Modul University Vienna (MU), Austria’s largest international private university, is responding to the growing need for optimizing business processes which, in turn, has increased the demand for data science graduates. The emergence of big data and the continuous advancements of tools and methods for analyzing these data offer promising career opportunities for data science graduates. Scientific knowledge and technological innovations form the core of modern, functional business processes. Data scientists support managers in their fundamental goal of making good data-driven decisions. The successful use of big data is an extremely powerful tool, which is why more and more companies are recognizing data science as the key to increasing their own competitiveness. Interdisciplinary data scientists who can apply theoretical data science knowledge to solve real world problems in the field of business and services are particularly in demand.
MU's BSc in Applied Data Science offers a specialized curriculum where Business is combined with Technology. This program offers courses in big data processing, analysis and visualization, machine learning, computer programming, as well as fundamental knowledge in management required in solving complex, real-world problems in a variety of fields within industries and services.
Karl Wöber, MU’s President, is convinced that in today's constantly changing digital world, data scientists will continue to be in great demand for companies in the future:
"Above all, data scientists are not tied to a specific industry. Whether you want to work in tourism, online gaming or finance - they will be an integral part of the company. The skills that data scientists acquire are often transferrable across fields, making it relatively easy to move between different companies in different industries.”
With the newly established bachelor's degree, BSc in Applied Data Science, MU will offer its students a multidisciplinary perspective on real problems in the economy. Together with the development of the necessary soft skills, MU aims to offer the most practical learning experience possible with a strong focus on the practical application of data science. In particular, this will be done through real-life projects and case studies in a variety of different industries and services such as finance, e-commerce, media, healthcare, marketing, sales and communications.
“Data Science is about computer programming, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning but our studies in Applied Data Science are much more than that. Both the application to real world problems and inclusion of business management skills ensure that this program is both practical and immediately applicable in the workplace” Asst. Professor Daniel Dan
The new program will be led by Professor. Denis Helic, who was a tenured Associate Professor at the Institute of Interactive Systems and Data Science, Faculty of Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering, at Gray University of Technology. Denis will be joining MU for the launch of the program in the fall 2022 semester, supported by two existing MU Assistant Professors, Daniel Dan and, Dr. Lyndon Nixon.
Denis has been the project leader in several national and international basic and applied research projects some of which have been awarded with national and international prizes. He has published more than 130 research papers in various international journals and conferences including top venues such as WWW, KDD, CIKM, CSCW, Hypertext, IUI, as well as ACM Trans. on the Web, ACM Trans. on Intelligent Systems and Technology, ACM Trans. on Social Computing, and PLOS ONE. He has won a number of Best Paper Awards including the prestigious Best Paper Award at the 24th ACM WWW 2015. Currently, Denis is also serving as an Associate Editor of the EPJ Data Science, Journal of Intelligent Information Systems, and Frontiers in Big Data, Data Mining and Management. Denis has been Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering at Graz University of Technology since 2011. He is responsible for the study fields Computer Science, Software Engineering and Management, as well as Teacher Education in Computer Science. He is also one of the coordinators of interdisciplinary cooperation with University of Graz combining Computer Science with Social Sciences, Psychology, Economics, and Law.
Karl Wöber: “The program has been carefully designed to guide students through the process of data collection and processing. Above all, mathematical understanding, theoretical knowledge of quantitative methods and entrepreneurial know-how are required. Our students benefit from a particularly well-rounded learning experience, as they attend a business university and study a technical subject at the same time.”
For more information, watch Professor Denis Helic, in this short video which provides a full course overview or see our BSc Applied Data Science program information
