Overview

The MSc in Data Science Programme is being offered by the School of Science & Technology of the University Center of International Programmes of Studies of the International Hellenic University. The programme aims to provide graduate level education with an interdisciplinary approach as regards the management, visualization and processing of big data as well as the relevant computational techniques and technologies and is targeted towards graduates and professionals who wish to broaden their knowledge in the field. For almost half a century now, the world has been producing and collecting data in digital form. However, the past decade hardware and network advances have allowed for very large, cost-effective storage and powerful processing as well as fast transfer speeds. At the same time, scientists have been developing software tools for the analysis of big and complex data, to extract valuable knowledge from them. The goal of data scientists is to make sense of large volumes of different forms of real-world data that may come from the entire spectrum of human activity. Data Science nowadays is an “umbrella term” that encompasses a variety of scientific fields. Essentially, it is an interdisciplinary field that combines a multitude of different disciplines, some of the most important being the following:

  • Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
  • Statistics & Mathematics
  • Database and Big Data technology
  • Software Development & Algorithmics

However, the above list is not exhaustive, as a data scientist often needs to employ other skills, such as hacking, coding, critical thinking, problem understanding etc. All those make the job of the data scientist to be a mashup of different skills that are rarely found together. Students who apply for the MSc in Data Science of the International Hellenic University, are mainly graduates with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) or an Economics degree, who have a background in statistics and a good knowledge of fundamental concepts of databases and programming. The courses of the programme are taught exclusively in English. The academic staff comes from Universities in Greece and abroad. Official Government Gazette: Re-establishment PDF (in Greek) Regulation PDF (in Greek)

Key facts

Start date: October 2021

Application deadline: September 2021 or until places are filled

Campus: Thermi, Thessaloniki

Duration/Mode: 14 months (full-time) or 26 months (part-time)/ weekdays evenings

Taught language: English

Entry requirements: An undergraduate degree from an accredited University

Language requirements: IELTS (academic 6.5 and above), TOEFL (IBT, 90 and above) or TOEIC (850 and above) score, or a recognised by the Greek State certificate of proficiency in English

Fees: 3,700€ (total)

How to apply: Programme announcement

Who can apply

To be considered for the programme, candidates are required to have:

  • an undergraduate degree from a recognized University
  • proof of English competence [a recognised certificate of proficiency, recently acquired IELTS (academic 6.5 and above), or TOEFL (IBT, 90 and above) or TOEIC (850 and above) score]

Course content

Upon arrival at the IHU all students follow an intensive foundation course titled “Applied Mathematics in ICT” that aims to bring all incoming students to the same level with respect to some of the mathematics knowledge that is required to excel in the programme. During the first term, all students are required to attend five mandatory core courses. During the second term, all students follow a further three required courses and a combination of two elective courses. Finally, during the third term, work is dedicated exclusively to the Master’s dissertation.

The core courses

1st Term Core Courses

2nd Term Core Courses

The elective courses

During the second term students tailor their programme further by choosing elective courses. The choice of elective courses must sum up to 12 ECTS (2 courses). Some of the elective courses may not be offered in a particular year, depending entirely on student demand. 2nd Term Elective Courses

The Dissertation

During the third term, students work on their Masters Dissertation project, the thematic area of which is relevant to their programme of studies and their interests. The dissertation provides a good opportunity to apply theory and concepts learned in different courses to a real-world Data Science problem or challenge. Students are supervised throughout their projects by a member of the academic faculty and the academic assistants. After submission of the dissertation, students present their projects to classmates and faculty at a special event.

Duration of studies

The MSc in Data Science (full-time) is a 14-month programme taught over three terms. Lectures mainly take place on weekday evenings. The MSc in Data Science programme is also available in part-time mode over 26 months for those who cannot commit to a full-time programme either for work or other reasons.

The Academic Faculty

Faculty Members

Dr Eleni Heracleous Dr Eleni Heracleous Associate Professor Dean
Professor Panayiotis Bozanis Professor Panayiotis Bozanis +30 2310 807501 pbozanis@ihu.gr
Professor Periklis Chatzimisios Professor Periklis Chatzimisios +30 2310 807501 pchatzimisios@ihu.gr
Dr Maria Drakaki Dr Maria Drakaki Associate Professor +30 2310 807524 mdrakaki@ihu.gr
Dr Christos Tjortjis Dr Christos Tjortjis Associate Professor +30 2310 807576 c.tjortjis@ihu.edu.gr
Dr Vassilios Peristeras Dr Vassilios Peristeras Assistant Professor +30 2310 807539 v.peristeras@ihu.edu.gr
Dr D.Tzetzis Dr Dimitrios Tzetzis Assistant Professor +30 2310 807548 d.tzetzis@ihu.edu.gr

Other Research and Teaching Personnel

Dr Christos Berberidis Dr Christos Berberidis Research and Teaching Staff +30 2310 807534 c.berberidis@ihu.edu.gr
Dr Dimitrios Baltatzis Dr Dimitrios Baltatzis Research and Teaching Staff d.baltatzis@ihu.edu.gr
Dr Stavros Stavrinides Dr Stavros Stavrinides Research and Teaching Staff s.stavrinides@ihu.edu.gr
Dr Georgios Martinopoulos Dr Georgios Martinopoulos Academic Associate +30 2310 807533 g.martinopoulos@ihu.edu.gr
Image not available Dr Leonidas Akritidis Academic Associate
Image not available Dr Dimitrios Karapiperis Academic Associate
Image not available Dr Katerina Tzafilkou Academic Associate

