Master’s in Data Analytics for Government guidance on funding

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Guidance on funding for the Master’s (MSc) in Data Analytics for Government (MDataGov) students
Office for National Statistics (ONS) Data Science Campus
Advanced Collaborative Programmes

Created on 9 July 2023
Updated on 13 September 2023

Contents

Funding your studies

This guidance provides information on possible routes to obtaining funding for the Master’s (MSc) in Data Analytics for Government (MDataGov) and its variations, including standalone Continuing Professional Development (CPD) modules. It also offers suggestions for maximising your chances of making a successful funding application.

Typical options available to applicants:

The links for each option contains tips for each funding route.

The answers to most questions on obtaining funding can be found in this document. If you can’t find the information you need, please email the Advanced Collaborative Programmes team in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Data Science Campus.

We wish you the very best in securing funding for your studies!

Sponsorship from your organisation

If you are an employee in the UK public sector, it may be possible to obtain full or part sponsorship from your organisation.

Tips for success:

Speak to your organisation about funding for the full MDataGov, PgCert, PgDip or individual CPD modules. Ensure that you have confirmation of funding before you apply. This will typically start with a conversation with your line manager.

Your line manager might find it helpful to read the MDataGov managers’ guidance to understand the benefits of the programme and how to support you through it.

You may be asked to complete a business case to support your request. Approaches to this vary between organisations, but your business support colleagues may be able to advise you on:

  • the internal processes and any templates you need to use
  • how requests are prioritised
  • timing your funding application for best chance of success
  • timescales after submitting your business case

When preparing your business case, it’s helpful to:

  • identify how the course content maps onto your role
  • consider how it addresses any knowledge or development gaps
  • document the anticipated benefits and impact to your work in your organisation
  • consider how you could share your learning with your team
  • wherever possible, use your allocated learning and development (L&D) time to study
  • agree with your line manager a plan to use your learning and development time (if available) to complete your course

University scholarship or bursary

Some universities also offer their own scholarships and bursaries. Please refer to the universities’ websites for further information. You can find links on the ONS Data Science Campus website.

Tips for success:

Universities generally require scholarship applications to be made well in advance and are unlikely to be flexible on these. Please take note of deadlines and plan ahead.

Self-funding

If other funding options are not available to you for the full programme, you can self-fund the course or resubmit your request for the next academic year. As an alternative to the full MSc, there is the more affordable option to start by taking individual CPD modules, a PgCert or PgDip.

Tips for success:

If you intend to self-fund, we recommend contacting your chosen university before submitting an application to check on any of the following, depending on your situation:

  • availability of the public sector rate offer
  • limits on the number of CPD modules that can be used towards the full MSc, PgCert or PgDip
  • time limit for using previous study towards a qualification via Recognised Prior Learning (RPL)

Note: Only modules from the same university can be used as RPL. You cannot combine modules from different partner universities to achieve a qualification via this route.