The programme offers a profound training in the design, analysis and reporting of data-driven research. It is meant for students who already have a master's degree or equivalent (a 4-year programme at a minimum) from study fields carrying enough mathematical, statistical and computing background within different faculties.
As from the academic year 2019-2020 all applicants have to do an Admission Test regardless of their background. This test is the final practical step of the admission procedure and you will be invited to it after submitting your application.
The admission test will evaluate your abilities in:
The admission test will consist of 10 multiple-choice questions for each of the four sections (hence totalling 40 multiple-choice questions). The whole test will be graded according to the regulations of Ghent University on multiple-choice questions and you should pass for each of the four sections. You should also answer all 40 questions within the allotted timeframe, i.e. 70 minutes.
The admission test will be held at different occasions but you are supposed to attend the first session after we have received your application. If you do note take or pass the admission test at the date scheduled for you, then you have one second chance for passing the admission test on the date scheduled immediately after it (as every participant has two subsequent chances for doing the admission test).
Applicants who enroll (after their graduation) in September can take the admission test on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, 18h00-19h10 and in case they do not pass it then they have a second chance on Friday, 20 September 2024, 18h00-19h10.
Note that no new applications will be accepted anymore after 17th September 2024.
Since the Corona measures the admission test will be online so you should do it on your own computer from home. You need to install Proctorio on your computer so we can monitor your behaviour during the test.
In case you want to refresh your knowledge, there are numerous resources. For Basic mathematics, Probability and Statistics we recommend the tutorials on educational websites such as Coursera, edX, Khan Academy etc. (or other websites such as e.g. Udacity, Udemy etc. but the latter are typically not free nor are they affiliated with an academic institution). Below we give a few useful suggestions but by no means should you study everything: just focus on what needs a refresher.
For Statistics there is also the textbook Moore, David S., George P. McCabe and Bruce A. Craig (2017). Introduction to the Practice of Statistics (9th Edition). New York: W.H. Freeman. This is the reference for our course Principles of Statistical Data Analysis.
For R there are various resources: there is the official Introduction to R on CRAN (html, pdf) but any other online tutorial (e.g. swirlstats.com) will do. As from 2020, Ghent University also offers two online modules on R:
Everyone has access to both modules, but if you register then you will also receive automatic feedback on the exercises.
If you want to practice your abilities before doing the actual Admission test, then you can do the Self-evaluation test. It consists of only 30 multiple-choice questions but it is entirely representative for the official admission test in terms of level and scope of the questions. The Self-evaluation test is anonymous and your responses to the test will not be recorded but it will give you a good idea of the Admission test, to which you will be invited.