Computational Health Data Science MSc
12-36 months, full-time
In this conversion course, you will learn how to interrogate existing health-related data sets to solve complex challenges in healthcare and design digital solutions that improve patient outcomes. You'll gain the skills to communicate your findings with maximum visual impact to diverse audiences.
Course information
Taught by School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences
Course description
Course description
Please note, this course is being advertised subject to approval.
This course is for you if you want to solve real-world healthcare challenges using data-driven approaches, with effective communication and user-centric approaches to designing solutions. Advanced mathematics or computing skills are not prerequisites, although individuals with backgrounds in mathematical sciences or computing will find opportunities to deepen and further develop their expertise.
Computational Health Data Science focusses on designing healthcare apps, creating digital services, and developing analytics pipelines. You’ll gain insights into the unique challenges of the healthcare industry, including the integration of human-computer interaction (HCI) principles and ethical considerations in health technology design.
Every student is provided with a suitable laptop to support their learning journey.
The curriculum equips you with cutting-edge data science tools and methodologies to address critical healthcare problems on both local and global scales. From improving patient care pathways to supporting healthcare decision-making with advanced analytics, this programme prepares you to tackle some of the most impactful challenges in the health sector. We also integrate AI tools into the curriculum, teaching you to use them professionally to streamline workflows and implement robust, ethical, and human-centred data science solutions.
You’ll learn to design and validate healthcare models that are fit for purpose, ensuring the outputs are both accurate and responsible. The programme prioritizes the creative and ethical problem-solving skills sought by employers. Whether it’s analysing healthcare disparities, optimizing hospital operations, or creating user-friendly health apps, the focus is on applying your skills to real-world health scenarios.
While the healthcare domain is data-rich and offers the potential for machine learning applications, many impactful solutions rely on managing, cleaning, and visualizing existing datasets and presenting them in ways that drive change. These skills are in high demand across healthcare systems worldwide.
Employers are increasingly looking for data scientists with interdisciplinary backgrounds. Graduates will find opportunities in the growing global health data science field, with roles in public health organizations, pharmaceuticals, health tech start-ups, and AI-driven medical research. This qualification will position you at the forefront of the rapidly evolving health tech sector, with global demand for data scientists expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
2:1 degree (or equivalent) in any subject. Equivalent professional experience may be considered in a relevant field.
English Language Requirements
IELTS 6.0 or equivalent. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. If you do not yet meet our requirements, our English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) offers a range of courses to help you to improve your English to the necessary standard.
International Qualifications
Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.
Countries listFees and funding
Fees and funding
UK Students
Starting in September 2025
As this course is subject to approval, fees have not yet been confirmed. However, within similar courses across the University, you would be expected to pay:
- MSc: £12,100
- MSc with Industry: £12,100
An additional fee of £3,520 will be charged if a placement is secured.
If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
Did you know you can apply for a Government Postgraduate Loan? Find out if you’re eligible.
International Students
Starting in September 2025
As this course is subject to approval, fees have not yet been confirmed. However, within similar courses across the University, you would be expected to pay:
- MSc: £23,650
- MSc with Industry: £23,650
An additional fee of £3,520 will be charged if a placement is secured.
You will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
Careers and employability
Careers and employability
Leading employers for health data scientists include hospitals, public healthcare providers like the NHS in the UK, private healthcare companies such as Apollo in India, pharmaceutical companies, and health tech start-ups. These organisations are keen to use data science to improve patient care, optimise operations, and develop new digital health solutions.
In addition to healthcare-specific roles, the skills you will gain on this course are transferable across sectors, meaning you could work in technology companies, NGOs like UNICEF focusing on global health issues, or research institutes driving advancements in medical science.
Career progression is robust in this field. Entry-level health data scientists can advance to more senior roles, managing teams and leading data-driven projects within 2-5 years. Promotion often involves taking on strategic responsibilities and mentoring junior data scientists.
As the global demand for health data professionals grows, your ability to apply computational and analytical skills to healthcare challenges will position you as a valuable asset in this expanding field. Whether you’re designing digital health services, optimising clinical workflows, or addressing public health challenges, your expertise will be highly sought after.
Our Careers and Employability Service is here to support you, with advice on interviews, CVs, work experience, volunteering and more. From Freshers’ Week to Graduation and beyond, they are here to help you reach your professional goals.
Course structure
Core modules
Core modules
Semester 1
- Statistics for Data Science
- Fundamentals of Data Science
- Health Data Research
Semester 2
- Modelling Data
- Leading, Managing and Organising Quality and Safety in Healthcare
- Analysis of Real-World Evidence
Plus your Heath Data Science Research Project.
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Optional modules
Optional modules
Semester 1
- Overview of Data Science Practice
- Interaction Design (ID) and User Experience (UX)
- Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing
Semester 2
- Service Design
- Big Data and Predictive Analytics
- Information Visualisation
- Distributed Systems and Applications
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Industrial Placement (optional)
Industrial Placement (optional)
Studying a 'with industry' Masters degree is the perfect way for you to enhance your career prospects and deepen your understanding of your specific area of expertise. By experiencing real-world scenarios and applying your skills and knowledge to business challenges, you will gain a unique insight into how your studies can be utilised in industry. This will not only showcase your abilities to future employers, but will also enhance your studies when you return to University to complete your programme.
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Why Leicester
This MSc is accessible for students from a wide range of academic disciplines - without the requirement for a strong mathematical background.
You’ll be provided with your own laptop for the duration of this course; helping to remove any potential financial barriers to entry.
Teaching and learning
Teaching will be a mixture of lectures, tutorials and computer-based practical classes. The emphasis will be on problem-based learning with a significant amount of activity being group work (including the final dissertation).
Assessment is a mixture of examinations and project-based coursework (both individual and group).
Key dates
September 2025 start
- Application deadline: 8 September 2025 (Please note if you require a visa to study you will be required to submit your course application by 25 July 2025)
- Deposit payment deadline: 8 August 2025
- CAS request deadline: 5 September 2025
- 70% tuition payment deadline: 5 September 2025
Apply now
Course | Qualification | Duration | Start Dates | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|
Course Computational Health Data Science | Qualification MSc | Duration 1 year, full-time | Start Dates September 2025 |
Availability
This course is being advertised subject to approval. |
Course Computational Health Data Science with Industry | Qualification MSc | Duration 2 years, full-time | Start Dates September 2025 |
Availability
This course is being advertised subject to approval. |