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Community Engagement
At NUI Galway, we believe that the best learning takes place when you apply what you learn in a real world context. That's why many of our courses include work placements or community projects.
BA (Arts with Data Science)
Course Overview
Are you good at maths, interested in coding, and keen to study people as well as equations? Do you like the idea of using data to understand the human condition? If so, the new BA in Arts with Data Science may be for you.
Data science is the art of extracting useful knowledge from raw data, and then communicating that knowledge to others. Data scientists need strong quantitative and coding skills, but they are not narrow technical specialists. For example, to learn from psychological data, you need to have a good understanding of psychology.
In this unique four-year programme, you will build an outstanding portfolio of data science skills, while simultaneously studying a relevant Arts discipline (Psychology, Economics, Geography, History or Philosophy) to Joint Honours level. You will graduate with a proven track-record of applying data analytics techniques to real-world human problems. Few skills are more highly valued by employers.
Applications and Selections
Who Teaches this Course
Requirements and Assessment
Key Facts
Entry Requirements
Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Grades in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes. A H5 or O1 Grade in Leaving Certificate Mathematics is also a requirement.
Additional Requirements
Duration
4 years
Next start date
Sept 2021
A Level Grades (2020)
nuigalway.ie/alevels
Average intake
15
Closing Date
NFQ level
Mode of study
ECTS weighting
Award
CAO
GY124
Course code
Course Outline
Students study Data Science and Mathematics for Data Science choose one of the following Arts major subjects: Psychology, Economics, Geography, Philosophy or History.
YEAR ONE
Arts major +
• Skills for Data Science 1
• Programming 1
• Programming 2
• Probability 1
• Statistics
• Analysis and Algebra 1
• Analysis and Algebra 2
• Skills for Mathematics
YEAR TWO
Arts major +
• Skills for Data Science 2
• Database Systems
• Probability 2
• Statistical Inference
• Linear Algebra
YEAR THREE
Data Science Accelerator in Semester 1:
• Skills for Data Science 3
•Philosophy of Statistics and Machine Learning
• Artificial Intelligence
• Calculus
• Formal Logic or Discrete Mathematics
Work placement in Semester 2.
YEAR FOUR
• Arts major +
•Machine Learning and Text Mining
• Applied Regression Models
• Stochastic Processes or Statistical Modelling
• Data Science project
Curriculum Information
Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.
Glossary of Terms
- Credits
- You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
- Module
- An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
- Subject
- Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
- Optional
- A module you may choose to study.
- Required
- A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
- Required Core Subject
- A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
- Semester
- Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.
Year 1 (60 Credits)

Required CT1101: Programming I - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required DSSK1100: Skills for Data Science - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Optional ST1112: Statistical Methods - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required CT1102: Programming II - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Optional Subject: Economics (20 Credits):
Required EC1108: Skills for Economics I - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required EC135: Principles of Microeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required ST1112: Statistical Methods - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required EC136: Principles of Macroeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Optional Subject: Geography/Tíreolaíocht (20 Credits):
Required TI1100: Geography in Practice - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required TI150: Principles of Human Geography - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required TI151: Principles of Physical Geography - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Optional Subject: History (20 Credits):
Required HISK1101: Skills for Historians (1) - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required HI1103: Europe and Ireland 1789 - 1918 - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required HISK1102: Skills for Historians (2) - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required HI1104: Europe: From Medieval to Modern - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional ST1111: Probability Models - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Optional ST2001: Statistics for Data Science 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required MA185: Analysis and Algebra 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required MA186: Analysis and Algebra 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required MA187: Mathematical Skills - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Optional Subject: Philosophy (20 Credits):
Required PISK1101: Critical Thinking & Persuasive Writing (Remote Learning) - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PI108: Introduction To Practical Ethics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PI120: Philosophical Questions & Issues - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PI107: Introduction To The History Of Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Optional Subject: Psychology (20 Credits):
Required PS122: Introductory Psychology 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PS1103: Introduction to Research Methods and Practical Skills in Psychology - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required PS124: Introductory Psychology 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Year 2 (60 Credits)

Required DSS2100: Skills for Data Science 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required CT230: Database Systems I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required DSC2100: Data Science Project 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional Subject: Economics (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Economics in the previous year / semester.
Optional EC207: Irish Economic History - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EC219: Comparative Economic Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required EC273: Mathematics for Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required EC269: Intermediate Microeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EC247: Introduction to Financial Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EC259: Economics of Public Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required EC275: Statistics for Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required EC268: Intermediate Macroeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional Subject: Geography/Tíreolaíocht (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Geography/Tíreolaíocht in the previous year / semester.
Optional TI254: Space, Place and the Irish Landscape - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional TI2102: Introduction To GIS - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Optional TI229: Political & Cutural Geography: Identity, Race & the Nation - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional TI235: Biogeography - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional TI248: Coastal Environments - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required TI251: Theory & Practice in Geography I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional TI230: Economic Geography - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional TI258: Rural Environments: Sustainability & Management - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional TI2104: Marine Spatial Planning - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional TI2105: Tíreolaíocht Na Tuaithe: Sochaí, Spás agus Geilleagar - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional TI216: Aimsir Agus Aeraid/ Weather And Climate - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required TI252: Theory & Practice in Geography II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional Subject: History (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied History in the previous year / semester.
Optional HI295: The American Civil War: Its Causes and Developments - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI166: Ireland in the 1950s - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI465: European Encounters with the Mongols - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2103: Monarchy & Society in Early 17th Century France - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2130: Medieval Europe C1050-1250 (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2110: Making Ireland English: 1580-1665 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2132: Religion and Irish Life in the Twentieth Century - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2123: Life and Death in Victorian Britain - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2113: The Making & Breaking of Britain in the 20th C - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI262: Medieval Europe C1050-1250 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI249: Ireland:Economy And Society,1700-1850 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2125: Global History, 1780-1945 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI431: French Mobilisation and the Great War, 1914-24 - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI572: Irish Ideologies and Activists, 1905-1916 - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2102: The Modern United States, 1865-2008 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2135: Fluxes, Fevers and Fighting Men: Disease and Armies (1489-1856) - 10 Credits - Semester 4

