‘Data Scientist’ has been named the sexiest job of the 21st century by Harvard Business Review. The same article tells us that “demand has raced ahead of supply” and that the lack of data scientists “is becoming a serious constraint in some sectors.” A 2011 study by McKinsey Global Institute found that “there will be a shortage of talent necessary for organizations to take advantage of big data” – a shortage to the tune of 140,000 to 190,000 in the United States alone by 2018.
With 2018 now upon us, it would probably be a good time to jump on to the data science bandwagon – education in Singapore certainly has. Here, we’ve aggregated the possible options to equip yourself with this skill in Singapore.
Competitive data science programmes should provide rigorous training in mathematics and statistics, as well as cutting-edge tools used in the industry. Most leading data scientists in the industry today come from solid statistics, mathematics, computer science & even economics backgrounds (at the graduate level or above) as these are fields where you’re likely to get a strong foundation in quantitative skills.
However, a new set of specifically named data science programmes has been cropping up around the world. This is likely to keep pace with the growing industry demand, and perhaps to offer unique inter-disciplinary curriculums that ‘data science’ is defined by – it is a combination of computer science, statistics, operations research, engineering, business insights & strategy.
Programmes which offer a similar skill-set to data science, but with more emphasis on business, can usually be found under the title of ‘business analytics’ or just ‘analytics’. We’ve added these programmes to the list to give you another point of view. ‘Business intelligence’ is another keyword to look out for.
Without further ado, we give you a primer on data science offerings in Singapore:
Degrees
1. National University of Singapore – B.Sc. Data Science & Analytics
- 4-year honours degree
- Collaboration between Faculty of Science and School of Computing
- Within Faculty of Science, jointly offered by Department of Statistics and Applied Probability and Department of Mathematics
- Brand-new programme; the first cohort started in AY2016/2017
- First Data Science and Analytics Degree Programme in Singapore
- Industry-driven capstone project
- Modules in mathematics, statistics & computer science
- Per Annum Tuition Fees (for AY2018/2019 only):
- Citizens on MoE TG: S$8,200; PR on MoE TG: S$11,500
- Int’l Students on MoE TG: S$17,550
- Students not on MoE TG: S$38,200
2. National University of Singapore –B.Sc. Business Analytics
- 4-year honours degree
- Offered by NUS’ School of Computing
- Additional participation from Business School, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- First two years: inter-disciplinary curriculum – mathematics, statistics, accounting, marketing, economics, decision science, industrial & systems engineering, computer science, information systems
- Years3 & 4: Electives such as in logistics, retailing, healthcare,
- Per Annum Tuition Fees (for AY2016/2017 only):
- Citizens on MoE TG: S$8,200; PR on MoE TG: S$11,500
- Int’l Students on MoE TG: S$17,550
- Students not on MoE TG: S$38,200
3. NTU – Bachelor of Business, Business Analytics specialisation
- 3-year honours degree
- Nanyang Business School – one of Asia’s top business schools
- Specialisation starts from Year 2 of the bachelor’s degree.
- Curriculum: business insights, data modelling, data management focus in business operations, digital marketing, finance & accounting
- Tuition Fees per annum (2018 rate):
- Citizens on MoE TG: S$9,400; PR on MoE TG: S$13,200
- Int’l Students on MoE TG: S$20,100
- Students not on MoE TG: S$36,830
- Admits 60 students each year
- Career opportunities: management & technology consulting, consumer analytics & marketing, supply chain management, risk management and business forecasting across industries (retail, hospitality, healthcare, finance)
4. James Cook University – Bachelor of Business, Business Intelligence & Information Systems major
- Full-time: 2 years
- Curriculum: Fundamentals of Problem Solving and Programming, Web Design and Development, Information Processing and Management, Database Modelling, Collective Intelligence & Social Networks, e-Strategic Management, Data Mining, Information Security
- Pre-requisites:
- 12 years education OR JCU Singapore Foundation Programme
- IELTS 6.0 OR TOEFL iBT 79 and above OR JCU ELP
- Overall Tuition Fee (including GST, as of September 2018):
- Citizens/PR: S$53,928
- International: S$56,496
- Intakes in March, July, November
- Target Careers: business analyst, e-business manager, information systems consultant, project manager
Diplomas
5. Lithan Academy – NICF Diploma in Business Analytics
- EduTrust PEI – registered with CPE
- 3 months full-time OR 9 months part-time
- Postgraduate diploma with statements of attainment from SSG as well as Diploma Certificate from Lithan Academy
- Curriculum: Azure Machine Learning, Transact-SQL, ggplot2 and more
- 50% lectures, 50% hands-on tutorials
- Full Programme Fee: S$1,278 – 5,778 depending on applicable grants and sponsorships
- SSG funding for citizens/PR
- Pre-requisites: 3 GCE A Level passes or its equivalent + minimum 1-year experience in statistics or programming. Applicants should be 21 and above
- Meant for existing IT professionals and non IT professionals interested in Data Scientist careers
- Target Job Role: Data Scientist
6. Lithan Academy – NICF Diploma in IT Services (Database Management)
- EduTrust PEI – registered with CPE
- 3 months full-time OR 9 months part-time
- Postgraduate diploma with statements of attainment from SSG as well as Diploma Certificate from Lithan Academy
- Known as ‘Professional Diploma in Business Intelligence’
- Six Core Modules = Introduction to BI, BI Application, Data Modelling & Transformation, BI Queries & Reports, Strategic Use of BI, BI Project
- Students who successfully finish this program receive SAP Alliance Certificate and are eligible to take the SAP BI Certification Exam.
