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Technology & Data Degree

Data Engineer

Build and maintain the data pipelines, warehouses and infrastructure that let organisations store and analyse data at scale.

A day in the life

Design databases, build ETL/ELT pipelines, monitor data quality, and support data scientists and analysts.

Typical route

Helpful A-levels

Physics + Maths + Computer Science

Typical qualification and training

  • Computer Science, Maths or Physics degree
  • Graduate scheme or data engineering conversion course

These are common routes, not compulsory subject combinations. Entry requirements vary between universities, training schemes and employers, so always check the current provider requirements.

Indicative UK salary

Starter
£30,000-£40,000
Experienced
£50,000-£75,000
Senior
£90,000+

Finance, tech and AI companies often pay above these ranges.

Salary range checked against Prospects.ac.uk: Data Scientist.

UK employers

  • GCHQ
  • Monzo
  • BBC
  • Skyscanner

Worldwide employers

  • Google
  • Amazon
  • Snowflake
  • Databricks

Useful route links

These links are good starting points for courses, apprenticeships, graduate routes and professional training. They open the official or specialist sites rather than another summary page.

UCAS course search: data engineering Compare degree prospectuses, entry requirements, open days and course structures. ucas.com Tech Nation jobs and talent Specialist UK AI, machine-learning and quantum talent routes. technation.io UCAS Physics and astronomy courses Search UK undergraduate physics, astrophysics and related degree options. ucas.com Prospects: what can I do with a physics degree? Independent overview of careers that physics graduates enter. prospects.ac.uk Find an apprenticeship on GOV.UK Search current apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship vacancies in England. gov.uk

Key skills

Data Scientist

Use maths, statistics and programming to find patterns in large datasets and guide decisions.

View profile

Software Engineer

Design, build and maintain the software that runs devices, services and scientific instruments.

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Machine Learning Engineer

Build, train and deploy machine-learning models that power products from search engines to medical diagnostics.

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Sources and further reading

External links open in a new tab.

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