Question 1

Course Curriculum

Accepted Answer

1. What is the scope of the MS in Data Analytics Engineering program?

The MS in Data Analytics Engineering is an engaging yet rigorous 8 months online (with IIIT-Bangalore) and 15-months on-campus (Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA - College of Engineering, USA ) program designed for students to develop practical knowledge and skills, establish a professional network, and accelerate entry into the field of Business Intelligence Analyst, System Specialist, and Database Architect. The learner as part of this program will receive dual certification - an Advanced Certificate Program in Data Science from IIIT Bangalore and a Master’s degree in MS in Data Analytics Engineering from Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA.

2. What should I expect from MS in Data Analytics Engineering?

Northeastern University’s MS in Data Analytics Engineering equips students with the skills to collect, manage, analyze, and visualize complex data, combining core coursework in statistics, machine learning, database management, and data visualization with electives tailored to areas like healthcare analytics, IoT, or business intelligence. The program offers flexibility through its curriculum and provides experiential learning opportunities via Northeastern’s signature co-op program, allowing students to gain hands-on industry experience. While the program is rigorous and demands strong quantitative, programming, and analytical skills; it prepares graduates for high-impact roles in tech, engineering, healthcare, finance, and other data-driven industries. The commitment includes balancing coursework, co-op or project work, and students gain practical expertise, career-ready skills, and access to a strong professional network.

The Master of Science in Data Analytics Engineering at Northeastern is built for people who want to do more than describe data. It is for those who want to turn data into decisions, designs, and transformative solutions. The program teaches you how to collect, clean, process, model, and visualize data so that your insights can improve products, optimize processes, and reshape organizations.

3. What is the Gordon Leadership Certificate?

The Gordon Engineering Leadership (GEL) Certificate at Northeastern University is a highly selective program designed for engineers aiming to take on leadership roles in complex, high-impact projects.

Offered at only a handful of leading institutions such as MIT, UC San Diego, and Tufts, the certificate is known for its prestige, rigor, and strong industry recognition. Administered by the Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership and recognized by the National Academy of Engineering, the program provides structured training in decision-making, team management, and strategic problem-solving, all tailored specifically to engineering environments.

The learning model emphasizes experiential education, blending classroom theory with hands-on practice. Students can pursue the certificate alongside the Master of Science engineering degrees at Northeastern. Students typically add it as a focused complement to their graduate studies, taken with a separate enrollment.

4. Which topics are going to be covered as part of the online coursework?

The program is designed for professionals with limited data analytics experience to help them build their understanding from the basics to an advanced level. The program covers tools such as Python, MySQL and Excel, as well as important Data Science concepts such as statistics and exploratory data analytics, regression, clustering, tree models, model selection, principal component analysis, machine learning & artificial intelligence, Aligned Mathematical Theory, applications, signal processing and many more.

5. What type of learning experience should I expect from the online coursework?

The online learning experience will be a mix of interactive lectures from industry leaders as well as world-renowned faculty. Additionally, the program comprises live lectures dedicated to solving your academic queries and reinforcing learning. The on-campus learning experience will offer students the opportunity to engage directly with faculty.

6 .Is any certification granted at the end of the program?

Post successful completion of the online program, an Advanced Certificate Program in Data Science certificate would be awarded from IIIT Bangalore and on completion of the on-campus degree program, a Master's degree in MS in Data Analytics Engineering shall be conferred upon by Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA .

7. CAN, I sign up only for a few specific modules if I am interested in it?

No, the program is designed to be completed in its entirety and cannot be taken as standalone modules.

8. What is a co-op program at Northeastern University?

Co-op programs at Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA are academic programs that combine classroom learning with practical work experience in a professional setting. Students have the opportunity to gain real-world skills, industry connections, and enhance their resumes through immersive full-time work opportunities. Northeastern is a global leader in co-op education, consistently ranked as the #1 co-op program in the nation.

9. Does this course at Northeastern University offer a co-op component?

Yes, this program has a co-op component. Students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to participate in a co-op experience, allowing them to apply their classroom knowledge in real-world work setting.

10. How do I enroll in the program, and when do I need to declare a Graduate Co-op track?

Once students are on campus, they should contact their graduate academic advisor to declare a Graduate Co-op concentration.

11. Will I be paid during Graduate co-op?

In many cases, co-op opportunities are paid positions. However, compensation varies depending on the industry, job market, or other special circumstances. Whether paid or unpaid, all of our co-ops offer unparalleled industry experience with a variety of employers.

12. What are the various work locations available for Graduate co-op opportunities at Northeastern University?

Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA offers a wide range of work locations for Graduate co-op opportunities. These opportunities are available in over three dozen states across the United States and in approximately 90 countries worldwide. While many students opt to work in the Boston area, Northeastern encourages students to be open-minded and flexible about their work location to ensure a rewarding experience and to broaden their future career prospects. The university particularly emphasizes the benefits of international co-op experiences, which provide students with a unique perspective on their work and the chance to explore different parts of the world. Students are advised to consult with their co-op coordinator to explore the available options and understand the specific requirements associated with each location.

13. How much commitment does a co-op program require?

While full time co-op shall require a commitment of 32-40 hours/week over 3-8 months, Part-time co-op shall require a commitment of 15-31 hours/week over 3-8 months.

Question 2

About Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA

Accepted Answer

1. Why should you pursue MS in Data Analytics Engineering from Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA?

Data is no longer optional. Organizations are moving from intuition-based decisions to data-driven strategies, and they need professionals who can handle complex analytics from start to finish. This program prepares you to shape decisions, not just report them.