Visiting Faculty

Dr Apostolos Ampatzoglou University of Groningen
Dr. Agamemnon Baltagiannis Principal Data Scientist – Team Leader, Global Data Science Hub, SAP
Dr Nikolaos Bassiliades Associate professor Department of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Professor Georgios Doukidis Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece
Dr Dimitris Drossos Assistant Professor University of the Aegean, Greece
Dr Konstantinos Fouskas University of Macedonia, Greece
Professor George M. Giaglis Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece
Dr Christos Kalloniatis University of the Aegean, Greece
Dr Merkouris Karaliopoulos Research Fellow, CERTH/ITI Visiting Research Fellow, Dept. of Informatics, Athens University of Economics and Business
Professor Vasilis Katos Bournemouth University
Professor Sokratis Katsikas University of Piraeus, Greece
Dr Paris Kokorotsikos Euroconsultants S.A.
Dr Ioannis Magnisalis IT strategy and planning officer, European Commission, Team Data scientists’ leader / Research Associate at International Hellenic University
Dr Michela Meo Associate Professor Politecnico di Torino
Dr Maria Papadopouli Associate Professor University of Crete
Dr Athanasia Pouloudi Associate Professor Information Systems Management Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB)
Dr Katerina Pramatari Assistant Professor Department of Management Science and TechnologyAthens University of Economics and Business
Dr Panagiotis Rizomiliotis Assistant Professor, University of the Aegean

Fees & Financing

Fees

The programme fees for the MSc in Data Science is 3,700€ (pending approval). The amount is payable in two instalments for the full time mode or in four instalments for the part time mode at the beginning of each semester. The fees are also eligible for financing through LAEK 0,45% – OAED programme.

Deposits

If you have been accepted to a postgraduate programme, you will need to make a payment of the deposit of 500 Euros to secure your place. This amount will count towards the first instalment of your tuition fees. The deposit is non-refundable once you have commenced your studies at the IHU. Prior to that, a refund can be made but a 20% administrative fee will be retained. The deposit can be paid by bank transfer or bank draft. Credit card payments can be made through electronic banking (contact your Bank as handling fees may apply).

Scholarships

The School of Science & Technology offers a number of scholarships for the programmes it offers, covering a significant proportion of the fees. These scholarships are competitive. Award criteria include the quality of the first degree, the undergraduate grades of the candidate, his/her command of the English language and overall profile. Candidates for scholarships should include a separate letter with their application documents in which they request to be considered for a scholarship, stating the reasons why they think they qualify.

Programme announcement – Admissions

Next MSc in Data Science class starts in October 2021. Interested parties are invited to submit their application by September 2021 or until places are filled, by following instructions at the page ‘Apply to UCIPS’.

Programme announcement

Ideal Career path

According to the European Commission’s European Data Market study the number of “data companies” as well as the need for “data workers” are already high and it is expected to grow even more in the near future. Depending on the focus of your study and skills, there are several career paths you can follow; the list below, although it is non-exhaustive, it covers the spectrum of roles you can play in an organisation:

  • Data Management Professional: Focuses on managing the infrastructure and storage of (usually big) data.
  • Data Engineer/Data Architect: Focuses on the design and implementation of (usually big) data infrastructure, choosing the right database and cloud technologies and deploying them to serve the analytics needs of the organization.
  • Business Analyst: Focuses on the analytics part, trying to process data to build models to form useful and actionable insights. It includes anything related to Business Intelligence, such as creating reports, dashboards etc.
  • Data Analyst/Data Scientist: Focuses on developing and applying machine learning and statistical models on the data at hand. They need to have coding skills, with Python and R being the most popular options right now as well as knowledge of algorithmics, statistics and databases.
  • Machine Learning Researcher: Focuses on developing and testing predictive and descriptive models from data. They need to have a deep understanding of machine learning and statistics to run experiments and evaluate the results. Machine learning research positions are available not only in universities (e.g. PhD candidateships, PostDoc Associates etc.) but also in industry as big companies are being staffed with analytics researchers who try to create custom models for their needs instead of using off-the-shelf products and applying sub-optimal, generic solutions.

In addition to technical skills gained through study, our students benefit from the University’s excellent Careers Office in order to attain essential soft skills (e.g. communication skills, interview preparation, CV writing etc.) to better prepare for the job market.

Location

The MSc in Data Science takes place in the facilities of the School of Science & Technology of the University Center of International Programmes of Studies of the International Hellenic University in Thermi-Thessaloniki.

Contact

Postal address: School of Science & Technology Department of School of Science & Technology University Center of International Programmes of Studies 14th km Thessaloniki – Nea Moudania 570 01 Thermi, Thessaloniki, Greece Tel: +30 2310 807 529/526 Email: : infotech@ihu.edu.gr