This blog is written by Dr Anu Sahni, Assistant Professor in Computing and Programme Director of NCI's MSc in Data Analytics.
In the fast-evolving world of technology, choosing the right academic path is crucial for anyone aspiring to make a mark in data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). National College of Ireland (NCI) has established itself as a premier institution for advanced studies in these fields, offering top-tier programmes that not only deliver academic excellence, but also ensure high-quality job placements in the thriving Irish tech industry.
NCI's approach to creating the ideal course for data analytics students:
The College focuses on the development of programmes that are relevant to the needs of the Irish economy and society. The view that there is, and will continue to be, high demand for jobs in the space of Data Analytics is widely supported by several sources like the BPFI Banking Sector Skills Report 2023 which was compiled by the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland focusing on evident skills gaps in the financial services sector.
Other sources such as Gartner Inc., states that “Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Digitalization, and Talent Management Remain Top Priorities for Chief Audit Executives in 2023.”
In addition to this, Siliconrepublic.com, Ireland’s number one resource for technology news, published the 2024 Morgan McKinley Salary Guide Report. In it, Eoin Connolly states that “The market experienced strong growth in areas such as cybersecurity and data science over the past year.”
At NCI, emphasis is placed on the application of large-scale data analytics in a wide variety of industries such as software development, financial, and other services. Emphasis is also placed on critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The range of opportunities for skilled graduates which exist in the Data Analytics sector in Ireland has been well documented and research into estimated demand for graduates with expertise and skills in the Data Analytics/Business Analytics field indicates that high demand for such graduates will continue to grow.
Researching the data analytics career landscape:
The BPFI Banking Sector Skills Report 2023 further states that "As many as one in five Honours Degree ICT graduates find employment within the sector within one year of graduation.”
In addition to this, in the same report, a survey of senior bank executives' states that “The key skills gaps identified by respondents were regulatory and compliance and digital skills including data analytics and artificial intelligence with 36% of respondents cited each skill as a problem area. These gaps were most evident among international banks, with 45% of respondents noted difficulties accessing talent in those areas.”
The Gartner Inc. press release quoted above also states that “According to a Gartner survey of 112 CAEs on their key priorities for 2023 conducted from July to August 2022, the most cited priority for CAEs is making the leap to more advanced analytics applications (e.g., continuous risk assessment, automation, and AI)”, and in 2022, another Siliconrepublic.com article shared that Accenture’s Ireland Talent Tracker report found that “Workers with cloud skills were in the highest demand, with these skills appearing on 41pc of technology jobs advertised. Cybersecurity skills came in second at 21pc, followed by data analytics (18pc) and artificial intelligence (12pc).”
With reports such as the ones shown above always in mind, the structure and content of the MSc in Data Analytics programme enables students to develop and acquire the necessary skills required for the role of the Data Scientist and Data Analyst. The programme has been developed to appeal to prospective learners from a variety of disciplines like Computing, Engineering, Economics, Business, Accounting, etc. Based on research conducted and feedback from consultations with industry professionals, the programme development team have carefully designed the programme’s structure using core and elective modules. This approach offers a pathway of learning that allows students to develop core business and technical skills in Data Analytics, with the possibility to concentrate on specific aspects of the subject through elective modules.
With a deeper understanding of industry demands and a tailored programme that meets those needs, we can begin to identify what jobs exactly will be open to our graduates upon completion of their course.
Graduates of the MSc in Data Analytics can explore a broad range of roles:
- Data Analytics and Assurance Senior Associate
- Data Analytics Engineer
- Data Engineering Consultant
- Data & CRM Analyst
- Pricing Analyst-Hybrid
- Business Process Automation Associate
- Performance and Optimization Lead
- Data Analysts
- Data Scientist
Typically, these jobs require graduates to have knowledge, skills, and competences in:
- Statistical programming experience in SAS, R, Python
- Machine Learning – Artificial/Deep Neural Network, GPT, Natural Language Processing, LLMs, Time Series, Recommender Systems,
- Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, and Data Science
- Predictive modelling and clustering techniques
- Data Mining and Machine Learning techniques including Decision Trees, Logistic Regression, and K-Means
- Data management techniques used in the process of collecting, storing, and retrieving data
- Model structured financial data using advanced statistical methods and implement algorithms and software needed to perform financial analysis
- Knowledge of BI Tools (Power BI / Tableau), use of statistical analysis platforms (R, MATLAB, SPSS), relational databases, and Hadoop frameworks.
- Perform machine learning, natural language, and statistical analysis methods, such as classification, association rules, sentiment analysis, topic modelling, time-series analysis, regression analysis, statistical inference, and interpolation
- Information gathering and document business, functional and non-functional requirements on Data/BI initiatives
- Data mining and extraction processing, using ETL tools and Big Data Technologies such as MapReduce, Pig, Hive
- Familiarity with cloud computing platforms like Azure and Amazon Web Services
- Data visualization
During the MSc in Data Analytics, students gain the skills listed above.
Data from the 2022 programme indicates that graduates have been employed in roles such as Data Insight Analytics CSA, Senior Data Analysts, Business Intelligence Developer, Data Analysts, Data Scientists, Business and Data Analysts, Data Engineers, Business Intelligence Analysts, Insights Analyst, and Senior Data Engineer.
We are very proud of our graduates, and we love hearing their success stories. We believe, as illustrated above, that NCI is the preferred choice for students aiming for successful careers in Data Science and AI because the College strives to continuously place emphasis on the application of large-scale data analytics in a wide variety of industry sectors such as software development, financial, and other services, ensuring that students have a broad range of core skills as well as allowing them to specialise in the areas that most appeal to them. This carefully designed mix of adapting to industry needs while encouraging broad and specific learning, allows students to thrive in an ever-demanding job market following graduation.
If you're looking for an opportunity to study data analytics and artificial intelligence in an environment that will support your academic and professional career, NCI's MSc in Data Analytics is the course for you. Visit the MSc in Data Analytics course page for more details.
