UGCE1283 | 5000/year | University of New South Wales (UNSW) | Indian students demonstrating high academic excellence, automatic consideration, no interview required |
| Monash International Merit Scholarship | 50000/year | Monash University | Meritorious international student |
| UQ Future Students Postgraduate Scholarship for High Achievers - India | A rebate of 5000 AUD is offered on the tuition fee for Sem 1 and 2 respectively | University of Queensland | Indian students with a GPA of 6.0 on a 7-point scale are eligible to apply |
| International Postgraduate Coursework Full Tuition Scholarship | 100% rebate on tuition fee | The University of Technology Sydney | Meritorious international students |
| Future Leaders Scholarship | 20% rebate on tuition fee | RMIT University | Students from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal or Pakistan intending to study UG or PG courses at RMIT |
| Global Academic Excellence Scholarship (International) | 50% rebate on the tuition fee is granted by the corresponding faculty | The University of Adelaide | International students with an ATAR of 98 or 6.8 GPA are eligible |
| International Merit Scholarship | 25% rebate on the tuition fee | Queensland University of Technology (QUT) | Indian Students with CBSE or ICSE certificate: Above 80% in the best 5 subjects |
Looking for more scholarships to study in Australia, find out more.
Job Prospects in Australia for Data Science Graduates
On average, a data scientist graduate earns up to 94,970 AUD in Australia. The salary varies as per experience and also the city one works in. The top designations and salary of the data science graduates are tabulated below:
| Designation | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Data Analyst | 50000-99000 AUD |
| Software Engineer | 55000-111000 AUD |
| Software Developer | 50000-99000 AUD |
| Senior Data Analyst | 71000-123000 AUD |
| Business Analyst (IT) | 57000-111000 AUD |
| Senior Data Scientist | 71000-123000 AUD |
| Senior Software Engineer/Developer/Engineer | 77000-134000 AUD |
| Senior Software Engineer | 81000-140000 AUD |
| Data Engineer | 61000-134000 AUD |
| Software Engineer/Developer/Programmer | 51000-104000 AUD |
The graph given below depicts the salary distribution of data scientists depending upon their salary and the top cities they are working in.
With the advancement of technology, Data Science has created a niche for itself in a variety of domains be it the healthcare sector, retail marketing or Life sciences. Across the globe, students are looking forward to this subject area for lucrative career opportunities.
Considering everything discussed above, taking up a Masters in Data Science in Australia may open great avenues for a bright career ahead. So if you are passionate enough to gather data and draw meaningful insights then this course can be the right fit for you!
FAQs
Ques. Is Australia good for Masters in Data Science?
Ans. Masters in Data Science is the most popular course among international students in Australia. A master degree in Data Science from an Australian University can fetch you jobs offering a salary of up to 300000 AUD annually.
Ques. Which University is best for Masters in Data Science in Australia?
Ans. The University of Melbourne, The Australian National University and The University of Sydney are the top-3 universities in Australia offering a comprehensive curriculum in Data Science at masters level.
Ques. Are Data Scientists in demand in Australia?
Ans. Data Scientists are in high demand in Australia. The count of Data Science employers is likely to increase to 335000 in the upcoming year, i.e, in 2020-2021.
Ques. How long is a Masters in Data Science in Australia?
Ans. In Australia, a master degree in Data Science takes around 1.5-2 years for completion.
Ques. What are the requirements for the Masters in Data Science in Australia?
Ans. Most of the Australian universities will require a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 65%, a GPA of around 5.0 on a 7-point scale and prior knowledge of statistics, algebra and computer programming.
Ques. Do Australian Universities allow Masters in Data Science in Australia without a relevant degree?
Ans. Yes, provided you have attained the minimum required percentage in the degree completed and is able to demonstrate adequate and relevant experience in the field. Furthermore, a strong personal statement, good letters of recommendation and curriculum vitae can give you an edge over others.