Optional ST311: Applied Statistics I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ST2003: Random Variables - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ST312: Applied Statistics II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ST2004: Statistical Inference - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required MA283: Linear Algebra - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional Subject: Philosophy (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Philosophy in the previous year / semester.
Optional PI2101: Information Ethics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional PI2105: Philosophical Inquiry through P4C - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI210: Moral And Political Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional PI207: Philosophy Of Art - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required PI216: History Of Modern Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional PI247: Nietzsche & Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI240: Bioethics - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI2102: Formal Logic - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI2100: East Asian Philosophy and Culture - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional Subject: Psychological Studies (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Psychology in the previous year / semester.
Required PS219: Research Methods in Psychology - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required PS338: Theories of Personality - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required PS403: Biological Psychology - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required PS214: Developmental Psychology 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required PS320: Memory & Cognition - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required PS428: Social Psychology - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Year 3 (60 Credits)
Optional DSC3101: Data Science Skills 3 - 5 Credits - Semester 5Optional DSC3100: Philosophy of statistics and machine learning - 10 Credits - Semester 5
Optional CT319: Artificial Intelligence - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Optional MA284: Discrete Mathematics - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Optional MA211: Calculus I - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Optional DSC3102: Arts with Data Science Work Placement - 30 Credits - Semester 6
Year 4 (60 Credits)
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
Data analytics talent is in very short supply worldwide. Graduates from this programme will have a highly attractive portfolio of skills, and will be well positioned for a wide range of graduate careers. Those who pursue further study (e.g. NUIGalway’s one-year MSc in Data Science) will be able to apply for data scientist roles.
Who’s Suited to This Course
Learning Outcomes
Work Placement
The Arts with Data Science degree includes an eight-month off-campus work placement in Year 3. (Should no external placement be available, you will be given a project on campus.)
Study Abroad
Related Student Organisations
Course Fees
Fees: EU
Fees: Tuition
Fees: Student Contribution
Fees: Student levy
Fees: Non EU
EU Fees 2020/21:
- Tuition: may be paid by the Irish Government on your behalf see - free fee initiative.
- Student Contribution: €3,000 - payable by all students but may by paid by SUSI if you apply and are deemed eligible for a means tested SUSI grant.
- Student Levy: €224 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.
Find out More
Dr Nick Tosh
t. +353 91 495929
e. nick.tosh@nuigalway.ie
What Our Students Say

Ciarán Rafter | First Year Student
The BA (Arts with Data Science) is a fantastic programme. I was interested in Arts subjects but I knew I wanted to work in the STEM sector. This degree was perfect for me as it gives me the opportunity to pursue both. There is a strong focus on the career opportunities available to us at the end of the four years so the entire class is very motivated with very clear-cut goals in mind. Overall, I’d recommend this course to anyone with an interest in mathematics and programming as well as an interest in pursuing any of the available Arts subjects at NUI Galway.

James Spillane | First Year Student
I attended the introduction to BA (Arts with Data Science) and instantly knew it was what I wanted to do. I had a keen interest in Maths and Economics and this course allowed me to combine both. I also knew that Data Scientists were extremely sought after in the world today therefore this course offered me the ability to work nationally or internationally. Once I began to study Data Science I haven’t looked back and with a small class size, we all got to know each other and the Data Science lecturer personally. Throughout the year the lecturer was in constant contact with us offering help with any problems. Before both Semester 1 and Semester 2 exams he offered us individual help with any questions we had regarding different subjects. I can genuinely say I enjoy each part of this course and am looking forward to starting second year

Eimear Walsh | First Year Student
I chose to study BA (Arts with Data Science) at NUI Galway because I liked the idea of combining of a very topical and emerging discipline like Data Science with an Arts subject. I really enjoyed pursuing my Arts subject of choice, Psychology, while learning very useful and relevant skills like programming and statistical analysis. The lecturers and tutors are always happy to answer questions and help out, as well as the tutors in the dedicated support centres. I have really enjoyed learning about how to analyse, interpret and visualise data correctly, and how valuable and useful these skills are in such a massive range of careers and sectors, now and even more so into the future. I am looking forward to incorporating my studies in psychology into future data science projects, as well as my work experience placement in 3rd year, where I’ll get to start applying my data science skills in the real world.
What Employers Say

Chris Chamberlain | Director of Data Analytics, Fidelity Investments
A career in Data Science means that you will always have a wide range of exciting opportunities to choose from. Your job may be to pick the next Facebook to invest in or to analyse the performance of an international sports team, anything is possible if you have the data. In an age when every small advantage matters, and marginal gains add up to a significant advantage, data is the what will make the difference.