- Target Job Roles: Business Intelligence Analyst/Consultant
- Programme Fee (before WDA subsidy): S$18,000
- Pre-requisites: “A” level with 2 years of working experience in the relevant fields, 21 years old and above
- Can upgrade to master’s level with further qualifications
7. Singapore Polytechnic – Specialist Diploma in Data Science
- 1 year (part-time: 2 days a week, 3 hours each)
- 2 certificates awarded: a Certificate in Fundamentals of Data Science and a Certificate in Data Analytics
- Curriculum: 4 modules covering Statistics for Data Science, Programming for Data Science, Data Mining Techniques and Applied Statistical Methods
- Geared towards working adults in sectors that require knowledge in Data Science, who possess a strong foundation in Math
- Fees range from SGD 146.65- 5,187.36 depending on age, citizenship and applicable support schemes.
- Requirements for admission: An engineering Diploma from a polytechnic in Singapore, or any Diploma/Degree from a poly/uni in Singapore (with a minimum grade in Math). Those with relevant work experience are also welcome to apply.
8. Nanyang Polytechnic – Specialist Diploma in Business & Big Data Analytics
- 300 hours, with amount of classes per week dependent on the choices of the Post-Diplomas (PDCs) offered (applicants to choose 2 out of 3)
- Curriculum: Choose two out of 3 PDCs (Post-Diploma Certificate in Business Analytics/Post-Diploma Certificate in Big Data Analytics/Post-Diploma Certificate in Big Data Management)
- Geared towards Business Intelligence (BI) practitioners and IT professionals
- Fees start from 300+ and can go up to 6000+, depending on which PDCs are chosen and applicable support schemes/subsidies.
- Requirements: A recognized bachelor degree (or higher), preferably in IT, Business, Engineering or Mathematics. Relevant polytechnic diploma graduates with at least 2 years’ related working experience, and working professionals with at least 5 years of relevant experience, would also be considered.
Masters
9. NTU – Master of Science in Analytics
- One-year programme by coursework
- Interdisciplinary: School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences (SPMS), School of Computer Engineering, and Nanyang Business School
- Curriculum: statistics, optimization, and data analysis; exposure to software systems, practical applications, and case studies.
- Meant for both fresh graduates and working adults with degrees in quantitative majors
- Industry partners – PWC, Breadtalk, Charles & Keith, JR Group Holdings
- Students will be attached to one of the partners as interns
- Tuition Fees for AY2018/2019 (inclusive of GST):
- Citizens: S$32,500
- PR: S$42,000
- International: S$52,500
- Note: SPMS also offers a Business Analytics track in their B.Sc. (Hons) Mathematical Sciences programme
10. SMU – Master of IT in Business, Analytics track
- Full-time 1-2 years; Part-time 2-4 years
- By School of Information Systems
- Meant for professionals with computer science, information systems, engineering or science background
- Pre-requisites: GRE/GMAT; TOEFL/IELTS; bachelor’s degree in fields mentioned above; 2 or more years of relevant work experience preferred
- Curriculum: Analytics Technology & Applications, IT & Project Management, General Management for Technology & Operations, Internship/Capstone Project
- Strong industry links; industry seminar and networking once a month
- Two intakes each year: January, August
- Tuition Fees (Aug 2017 intake onwards): S$48,000
11. National University of Singapore – M.S. Business Analytics
- Part-time (4 semesters or 2 years); Full-time (2 semesters or 1 year)
- Collaboration between NUS Business School (3rd in Asia) and NUS School of Computing (1st in Asia)
- Close industry links – e.g. IBM
- Industry-linked capstone consulting project
- Five essential modules: statistics, deterministic operations research, analytics in managerial economics, decision-making technologies, data management and warehousing
- Pre-requisites: First-year calculus and linear algebra
- Good GRE/GMAT Quants score (some exceptions)
- 2 years’ industry experience
- Overall Tuition Fee (as at September 2018)
- Citizens & PR: S$42,800
- International: S$51,360
Short courses
12. SUTD – Foundation of Data Science course
- 4 days, once a week
- By SUTD Information Systems Technology and Design (ISTD) dept
- As the course title says, it is a basic course introducing data science, open to beginners with basic computer knowledge
- Pre-requisities: none
- Curriculum: Introduction to data science, data visualisation, Business statistics, quizzes and project design
- Part of the Skillsfuture series of courses, 2018’s intake is currently closed. There are course dates for their Introduction to Data Science course.
- Fees: S$3,852, S$255.60 – SS1155.60 depending on receivable grants
13: SUSS – Fundamentals of data mining
- 36 hours (part-time)
- The course gives a brief overview of data mining (methodologies, preparations and explorations), and then goes ahead to introduce how these can be applied to business analytics problems.
- Pre-requisities: At least a polytechnic diploma
- Curriculum:Topics include Process of data mining as well as Model evaluation
- Skillsfuture claimable
- Fees: S$1,215.00 (pre grant)
As always, choose a programme in alignment with your needs and situation. You could stay updated with the latest happenings in data science by following DataScience SG on Facebook or by attending their events. Be on the lookout for data science ‘boot camps’ as well as MOOC specializations, though these may not give you the adequate depth to start a career in this field.
Disclaimer: Programmes are listed in no particular order; fees and other data accurate as of September 2018.
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