Overview

The details
Location: Online Mode of study: Part-time Qualification: Online professional course (20 credits) Study duration: 13 weeks
Start date:
Awarding body: University of Essex Delivered by: Kaplan Open Learning For queries: Call +44 (0) 1206 489 358

Data plays a crucial role in the computing world – so begin building your knowledge of data analysis with this informative online professional course.  

You’ll start by exploring the different types, sources and methods of data collection, before learning the concepts and skills of data wrangling – including collection and publishing. You’ll also gain a solid understanding of the role of big data not only in business, but in society as a whole. 

You’ll cover a wealth of key topics, including:  

  • data analysis and reporting 
  • data acquisition, cleaning, transformation, exploration, analysis and reporting 
  • critically analysing data wrangling problems and determining appropriate tools and techniques to solve them 
  • the legal, social, ethical and professional issues faced by data science professionals  

And once you’ve completed the online professional course, you’ll have the opportunity to study one of our popular postgraduate computing courses. 

 

Why we’re great 

  • This course allows you to reflect on and evaluate your personal and professional development.  
  • Develop the skills needed to be part of an effective development team. 
  • Learn how to use relevant programming paradigms to solve complex business problems.  
  • Gain 20 academic credits at postgraduate level, which you can use towards studying a full Masters degree. 
  • Study with a top 30 UK university (Complete University Guide 2025).  

Course structure

You’ll study the following topics as part of the online professional course: 

  • introduction to big data, technologies and data management 
  • data types and formats 
  • data collection from the web and other sources 
  • data cleaning and transformation  
  • data exploration, analysis and presentation 
  • the future of big data analytics 

Learning and assessments

Teaching methods 

Studying online gives you the freedom to complete your qualification when and where it suits you – at home, during your lunch hour or in a café. 

Our online professional courses are delivered through a virtual learning environment (VLE) instead of a traditional campus. This means you’ll have access to your study materials 24/7, including: 

  • multimedia lecturecasts made up of written content, short videos, animation, audio recordings, infographics, short tests and mini-assignments 
  • discussion forums for you to chat about the module content with fellow students 
  • live Q&A sessions with your tutors 
  • a comprehensive eLibrary of textbooks and academic journals 
  • support from academic staff and your dedicated Student Support team 

To ensure you receive high-quality tutor support, each class is capped at 20 students. 

 

Assessment methods 

You’ll be assessed exclusively through assignments. These include assessed discussion forums, written assignments and journal entries. 

We’re committed to providing frequent and transparent feedback in the following ways: 

  • our assessment criteria are designed to be simple and transparent 
  • you’ll always be aware of your current provisional grade, right from the start 
  • you’ll be able to clearly view your marks in your gradebook whenever you log on to the learning platform 
  • there’s a seven-day turnaround for marking and feedback of assessed work 
  • you’ll have regular contact with your Student Support team, with whom you can discuss any concerns as soon as they arise 

  

Study duration 

Our Deciphering Big Data online professional course has a study duration of 13 weeks, including a one-week induction to help you settle into online study. 

Your future

The Deciphering Big Data online professional course offers a whole host of opportunities. This will be beneficial whether you’re looking to climb the career ladder or take the first step into business – helping you stand out amongst the competition. 

If you wish to continue your studies and boost your prospects, you could choose additional computing online professional courses. Alternatively, you could progress onto our PG Cert Data Science (60 credits); PG Dip Data Science (120 credits); or the full MSc Data Science (180 credits).

Please note, acceptance on to a postgraduate qualification is subject to meeting the entry requirements of your chosen programme. 

Entry requirements

No formal qualifications or experience is necessary.  

As our courses are delivered in English, a high proficiency of English is required. If English isn’t your first language, your ability should be equivalent to an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5. Don’t worry if you don’t hold an IELTS or equivalent qualification – we offer a free online English test to assess your proficiency.  

You don’t need to prove your English ability if you’re a national of, or have completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in, any of these countries. 

Please note, our online professional courses have a limited number of places available. We’ll always endeavour to get you started on your preferred date, but if this isn’t possible our Admissions team will be in touch to discuss alternative arrangements.

Fees and funding

Full tuition fee:
£1,386 UK / £1,455 International (2024-25) Δ  

  • Our online professional courses are fully inclusive – all teaching materials and required reading are included. 
  • Alumni discount of 10% of the tuition fee available if you’re a previous graduate with the University of Essex or University of Essex Online.   
  • We offer a 14-day moneyback guarantee, so if you decide your course isn’t for you during the first 14 days, we’ll give you a full refund. Terms and conditions apply. 

Δ All tuition fees shown are net of any applicable sales tax payable by you in your country of residence. Where we are required to add sales tax at the local statutory rate, this will be added to the tuition fees shown and confirmed during the payment process. 

Our expert staff

Subject specialists, industry authorities and experienced academics: the tutors who teach on our Into Data Science online professional course are experts in the business field.

What our students say

testimonials

William Annoh -Master of Business Management (MBM)

I was particularly impressed with the way that the online programme was structured. My Student Advisor Rebekah was very helpful in advising me and guiding me through the process. All the faculty who taught the modules were very very helpful; they taught me so much. I've learnt a lot of things and I'm willing and ready to use them in my career path. I particularly loved the discussion forums. It was a platform for us to engage with each other, so it helped us as online participants to get to know each other and think about different things. It helped me open my mind to a lot of different ideas. Now that I've finished my degree, the first thing I plan to do is to better myself in my role at work. I just started a new role last month so I'm looking forward to using my experiences from here to grow that. On the side I do some consultancy as well, and I have helped manage a few...

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