Question 1

What is the Master in Data Science with upGrad?

Accepted Answer

The Master's degree is an engaging yet rigorous 12-month online and 12-month on-campus program designed for students to develop practical knowledge and skills, establish a professional network, and accelerate entry into data science careers. The student as part of this program will receive dual certification, an Executive PGP from IIITB and Master degree from IU, Germany.

Question 2

What should I expect from the Master Degree in Data Science?

Accepted Answer

Expect to carry out several industry-relevant projects simulated as per the actual workplace, making you a skilled data science professional at par with leading industry standards. On completion of programme, you will have option to apply for Post-Study-Work visa in Germany as well as get support from IU Career Services to search jobs in Germany.

Question 3

Which topics are going to be covered as part of the programme?

Accepted Answer

The programme will be delivered on a new technology platform to create a superior learning experience for participants who want to be on the cutting edge of the management. With this programme, IMTG & IU, Germany together seeks to develop the next generation of leaders. The topics that are going to be covered

Marketing Management, Business Communication, Accounting & Finance, Decision Sciences, Business Economics, OB, HR Management, Ethics & Legal, Sales & Distribution Management, Business Strategy, Operations & Supply Chain Management.

Once student reaches Germany, they will be studying 2 semesters where they will have options to choose from 2 Majors (Finance and Accounting or International Marketing) with 2 electives each and complete their master thesis and colloquium.

Question 4

What type of learning experience should I expect?

Accepted Answer

The content will be a mix of interactive lectures from industry leaders as well as world-renowned faculty. Additionally, the program comprises live lectures or hangout sessions dedicated to solving your academic queries and reinforcing learning. On-campus curriculum is focused on classroom teaching as well as research and thesis.

Question 5

Is any certification granted at the end of the programme?

Accepted Answer

Post successful completion of the program, a Executive PGP in Data Science would be granted from IIIT Bangalore and a Master degree in Data Science from IU, Germany

Question 6

When will I have to choose my specialization track?

Accepted Answer

There are two points of time during the course when you will have option of selecting specializations. The online programme has 23 weeks of common curriculum and ~29 weeks of specialization and capstone project. Once you’re through the 23 weeks of curriculum common to all the six tracks, you will be prompted to choose your specialization. In the first semester of your course in Germany, you will have option of choosing amongst 10 electives.

Question 7

How do I know which specialization is the best for me?

Accepted Answer

When you’re nearing the end of your online common curriculum, upGrad will provide you with a recommendation best suited for you based on your background. The following mapping should give you an idea about the specialization best suited for you although the final upGrad recommendation would come from a much more exhaustive rule engine.

- Data Science Generalist: Early Stage Professionals (0-5 yrs Exp) planning to upscale in Data Science
- Deep Learning: Engineers, Software and IT Professionals
- Natural Language Processing: Engineers, Software and IT Professionals
- Business Intelligence/ Data Analytics: Engineers, Marketing and Sales Professionals, Freshers
- Business Analytics: Engineers, Managers, Marketing and Sales Professionals, Domain Expert
- Data Engineering: Software and IT Professionals

Question 8

Do I have to choose the specialization recommended by upGrad?

Accepted Answer

No. You can choose whatever specialization you like once you are through the common curriculum. However, we would urge you to take up the recommendation provided by us as this based on a sophisticated rule engine and is meant to give you the best outcome for your background which will, in turn, make it easier for you to switch to a data role.

Question 9

What is the time commitment expected for the programme?

Accepted Answer

At least 12-15 hours per week of time commitment is expected to be able to graduate from the online program. On-campus program in Germany is full-time and will have appropriate workload.

Question 10

Will the six specializations require different time commitments?

Accepted Answer

Each of the six specializations will have a common 23-week curriculum in which the time commitment will be exactly the same.

Question 11

How will my doubts/questions be addressed in an online programme?

Accepted Answer

Our dedicated Student Support Team is available 7 days a week from 09 AM to 09 PM IST to resolve your non-academic queries.

