Introduction

The digital transformation of society has led to explosive growth in the volume of data available. Most of the players in society now place great importance on using this data to help make objective decisions and develop their disciplinary focus. These specific needs have resulted in the emergence of new data-oriented careers.

The engineering master's in data science offers a course in scientific methods and technology tools for answering social or scientific questions based on the processing of frequently massive data sets ("big data"). This discipline usually requires a structured model of the problem in question to be combined with statistics and mathematics to deliver a rigorous, quantitative, operational solution to the question posed. Computer infrastructure and complex calculation algorithms thus complement scientific methods in structuring and processing the data.

A computer infrastructure and complex calculation algorithms also complement these scientific methods to enable the structuring and processing of data.

Finally, cybersecurity has become an essential element in a data-centric world: it will be a question of understanding and being able to manage the risks associated with the data itself, but also of being able to protect stored data and circulate it securely.

The fields of application of data science are extremely varied: political and security decision-making, e-commerce, processing network data, processing financial and industrial production data, natural langage processing, biomedical research based on microbiological or imaging data.

Your profile

You have completed a bachelor's or master's degree in which you have acquired solid skills and a taste for the three basic building blocks of data science: mathematics, statistics and computer science, as well as a curiosity for the application areas of these disciplines.

You have a good command of technical English and are able to follow lectures, read scientific literature, write reports and express yourself orally in this language. You have the general skills and personal qualities necessary for a scientific master's degree, such as autonomy, critical thinking, rigour, self-learning and the ability to research and process information.

An additional teaching block (of maximum 60 credits) may be offered to students who lack some of these skills.

Your future job

Your degree in data science prepares you for the posts of « data scientist », « data analyst», « security analyst », « data and analytics manager »,  « data engineer », « security engineer », or « security architect ».

Your programme

The master's programme: Engineering in Data Science at UCLouvain is based on a common core that provides a technical foundation in the fields of learning theory, databases, and linear statistical models.

This common core is completed by the choice of a focus on data analysis or a focus on cybersecurity.

The data analysis focus offers a range of algorithmic and statistical methods for data mining, learning, and visualization of large data sets.

The cybersecurity focus is structured around five pillars: cryptography, privacy, and hardware, software and system security, as well as an introduction to information theory.

These pillars are completed by majors and elective courses that allow students to deepen their knowledge of algorithmic, computer science, statistical, application or entrepreneurial aspects.

Your parcours

You will primarily develop strong, in-depth, cross-disciplinary skills to be able to address a broad spectrum of data science and cybersecurity problems and to carry out projects or develop research in the field.

Your programme will offer you opportunities to explore, through projects, internships or applied courses, the extremely varied fields of application of data science.