Learner story: Floe Foxon

Floe Foxon is a scientist and data analyst who works in Pittsburgh, USA. He studied the University of Leeds’s Data Science (Statistics) MSc while working at a full-time 9-5 job, completing his studies in the evenings and on weekends. 

Floe benefitted from the flexibility of a 100% online course with Leeds while living in North America. 

We spoke to Floe about his experiences on this course, how it affected his everyday life, the benefits of studying a fully online programme and his aspirations for the future. 

Why did you apply to the Data Science (Statistics) course with Leeds?

I applied to the Data Science course with Leeds so that I could keep my position as a working professional while pursuing a rigorous postgraduate education. In the modern era, there’s no reason why someone should not be able to work while earning their degree if they chose to do so.

Can you introduce the course and your favourite aspects of it?

The Master of Science course in Data Science (Statistics) covers a range of topics related to analysing and visualising data, as well as building statistical and machine-learning models. These include generalised linear models, random forests and neural networks, Bayesian networks, and computational methods including Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques.

The course covers applications of these and other methods to specific, guided questions, as well as to open-ended, unguided projects using the Python and R programming languages. The course of study is highly interdisciplinary, with data ranging from medical and ethical to scientific and industrial contexts. For some assessments, the learner is free to pick whichever dataset they choose from any appropriate context, allowing the learner to cater their studies to their own specific interests.

What are the benefits of studying online verses a traditional campus programme?

Online study gives the learner the flexibility to study from anywhere in the world, including outside of the UK. While I am originally from the UK, I was able to complete the entire degree while living in North America without issue. Lessons are asynchronous, which means you don’t need to worry about time zones, staying up late, or waking up early to access the course materials.

The entire degree can be completed from the comfort of home, without needing to live in student accommodation. This also enables the learner to maintain full-time work while studying on a part-time basis. While working and studying at the same time does represent a unique time commitment, it is compensated for by decreasing the financial pressure of earning a degree; while working, I was able to fully fund my own education with Leeds without having to take out a student loan and pay it back with interest. 

This gave me a sense of control over my studies. Having now earned a degree online with Leeds as well as having previously earned a traditional campus-based degree from another leading University, I can honestly attest that my online studies with Leeds were no less rigorous and no less extensive than the campus-based programme.

How did your studies interact with your daily life?

With Leeds, I was able to maintain a full-time job while studying part-time toward my Masters degree on the side. This meant working my day job during normal hours and completing my studies in the evenings and at weekends. For me, this was well worth it to earn a full Masters degree from a reputable, world top 100 University.

What are your career aspirations after you complete the course?

My Masters degree from the University of Leeds made me more competitive in applying to doctoral study and other educational programmes; toward the end of my studies with Leeds, I was admitted onto a postgraduate programme in Artificial Intelligence with the University of Texas at Austin.

Any advice or recommendations for prospective students?

I spent as much time considering whether I should or should not enroll in an online postgraduate programme as I did on the programme itself. While it’s important to think about whether a degree is right for you, my advice to prospective students is not to overthink it. Leeds offers a serious and technical programme of study in data science and statistics which will equip you with a modern toolkit for a data-driven world.