Email us on studentsupport@upgrad.com to receive a response within 24 hours. For any urgent queries, please use the Call Back option on the learning platform and get a response within 2 working hours.

Additionally, an upGrad buddy will enhance the learners’ experience by engaging with them to ensure they are on track with upcoming deadlines, submissions, offer guidance, and resolve their non-academic queries.

Peer-to-peer discussion forum where you can post your queries and your peers/faculty/teaching assistants answer your queries within a day. Regular Q&A sessions with faculty to get clarification on conceptual doubts.

Question 12

Is there any deferral or refund policy for this programme?

Accepted Answer

Deferral Policy: (Pre- Online Program Commencement)

If a student, due to unavoidable circumstances is unable to commence with the cohort and requests for a deferral before the cohort starts, we provide the opportunity for the student to defer to another batch.
However, the student will be required to pay 50% of the total course fee amount (inclusive of taxes) before the deferral can be approved. Till this is completed, the student will be assumed to be continuing in the same cohort.
A student can request for deferral only once and to either of the scheduled cohorts to start in the next 1 year from the batch start date of initial batch the student enrolled for. The student has time till the current cohort launch date to make the payment of the 50% program fee, post which the deferral request will expire. Once the deferral window expires and the student now asks for a refund, the above-mentioned applicable refund policy will apply. The fee applicable to the deferred student will be as per prevailing fee for the batch student as opted to defer to (No additional deferral fee is required to be paid).

Deferral Policy: (Post Online Program Commencement)

If a student is facing severe issues in dedicating time to the course, we provide the opportunity for the student to defer to another batch. A student can request for deferral only once and to either of the scheduled cohorts to start in the next 1 year from the batch start date of initial batch the student enrolled for. The student will be required to pay a deferral fees of 10% of the total course amount fee + Taxes if any along with the differential program fees between the two cohorts The deferral request will be approved once the deferral fee is paid.
Till this is completed, the student will be assumed to be continuing in the same cohort. The student has 7 days (including holidays and weekends) from the date of deferral request to make the payment of the deferral fee post which the deferral request will expire, and the student will continue as part of the current cohort.
If the student completes the deferral payment, the student’s login will be disabled, the student will leave the deferred cohort and the student will start learning on the new cohort from the point of the last assignment that was graded in the deferred cohort. All grades and progress till that point will be carried forward as it is to the new cohort. For clarification, the grades of the graded assignments will be carried forward, whether the student had submitted these grading during the initial stage. The deferral can only be requested during the batch for which the student has enrolled is ongoing. Once the batch has completed, deferral requests shall not be entertained. For clarification, the batch completion here shall mean the “last grace deadline” as communicated by upGrad.

Question 13

Which banks allow using 0% Credit card EMI or Credit card EMI?

Accepted Answer

No cost EMI is available on credit cards from all major banks (American Express, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, RBL Bank, Standard Chartered, Axis Bank, Yes Bank).

Question 14

Will I have to pay any extra amount for the EMI transaction?

Accepted Answer

If you are availing 0% credit card EMI, upGrad will not charge any processing fees or down payment for these transactions. Your bank may levy GST or other taxes on the interest component of the EMI.

Question 15

Are there any fees or down payment?

Accepted Answer

Certain banks charge nominal processing fees between INR 99 - 500 on 0% Credit Card EMI transaction. If charged will be billed in the first repayment installment.

Question 16

Can I use my International credit card for 0% credit EMI or Credit Card EMI?

Accepted Answer

Only the Indian bank Credit cards can be used. But you can pay the amount using the Credit card option in one shot/part payments and later you can convert into EMI from your respective bank. The tenures and interest charges will depend on your bank. upGrad will not charge any processing fees or down payment for these transactions, this will be purely between you and your bank.

Question 17

Are there any charges in case I opt for cancellation/refund from the course after paying balance with no cost EMI?

