Analytics (Joint Honours)

What is Joint Honours?

A Joint Honours degree gives you the opportunity to study two subjects as one degree. This type of degree will broaden your skill set and enhance your career prospects.

You can combine any two subjects as long as they’re in different zones, find out what you can combine this subject with.

Data and analytics specialists are in huge demand, processing information for public benefit and helping businesses make sound decisions. Choose to study Analytics as part of a Joint Honours degree and you can impress employers with your skills and versatility. 

• Realise your ambitions on a course developed in conjunction with industry and the business world
• Learn how to harness data analytics to address ‘real world’ issues
• Develop your practical skills with SAS software and specialised programmes that are adopted worldwide for analysing data
• Take the opportunity to obtain SAS certification alongside your degree to improve your employability
• Gain valuable industry experience on an optional work placement between stages two and three, when you can also achieve an additional qualification: the Diploma in Professional Practice
• Enhance your employability – we are ranked 15th highest among all UK universities and 12th for English institutions, with 96% of graduates in work or further study within six months of completing their degree (HESA 2016)

The Analytics Joint Honours pathway is aimed at students who are technically inclined and interested in data analysis. Knowledge of data analytics complements many other subjects very well.

Broaden your career scope

A Joint Honours degree enables you to combine two subjects you love and develop the wide-ranging skills, initiative and versatility that today’s employers are seeking.  It is an excellent way to keep your career options open and set yourself apart in the job market.

Analytics can be combined with other subjects such as Business, Geography, Sociology and Accounting, sharpening your perspectives.

Sought-after skills

This course has been designed in conjunction with industry to ensure that you develop valuable skills in data analytics and related topics, such as data management and business intelligence. You will also look at the design and development of IT products and services that support decision-making.

You will start with small projects in your first year and move on to more substantial projects as you progress. You will also expand your understanding of business processes and how to manage IT services in an organisation.

Develop your expertise

Analytics Joint Honours is structured to provide a strong technical foundation around analytics, programming and databases, together with an understanding of the provision and governance of information and information services in business. Each year you will build on the mixture of academic, practical and vocational skills you have already learnt.

In stage one – because you will be relatively new to a lot of the subject material – we offer lots of direction and tutoring from your lecturers, especially for the more practical modules. You can also use clinics and drop-in sessions to help you learn independently.

During the second stage, you will advance your data analysis and business intelligence skills and start to put theory into practice, including making decisions about concepts, approaches or solutions in given situations.

In stage three, these skills will be developed further so that you can critically evaluate and challenge concepts and ideas. You will also conduct a major piece of research in an area reflecting your own interests for your independent study.

Real world learning

There are three modules per semester, each delivered through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, guided reading, practical sessions in computer laboratories, group and individual work, debates, seminars and presentations by lecturers, guest lecturers and fellow students.

A key feature of this course is the chance to gain valuable experience of using data analytics to address ‘real world’ issues. For example, many in-class exercises and more formal assessments are based around real case studies and projects. In addition, you will develop expertise in tools that are widely used in industry, such as Balsamiq, Axure for UX design, SAS IBM Bluemix and IBM Watson Analytics for Data Analytics.

There is also the optional placement year, where you will work as a full-time employee on live projects alongside more experienced employees.

How you are assessed

A wide range of feedback and assessment methods is used throughout the course, from short exercises in computer labs to the writing up of your final-year Independent Studies project. You will also submit short research papers, take computer-based tests and provide portfolios of work documenting a range of projects in data analytics and related topics.

September 2018 typical entry requirements

*The UCAS Points required for entry will depend on the subjects you choose to combine. The subject with the higher entry requirements will determine your offer.

Our entry requirements for this course should be read together with the University's general entry requirements, which details subjects we accept, alternative qualifications and what we're looking for at Derby.

September 2019 typical entry requirements

Alternative entry qualifications:

• BTEC - DMM
• Access to HE Diploma 60 credits: 45 at level 3 with a minimum of Dist: 15 Merit: 24 Pass: 6

For joint honours degree entry you will need to choose two subjects. The entry criteria here is for this subject only. Your offer will be based on the higher entry criteria from the two subjects you choose to do. A good application/performance will be taken into account if you do not meet the criteria/offer conditions.

*The UCAS Points required for entry will depend on the subjects you choose to combine. The subject with the higher entry requirements will determine your offer.

Our entry requirements for this course should be read together with the University's general entry requirements, which details subjects we accept, alternative qualifications and what we're looking for at Derby.

2018/19 Fees

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

In recent years, vast amounts of data have been generated in line with the increasingly widespread use of IT products and services. This data can be exploited to help make sound business decisions as well as for public benefit.

So there is now a growing need for data and analytics specialists to process this information to help businesses come to evidence-based decisions.

As a Joint Honours Analytics graduate, you will find career opportunities in many areas of computing and information technology, particularly in the areas of data analytics, business intelligence, information management, visualisation and assurance, as well as people analytics in HR.

Contact details

† Additional information about your studies

Download programme specification

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Please note: Our courses are refreshed and updated on a regular basis. If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.

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