BSc (Hons) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

Imagine yourself at Stirling—not just sitting in lectures, but rolling up your sleeves from day one. You’ll be learning to code, building algorithms, and exploring AI in real labs, guided by academics who are active in research and closely connected to industry. Along the way, you’ll develop hands-on skills with real technologies, work on team-based challenges, and graduate ready to take on exciting roles in data, analytics, or AI.

Then the experience goes even deeper through:

Industrial Work Placement
Take on a three-month summer placement (with the option of a full year) inside a real organisation. It’s your chance to put your skills into action, add valuable experience to your CV, and grow your confidence. Past students have worked with companies ranging from innovative local businesses to global players like Accenture, Morgan Stanley, NHS, JPMorgan, Royal Bank of Scotland, and the Scottish Government.

Group Projects, Simulations & Guest Lectures
Learning here isn’t just individual—it’s about collaboration. You’ll work on group projects, tackle simulated challenges, and engage with problem-based learning. On top of that, guest speakers from industry will bring fresh insights and real-world perspectives straight into your classroom.

Practical Labs
Theory comes alive in our labs. Alongside lectures and tutorials, you’ll spend time applying ideas directly—designing, testing, and refining your work in a supportive, hands-on environment.

Dissertation Project
Your final year is your opportunity to step into the role of researcher or developer. You’ll choose a project, define the problem, carry out the research, and build your own AI or data science solution—before presenting it to academics and industry professionals.

Software & Digital Tools
You’ll become fluent in the languages and tools that matter in today’s tech world. That means working with scripting languages, databases, and machine learning frameworks, plus exploring cutting-edge areas like computer vision, natural language processing, and generative AI.

Industry Connections & Institutes
Our strong links with centres such as The DataLab (Scotland’s innovation hub for data and AI) and the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance open doors to networking, knowledge exchange, and research opportunities.

Study Abroad Options
Want to broaden your horizons? You can spend time studying overseas at one of our partner universities across North America, Europe, or Australia—adding a global perspective to your degree.

Research-Led Teaching
Every module is shaped by the latest research. Our academics are funded by leading organisations such as the UK’s research councils, ensuring that what you learn is always current, innovative, and closely aligned with developments in the field.

University support for your career
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to prepare for employment while you study. A three-month work placement gives you valuable hands-on experience and a chance to build industry contacts. On top of that, guest lectures, group projects, problem-based learning, and industry simulations are all designed to help you graduate work-ready.

Strong industry links
The university’s close connections with The Data Lab—Scotland’s leading data and AI innovation hub—and the Scottish Informatics and Computing Science Alliance (SICSA) mean you’ll be part of a strong network of professionals and researchers. These links often open doors to collaborations, internships, and graduate opportunities.

Employment outcomes and salaries
Graduates often step into roles such as Data Scientist, Data Analyst, AI Engineer, or Business Intelligence Developer, typically within data-driven industries like finance, healthcare, technology, or government. Around 80% of computing and mathematics graduates are in work or further study within 15 months of finishing their degree.
Salary progression is steady and encouraging: around £29,000–£30,000 within 15 months, rising to about £34,000 after three years and reaching roughly £44,000 after five years. These figures reflect the strong demand for data professionals and the career growth potential in this field.

Long-term value of your degree
While the degree doesn’t carry formal external accreditation, its content is shaped around the skills employers are actively looking for—everything from programming and databases to AI and machine learning. This means the knowledge you gain will stay relevant and in demand as the data landscape continues to evolve.

Graduate destinations
Career paths are varied and exciting. You might work as a Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Machine Learning Engineer, AI Engineer, Business Intelligence Analyst, or Data Strategist. Graduates have gone on to work across sectors including fintech, retail, healthcare, robotics, energy, and the public sector, with plenty of opportunities to grow and specialize as the field develops.