Accepted Answer

Yes, there will be additional charges to the extent of interest paid by the upGrad to the bank, you will be refunded only Principal amount, i.e. the amount actually deducted/blocked from your card. This deduction will be in addition to the amount mentioned in the refund policy shared with your offer letter.

Question 18

How can I opt for Credit card EMI if my bank is not listed in the 0% Credit card EMI or Credit card EMI?

Accepted Answer

You can pay the amount using the Credit card option in one shot/part payments and later you can convert into EMI from your respective bank. The tenures and interest charged will depend on your bank. upGrad will not charge any processing fees or down payment for these transactions.

Question 19

How do I know if the programme is right for me?

Accepted Answer

If you like finding meaningful insights from data and if you get excited by the prospect of informing business decisions through analysis and have an analytical bend of mind, then this program is meant for you. As long as you are able to clear the selection test (or are exempt) and are excited about the transition to Data Science, this program is meant for you.

Question 20

My current role does not include exposure to data. Does it make sense for me to opt for this programme?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Data Science is becoming a necessity for all industries and is no more a choice. Hence, there is a critical demand for quality data professionals and because the supply is constrained, this is one of the most lucrative career options across industries.

Question 21

What is the application process for the programme and what are the timelines?

Accepted Answer

You can start the application process by submitting the application. Applications have already started for the next cohort.

Question 22

What is the selection process for this programme?

Accepted Answer

upGrad, IIIT B, IU Germany, world-renowned faculty, and many industry leaders have committed a lot of time in conceptualising and creating this programme to make sure that the learners can receive the best possible learning experience in data analytics. Hence, we want to make sure that the participants of this programme also show a very high level of commitment and passion for Data Science.

For entry into IU, Germany students have to successfully complete the IIIT Bangalore programme with a minimum of 50% of marks and a minimum one-year work experience in relevant fields after graduation and before the learner reaches Germany. upGrad will apply on your behalf once you complete the IIIT Bangalore programme and support you in securing an offer letter from IU, Germany. upGrad will also provide guidance on paying fees to University and visa application.

Question 23

Is there any minimum educational qualification required to take this programme?

Accepted Answer

To be eligible for the program, the following criteria need to be fulfilled:

College Degree: Bachelor’s Degree with minimum 50% or equivalent passing marks.

Executive PG Programme: The applicant should successfully complete the Executive PGP from IIIT B with a minimum of 50% of marks.

Question 24

What are the job opportunities in Germany?

Accepted Answer

Germany has the lowest unemployment rate across Europe of 5%. As per German industry bodies, there are more than 1 Lakh vacancies for IT jobs in Germany. As the average age of Germany is 44.5, they are looking for skilled immigrants to take up jobs in Germany.

Question 25

What are the part time working rules in Germany?

Accepted Answer

As a student you can work 20 hours per week or 120 full days part time during the year. Typical wage in Germany is around 10 Euros per hour.

Question 26

What are the living costs per year in Germany?

Accepted Answer

To prove you have sufficient financial resources to support yourself in Germany, you have to deposit 10332 Euro in a blocked German bank account before you apply for Visa. This amount can be withdrawn once you reach Germany to support your monthly expenses. Your actual expenses may vary depending on your lifestyle in Germany.

Question 27

What are the post study work visa rules in Germany?

Accepted Answer

Germany allows for the application of up to 18 months of post study work visa after completing a degree from Germany.

Question 28

Can you give more details on IU Germany?

Accepted Answer

IU Germany was established in 1998 and is a university of applied sciences. They have 17 campuses in Germany with 40 examination centers. International students can opt for either Berlin campus or Bad Honnef campus.

Question 29

Why should I study in IU Germany?

Accepted Answer

IU Germany prides itself on small class sizes. Typical class size at IU Germany is of 30 students. IU also has a well established career center which helps students in getting jobs. 94% of IU graduates receive job offer within 6 months of completion of course.