RIC launches MSc Data Science program from University of London

Managing and analysing big data has become an essential part of modern finance, retail, marketing, social science, development and research, medicine, and government. As a tertiary education provider that has offered innovative degree programs that are best sensitive to the needs of industries and society at large, Royal Institute of Colombo ceremoniously launched the Master’s degree programs in Data Science, recently. 

The Master’s degree programs and the Postgraduate Diplomas in Data Science offered at RIC are awarded by the prestigious University of London, and RIC is the only recognised teaching centre in Sri Lanka offering the postgraduate degree programs in Data Science from the University of London.

The academic content for these degree programs is developed by the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, one of the UK’s top creative universities. Goldsmiths, University of London, has a clear reputation as an academic and research institution offering postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in a diverse range of fields, including computing. The Department of Computing at Goldsmiths aims to teach, communicate and exemplify a creative and socially aware form of Computing. The programs are structured to provide hands-on and practical study, giving opportunity to students to create their own projects right from the start of the degree. The computing department of Goldsmiths, remains one of the UK’s leading institutions for creative code, attracting the finest academics in the field to their staff and resource pool. 

Data Scientist skills are in high demand as organisations around the world are using data to predict behaviours and extract valuable real-world insights to inform decisions. With the MSc Data Science degree at RIC, you will learn about carrying out data analysis, data visualisation, developing machine learning predictive models, and be able to apply these skills to real-world scenarios. The MSc Data Science degree at RIC has flexible options that allow you to register for the general Data Science pathway or choose from one of two specialist pathways in: Artificial Intelligence and Financial Technology.

An interactive panel discussion was held featuring the industry personas The Computer Society of Sri Lanka President and Nimbus Cloud Lanka Ltd. Managing Director Damith Hettihewa, Enterprise Architecture Group at Sysco LABS Director Nishantha Hettiarachchi, and National Development Bank PLC Assistant Vice President – Corporate Planning and Business Intelligence Shanka Abeywardene. The session was moderated by Gayani Hurulle, Senior Research Manager at LIRNEasia and an Alumna of Royal Institute of Colombo as she facilitated the panel discussion on the thematic area of the Game Plan in a Data Driven Era.

The recent developments in the applications of Artificial Intelligence globally and locally, the role of data science in transforming the banking sector with the growth of Financial Technology, and the tendency of industries and organisations around the world in developing skills and infrastructure for data science were the key highlights of the panel discussion. 

‘Empathy in data science’ was another thematic area that was touched upon by the keynote speaker Stefan Jaro, Consultant in Data Analytics and Alumnus of RIC during the official launch. He highlighted how data science professionals as resilient problem solvers, technologists, and storytellers would excel in the rapidly evolving industry with empathy. 

Royal Institute of Colombo Chairman G.T. Bandara said: “The field of Data Science is still a rapidly developing field of specialisation that is sought by many corporate sectors, research-based organisations and think tanks at present. While RIC already offers the BSc. Data Science and Business Analytics and the Graduate Diploma in Data Science from University of London, we are confident that the addition of the MSc. Data Science programs awarded by the University of London to our portfolio, is the best contribution by RIC to boost the talent and skills of data science professionals in and around Sri Lanka.”

The October 2022 intake is now open. For more details, contact 077 775 4232 and visit www.ric.lk.