The University of Edinburgh – College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Data Science for Health and Social Care (Online Learning) MSc, PgCert, PgDip, PgProfDev
Online
MSc
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
21 Aug 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
14 Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 6,370 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* estimated tuition for data science for health and social care MSc/PgCert/PgDip/PgProfDev
Key Summary
Make a difference and boost your career with the MSc Data Science for Health and Social Care, where you will learn how to use data to improve lives, strengthen systems, and shape policy in the health and social care sectors. Whether you are starting out, changing direction, or advancing your current role, we will help you build the skills you need to deliver powerful, data-driven solutions that create lasting impact.
This is a part-time programme taught over three years and is fully online.
Through a powerful blend of theory and hands-on practice, this programme gives you the tools to leverage data for smarter decision-making and design evidence-based solutions that make a real impact.
You will build a strong foundation in the core principles of data science while developing the practical skills to interpret, analyse, and interrogate complex datasets. Learning is shaped around the needs of modern health and social care, preparing you to turn data into meaningful insights that can improve services, systems, and outcomes.
Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) - Stand-Alone Courses
PPD is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through a postgraduate-level course(s), without the time or financial commitment of a full Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate.
You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses over two years through our PPD scheme. These lead to a University of Edinburgh postgraduate award of academic credit.
Alternatively, after one year of taking courses, you can choose to transfer your credits and continue on to studying towards a higher award on a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, or Masters programme.
Any time spent studying PPD will be deducted from the amount of time you will have left to complete a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme.
Programme benefits
- Study part-time from anywhere in the world and gain the skills to harness the power of data in health and social care. Learn to unlock the value of data to improve health, wellbeing, and care systems locally and globally on any device, anytime, without putting your life or career on hold.
- Shape your own learning pathway with a wide range of courses covering both technical data science skills and topics in health and social care, selecting options that match your goals and customising your experience to fit your career ambitions.
- Join the University of Edinburgh, ranked among the world's top universities, and the Edinburgh Medical School, a global leader in turning data-driven innovation into real-world health and social care improvements.
- Become part of a vibrant international network of professionals and students tackling health and social care challenges from diverse perspectives, and build lasting connections across disciplines and borders.
- Develop in-demand data science skills tailored specifically to the health and social care sectors. You will learn how to analyse, interpret, and apply data to drive meaningful decisions, improving outcomes, enhancing systems, and informing policy in these vital fields.
- Position yourself at the forefront of a rapidly growing discipline. Whether you want to strengthen your current role, transition into a new career path, or step into data science for the first time, the skills you gain will open doors to diverse opportunities across health, social care, and beyond.
On successful completion of the MSc Data Science for Health and Social Care programme, you should be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principles and methods, governance and implications of data science in health and social care.
- Create, identify and evaluate data-driven solutions to solve complex problems in healthcare and social services contexts.
- Demonstrate the skills and capacity to analyse facts and situations and apply creative and inventive thinking to develop appropriate solutions.
- Articulate and effectively explain information and adapt communication styles for different people, situations and audiences.
- Work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary environment to deliver data-driven solutions.
Graduates of the MSc Data Science for Health and Social Care are well prepared to step into a variety of roles that bridge the gap between data science and healthcare. With the skills to analyse and interpret complex data, you can drive innovation and improvement in healthcare delivery, policy and management.
Sectors and roles
- Public health and epidemiology - using data to track disease trends and inform public health decisions
- Hospital and healthcare systems - enhancing patient care through data-driven management and operational efficiencies
- Pharmaceuticals and research - conducting data-intensive studies to develop new drugs and treatments
- Healthcare consultancy - advising healthcare organisations on data strategy and implementation
Further study
After completing this programme, you may wish to consider applying for a PhD or other research programme.
The Data Science for Health and Social Care programme is structured to give you a comprehensive understanding of data science applications within health and social care settings.
Year 1
You will take one 20-credit compulsory course to understand the basics of data science and R programming and its applications:
- Introduction to Data Science in Health and Social Care
Furthermore, you will choose four option courses from a diverse range of courses, such as:
- Data Ethics in Health and Social Care
- Introduction to Statistics in Health and Social Care
- Data Visualisation: Knowledge Transfer
Year 2
You will focus on the methodologies and frameworks used in designing data science projects in two 10-credit compulsory courses:
- Foundations of Research Design in Data Science for Health and Social Care
- Applied Research Design in Data Science for Health and Social Care
Furthermore, you will choose four option courses from a diverse range of courses, such as:
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) in Health and Social Care
- Implementation Science: putting evidence-based interventions into practice
- Foundations of Machine Learning for Health and Social Care
Year 3
Your MSc dissertation is the culmination of your learning journey. It allows you to apply your new skills and knowledge to a real-world research project under the guidance of experienced supervisors. We have diverse Year 3 project pathways, including:
- work-based placements with industry and public sector organisations
- traditional dissertations
- student-led individually created courses
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
- Borrowing money
- Taking out a loan
- Family support
- Personal savings
- Income from work
- Employer sponsorship
Online Learning Scholarships
The University offers several scholarships specifically for online, part-time postgraduate programmes. These are very competitive. We publish data on the success rate for scholarship applications to help you understand the level of demand.
Scholarships will be awarded to outstanding candidates and will be applied toward tuition fees.
Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships
The Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships are funded by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC), dependent from the UK government's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
They are aimed at candidates from low and middle-income countries who would like to undertake part-time, distance learning study on eligible postgraduate programmes offered at Universities in the UK.
Each scholarship will cover full tuition fees and will be tenable for up to five years of part-time study.
The Glenmore Postgraduate Scholarship
Four scholarships are available for eligible postgraduate programmes offered by the University. The scholarships will cover full tuition fees for the duration of the programme of study.
Study options
You can exit the programme after:
- Year 1 with a Postgraduate Certificate
- Year 2 with a Postgraduate Diploma
- Year 3 with a Master of Science degree
Alternatively, you can also study standalone courses as postgraduate professional development (PPD).
How online learning works
This degree programme is taught entirely online. There is no need to come to the city or University campus.
All learning and teaching takes place within our virtual learning environment (VLE). Through the VLE, you can:
access all your learning materials and study resources, including e-books and library resources
interact with your tutors and classmates
An online degree from the University of Edinburgh is academically equivalent to an on-campus postgraduate degree and involves the same level of work overall. The qualification you get is of equal value. Your degree certificate will not mention that you studied the programme online.
Time commitment
This programme is designed to be fully flexible to fit around your schedule. You can study in your own time and access all your learning resources, such as reading lists, discussion forms and slides from anywhere in the world.
The programme is part-time, requiring approximately 10-15 hours of study per week. This allows you to manage your studies alongside your professional and personal responsibilities effectively.