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Bachelor of Science/Master of Data Science

This combined program takes a science undergraduate degree and continues into a postgraduate data science degree.

Compare 2 providers
Illustration of a person working as data Analyst
How long it takes
4 to 4.5 years
full time
Entry ATAR
From 88.3
Lowest offered at The University of Melbourne, 2026
How you can study
On campus
Leads on to
Data Analyst
$101,400 (estimate) median pay
Taught by
2 providers
VIC, QLD

Is this course right for you?

What the Bachelor of Science/Master of Data Science asks of you, and what you might want to check first.

It helps to have

  • an interest in working with data and numbers
  • curiosity about how patterns in data can inform decisions
  • patience for learning technical and statistical methods
  • good problem solving and logical thinking skills

Before you start

Each provider sets its own entry requirements, so check the ones you are considering.

Where this course can take you

Jobs this qualification is a recognised route into, and the study that can follow it.

Jobs you can do with it

  • Data Analyst

    Data analysts query, clean and visualise an organisation's data so the people making decisions can see what it shows.

    What else you need

    Complete relevant data-science coursework and projects. Data engineering also requires practical database and programming capability; employer requirements vary.

    Median pay$101,400 (estimate)

  • Data Engineer

    Data engineers build the pipelines and storage that move an organisation's data from the systems that create it to the analysts and machine learning teams who use it.

    What else you need

    Complete relevant data-science coursework and projects. Data engineering also requires practical database and programming capability; employer requirements vary.

    Median pay$111,800 (estimate)

    In demand

  • Data Scientist

    Data scientists build the statistical models and machine learning systems that forecast demand, sort customers and automate decisions for an organisation.

    What else you need

    Complete relevant data-science coursework and projects. Data engineering also requires practical database and programming capability; employer requirements vary.

    Median pay$124,800 (estimate)

Pay is the median for everyone in the job, and “In demand” means the job is on the national shortage list. Pay marked as an estimate is our own analysis, not a published figure.

Where you can study this course

There are 2 places you can study this course. When you compare them, check they teach it the way you want to study, how far you'd be from a campus, what it will cost you and what past students say about the teaching and support. They're listed by how often people search for them, and none of them pays to be here or to move up.

What you’ll learn

The main topics covered in the Bachelor of Science/Master of Data Science.

  • A chosen science major
  • Statistics and mathematics
  • Programming and data tools
  • Data analytics and visualisation
  • Designing experiments and evaluating data

Questions to ask before you enrol

Providers run this course differently, so the answers change from one to the next.

  1. When is the next intake, and how many are there each year?
  2. What is the total cost, including materials, checks and any placement costs?
  3. Can I study part time or online, and how does that change the length?
  4. Do the units count towards a higher qualification if I go on to study further?

Course Seeker, run by the Tertiary Admissions Centres and the Australian Government Department of Education. Google reviews. Pay and shortage status from Jobs and Skills Australia.