I had already studied my undergraduate degree at Sheffield and fell in love with the city so staying here for my MSc was an obvious option for me.
![Ashleigh Randall standing outside Regent Court](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/profile_square_1x/public/2019-08/Ashleigh-randall.jpg?h=5aba84b8&itok=aDygaM8g)
What made you pick data analytics?
While I was coming to the end of my undergraduate degree in mathematics I began to look and apply for graduate job positions in the data analytics area. However, I did not have the required level of programming knowledge to successfully gain a position. I then came across the data analytics course. It sounded perfect and exactly what I wanted to be doing in my career, learning all about how to analyse large datasets! In many industries data analytics is becoming a vital part and so I knew by studying this course it would definitely increase my employability, which luckily it did.
Within three months of studying the course I secured a graduate placement as a Technology Analyst at Barclays for after my masters, which I would not have got if I had not studied this course!
Ashleigh Randall
MSc Data Analytics (now called MSc Artificial Intelligence)
Why did you chose Sheffield as a place to study?
I had already studied my undergraduate degree at Sheffield and had fell in love with the city so staying here for my MSc was an obvious option for me. Sheffield is a beautiful city with many things to do alongside your studies. I find it a very relaxing place and somewhere I can call home. I looked elsewhere for relevant courses but nothing caught my eye as much as this MSc as this one covered the most relevant topics in my opinion that would be useful in a data analysis career.
What do you think is the best thing about the course?
The best thing about this course is how industry relevant the information and skills that we are learning is. I see this course as more of the first year of my professional career rather than the final year as a student. Within the course we are using programming languages which are fast becoming the ones wanted in industry to handle big data. Overall, the course is fantastic and highly relevant for anyone wanting to progress into a career dealing with data analytics.
![Four students laughing while sat at a bench, outside the Students' Union](http://cdn.sheffield.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_single_column_1x/public/2023-11/171627.jpg?h=8ba26d87&itok=OPOfxvzO)
International scholarships
We offer a generous package of financial support for international students, including undergraduate and postgraduate taught scholarships towards the annual tuition fee. Applications are open for existing offer holders.