Data Intensive Astrophysics

The Data Intensive Astrophysics MSc was a perfect fit for me and equipped me with all the necessary skills for a career in research. Coming from a Physics BSc, the Masters course was a vital stepping-stone to starting a PhD with strong emphasis on data analysis. The quality of teaching and support here at Cardiff is second to none, and at every opportunity I was encouraged to engage with the research community at the School.

How will I be taught?

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars and practical computer sessions.

Lectures can take a variety of forms depending on the subject material being taught.  Generally, lectures are used to convey concepts, contextualise research activities in the School and to demonstrate key theoretical, conceptual and mathematical methods.  Lectures will always be kept up-to-date, with the specialist modules providing access to cutting-edge concepts and methods.

In tutorials and seminars you'll have the opportunity to discuss and reflect upon particular physical, mathematical, coding / practical or specialist concepts, to consolidate and get feedback on your individual learning and to develop skills in oral presentation. Communication skills are developed in tutorials, where you will make individual contributions to group study, for example by summarising and critiquing a recent research article for the group

You will practise and develop critique, reflective, analytical and presentational skills by participating in diverse learning activities such as research group meetings, School seminar discussions and in open group discussions.  At all times you will be encouraged to reflect on what you have learned and how it can be combined with other techniques and concepts to tackle novel problems.

In the practical computing sessions you will put the breadth of your knowledge and skills to use, whether that be using your coding skills to automate a laboratory experiment, designing components for a large piece of equipment or troubleshooting research hardware.  The emphasis on the MSc Data Intensive Astrophysics is on those particular skills which will be of use in a research environment and hence highly sought-after by employers.

How will I be assessed?

Our modules typically involve a blend of formative and summative assessments and feedback from teaching staff to students related to these.

Summative Assessment and Feedback

Summative feedback is feedback that contributes to progression or degree classification decisions.  The goal of summative assessment is to indicate how well you have succeeded in meeting the intended learning outcomes of a Module or Programme and will enable you to identify any action required in order to improve.  All feedback will directly link to the Module grading / assessment criteria.

The exact approach used varies from module to module, but summative assessment typically involves coursework (often in the form of problem sets, programming exercises, mini-projects) and/or an unseen examination. The core modules for the MSc Data-Intensive Astrophysics are mostly assessed continuously and the optional modules typically involve 80% unseen examination and 20% coursework.

Formative Assessment and Feedback

Formative feedback is feedback that does not contribute to progression or degree classification decisions.  The goal of formative feedback is to improve your understanding and learning before you complete your summative assessment. More specifically, formative feedback helps you to:

•           Identify your strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work;

•            Help staff to support you and address the problems identified with targeted strategies for improvement.

The formative feedback we give may be in written form (perhaps referring to model solutions of, usually, weekly problem sets) or in oral form during small-group tutorial sessions.

How will I be supported?

Our MSc Coordinators will act as your personal tutors.  They will help you reflect on your performance on the course and advise you on research and study techniques, module selection and career planning (in conjunction with the University's Career Service). They will also provide a first point of contact if you experience any difficulties.  Since the MSc Coordinators' office is located within the MSc Teaching Facilities, any issues can be raised (and solved) very quickly.

Our MSc students are invited to all postgraduate events including the Postgraduate Lecture Series and Postgraduate Research Conference.  At these events you can meet and talk with PhD students, researchers and attend key lectures covering the School's research activities, best practice and safety.

The School pf Physics & Astronomy has a dedicated Student Services Administrator for Postgraduate Studies and Disabilities Contact.  This member of staff should be your first point of contact for any Disability or Extenuating Circumstances issues.  All queries will be treated in the strictest confidence and dealt with promptly.

The School also has a dedicated Education Support Officer who will be able to deal with all manner of issues including timetabling, University administration, module selection and the booking of University rooms for student-lead events / study sessions.

All of our module make extensive use of the University's Virtual Learning Environment, Learning Central, where you can access discussion forums and find course materials including recordings of lectures (where available), links to related materials, lecture slides, assessment scripts, model solutions and examples of student work from previous years.

When you undertake the summer research project you will be assigned a primary and secondary academic supervisor whose responsibility it will be to keep you properly advised and supported throughout your research project.  They will be your first point of contact during the research project and it is usual that your primary supervisor is the lead researcher in the group / sub-group that you join.

If you undertake your research project with one of our external partners (either in industry or a research institution) then one of your supervisors may be external to the University but your primary supervisor will always be a member of the academic staff of Cardiff University.

Research project students are assigned a research project mentor, who will typically be one of the MSc Coordinators.  You will meet at least twice with your research project mentor, who will be completely impartial and able to provide advice and (if necessary) affect any urgent changes or solve problems you might be experiencing.  Altogether, you will have a minimum of three (academic projects) or four (industrial projects) members of staff supporting you throughout your research project.

The course is designed to foster a strong community spirit within the MSc cohort.  You will work together in pairs, in groups and as a cohort.  There will be weekly group meetings at which you will report progress, discuss problems and suggest solutions.  This strong peer-support and peer-learning/teaching has proven extremely powerful, with students and External Examiners alike noting the strong positive effect it has in enhancing MSc students' learning.

What are the learning outcomes of this course/programme?

The Learning outcomes for this Programme describe what you will be able to do as a result of your study at Cardiff University. They will help you to understand what is expected of you and academic staff will focus on precisely what they want you to achieve within each Module. 

Knowledge & Understanding:

On completing the Programme you will be able to demonstrate:

• A sophisticated level of knowledge and understanding of the current state-of-the-art in the field of data-intensive astrophysics;
• A sophisticated level of the core knowledge applicable to the practice of data-intensive astrophysics, including an up-to-date acquaintance with the academic literature, high-performance computing techniques, the important aspects of informatics and data analysis and wider issues connected with data conservation etc.
• Knowledge and understanding of the most effective software packages, programming languages and mathematical techniques central to tackling research problems in the field of data-intensive astrophysics.

Intellectual Skills:

On completing the Programme you will be able to demonstrate:

• A sophisticated theoretical and computational, mathematical and data-analytic skillset and the ability to adapt these skills to novel applications;
• A sophisticated specialist skillset derived from the elective modules and the ability to adapt these skills to novel applications;
• The ability to critically analyse, critique, curate and synthesise state-of-the-art academic literature and the most up-to-date techniques.

Professional Practical Skills:

On completing the Programme you will be able to:

• Efficiently and effectively integrate into a research group environment, including concisely reporting progress, negotiating activities and timescales, supporting colleagues and working in a team;
• Plan, propose and execute a sophisticated research project with realistic goals, deliverables and contingency plans;
•  Demonstrate a solid, research-grade level of knowledge across the core elements of data science.

Transferable/Key Skills:

Students completing the Programme will demonstrate:

• Effective communication skills, including literature reviews, literature critiques, academic article writing, long report writing and formal scientific presentations;
• Effective and efficient group and team working skills, including negotiation, compromise, contingency planning, time management and record-keeping;
• Engagement, liaison and collaboration with expert research scientists and the ability to transfer concepts, methodologies and modes of presentation between both environments.
• An extensive working knowledge and experience of state-of-the-art programming language (i.e. Python).