Cultural heritage offers a sense of identity, helps maintain social diversity, cohesion, and intercultural dialogue, and forms part of our basic right to participate in cultural life. Data Science techniques are playing an increasing role in this sector, helping practitioners to monitor and protect heritage assets such as archaeological sites, present information to the public and critically assess the role of heritage in contemporary debates.

From personalised medicine, to smart cities and sustainable solutions, data science is building a better world. At the same time, developments in technology have made the field of data science more accessible than ever, creating new opportunities to gain insight into the interactions between people and their natural and cultural environments. This has led to a significant increase in demand for skilled data scientists, and this demand is predicted to further grow.

Drawing on this, we have created the Master of Data Science (Heritage), a conversion course that equips you with the skills to generate, access, clean, analyse and visualise data, opening a future in data science even if your first degree is in a non-quantitative subject. It is likely to appeal to archaeologists, anthropologists, curators, and historians who want to learn how to use the data produced in modern research, industry and government contexts to manage heritage resources and spatio-temporal information flows.

The course provides training in contemporary data science. You will be based in a supportive environment, learning from practicing researchers who are making a difference across a range of industries. Shared core modules across the suite of MDS courses will equip you with wider statistical and machine learning skills, while subject-specific modules develop your quantitative skills in the field.

The course begins with a range of introductory modules before progressing to more advanced contemporary techniques such as neural networks, analysis of spatial and temporal datasets and deep learning. Optional modules allow you to focus on an area of interest.

The MDS culminates in the research project, an in-depth investigation in which you apply the skills learned during the course to a research problem working alongside an expert in the area of application of your choice. There may be an option to carry out the project in conjunction with an industry partner.