University of Pretoria - Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences MSc Specialising in eScience (Coursework)
University of Pretoria - Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

University of Pretoria - Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

MSc Specialising in eScience (Coursework)

Pretoria, South Africa

MSc

2 years

English

Full time

On-Campus

Key Summary

About: The MSc specializing in eScience combines on‑campus activities with online learning. The curriculum totals 180 credits of coursework and a research component. A capstone project runs with coursework to take students through real‑world data collection, processing, method design and implementation and prepares them for a supervised mini‑dissertation. Progress is monitored biannually by the supervisor and postgraduate coordinator; unsatisfactory progress can lead to termination.

Career Outcomes: Graduates work in data-driven roles such as data scientist, research analyst, data engineer, computational scientist, research software developer, and in academia, government or industry in eScience, big data analytics, computational modelling and data management.

Programme information

The curriculum for this degree programme comprises 180 credits of coursework and a research component. One of the key features of the curriculum is a capstone project that runs parallel with coursework modules in the first year of study. During the capstone project, students will go through the entire cycles of solving a real-world data science problem, collecting and processing real-world data, designing methods to solve the problem, and implementing a solution. The capstone project and coursework prepare the student for the mini-dissertation problem supervised by an expert. 

Promotion to next study year

The progress of all master’s candidates is monitored biannually by the supervisor and the postgraduate coordinator. A candidate’s study may be terminated if the progress is unsatisfactory or if the candidate is unable to finish his/her studies during the prescribed period.

Subject to exceptions approved by the Dean, on recommendation of the head of department, and where applicable, a student may not enter for the master’s examination in the same module more than twice.