Sulia Celebi

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Course: Health Data Analytics MSc
Year of graduation: 2017

I found the course really stimulating and I really enjoyed developing such a strong understanding of modelling observational data. I also really valued that the course provided me with the opportunity to develop my programming skills in R. Since graduating, it’s become really clear to me how valuable these skills are, and how much they are sought after from employers.

Lots of staff had open door policies and were patient with, and responsive to, our many emails about assignments and lecturers. They often went out of their way to ensure we were on track and enjoying the course. This was particularly helpful during the research project where there was a great balance between support and independent work that proved to make it an enjoyable experience.

I think the biggest highlight has been the connections I’ve made, both professional and personal. When studying, I was part of a study group that really enhanced the experience, serving as a support network and a collaborative space within which to puzzle through some harder assignments; so very similar to in the real working environment. To this day, I still email both my thesis supervisors and peers from this study group if I need statistical advice.

I now work as a Senior Data Scientist at a national public health intelligence agency. A lot of what I learnt on the masters is directly useful in the work that I do, especially the grounding in statistics, modelling and R. This knowledge has enabled me to progress quickly in my career and take the lead on a number of projects as I am confident in my own abilities and know where and when to look for further information.

I would really recommend the MSc. It was such an interesting experience and an eye opener. I can instantly see how much more employable it has made me. It gave me an excellent toolkit to enter the workplace that has helped me and many of my peers to excel in our current jobs. It’s hard work but it’s totally worth it!