Graduates can step into roles such as Data Engineer, Data Analyst, Machine Learning Engineer, Business Analytics Consultant, Operations Research Analyst, or Data Architect. With deep technical knowledge and industry experience, you can influence healthcare outcomes, optimize manufacturing systems, detect fraud in finance, or build intelligent supply chains.

Because this program blends mathematics, technology, and domain expertise, it offers rare flexibility. You are prepared for specialized technical roles, leadership positions in cross-functional analytics teams, or advanced research and doctoral studies in engineering, information systems, or healthcare analytics. By the time you graduate, you are positioned to drive innovation in any data-centric field.

2. Can international students work to pay for their educational expenses?

All students in the USA with a valid F-1 Visa are not eligible to work off-campus. Rather, such students are eligible to work on-campus as graduate assistants or research assistants or other on-campus ad-hoc jobs and receive compensation, beginning in their first semester. The list of available positions will be provided in advance of the Fall semester (please note the number of these positions are limited and not guaranteed).

4. Will I be supported for TOEFL/IELTS/PTE or other English language exams during this program?

Yes, upGrad will help you prepare for the English proficiency test to establish your current English proficiency to be eligible for the Master's program in the USA.

5. When will I go to Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA?

Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA offers 2 intakes for students coming through the accelerator route. The first intake of the year will be the January (spring) intake, and the second intake will be September (Fall). Though the application process for Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA will start during the IIIT Bangalore online program, you will be able to go to Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA in the nearest intake which is at least 3 months away from completion of your IIIT Bangalore program.

6. When will I get an Offer Letter from Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA?

upGrad will apply for you to Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA once all the documents are provided by you (as given in the offer letter issued to you by upGrad). Apart from the documents mentioned in the offer letter of Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA you will have to give proof of English proficiency for application of admission in Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA. upGrad will support you to get your English proficiency scores within 3 months of the start of the batch to accelerate this process.

Question 3

Selection Criteria

Accepted Answer

1. How do I know if the program is right for me?

This program is right for:

Designed to move beyond data reporting, the program focuses on shaping strategic, data-driven decisions across various industries.
Prepares graduates for technical roles such as Data Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, and leadership positions within analytics teams, with strong industry relevance.
Combines mathematics, technology, and domain expertise, offering flexibility to work in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and supply chain.
Provides a foundation for advanced research or doctoral studies, equipping professionals to drive innovation in data-centric fields.

2. Is there any minimum educational qualification required to take this program?

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

Students who have cleared B.Tech / B.Engg in CSE/ECE/EEE/IT/DS/AI with minimum 70% marks or 3.0 GPA.

The awarding university should be only NAAC A+ and higher in the last four years.

The maximum backlogs (ATKTs) accepted will be 3.

For Northeastern University - College of Engineering, USA:

An aggregate score of 3.0 GPA and above in the Advanced Certificate Program in Data Science with a minimum of 3.0 GPA in each course.

English Proficiency Requirements* are TOEFL of >=95 or IELTS Academic >= 7.0 overall with no sectional score less than 7.0 or Duolingo -125 overall with no sectional score less than 120.

3. Is work experience required for this course?

Work experience is not mandatory for admission; however, applicants with prior experience may share it.

4. Can I still proceed with the transfer if I fall short of the eligibility requirement for the Accel Program?

Yes, you can transfer to the university but you will not be eligible for the credit transfer process. Any decision(s) pertaining to the credit transfer in that case will be at the sole discretion of the university you are transferring to. Nevertheless, you will be eligible to enroll into the full course.

5. What is the selection process for this program?

There are 3 simple steps in the Admission Process which is detailed below:
STEP 1 - Application and Document Submission - Apply on upGrad.com and submit your documents.
STEP 2 - Shortlisting basis overall performance - Our admissions committee will review your profile. Upon qualifying, an offer letter will be sent to you.
STEP 3 - Enrollment for Access to Prep Content - Make a quick block payment of INR 25,000 to reserve your seat and receive immediate access to the prep content and begin your upGrad journey. Complete balance payment with assistance from our loan partners where required.

6. What are the list of documents required for the application ?

Class 10th & 12th Marksheet and Certificate
Graduation Degree & Semester Wise Mark Sheets
Scanned copy of Graduation Transcripts
Scanned copies of passport (Name & Address Page)
Statement of Purpose
Two letters of recommendation (Academic/Professional or both)
Latest Resume
Proof of English Proficiency (TOEFL iBT, IELTS, PTE, etc.)
Digital Photo (if required)
Base University Transcript to be required to be presented 30 days after starting the MS in Data Analytics Engineering Program

Question 4

Time Commitment

Accepted Answer

1. What is the time commitment expected for the program?

At least 12-15 hours per week of time commitment is expected to be able to complete this program.

2. How will my doubts/questions be addressed in an online program?

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 5

Payment

Accepted Answer

No cost CC EMI FAQ's

0% EMI with Third Party Credit Facilitators /Credit card option availability will vary program wise.

1. Which banks allow using 0% Credit card EMI or Credit card EMI?
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, State Bank of India, CITIBANK and HSBC)

2. Is there any minimum transaction limit ?
Yes. 50000 is the minimum.

3. Standard Chartered Bank offers 18 or 24 months No Cost EMI ?
No. ONLY 12 months is available irrespective of the Program enrolled.

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

5. Are there any fees or down payment?
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.

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

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

8. Can I Pay Using Multiple Credit Cards ?
Multiple cards can be used to complete the payments using Part payment option make sure to inform the student, minimum transaction is INR 50000 to opt for 0% CC EMI E.g. Amount to be paid: 150000. I can pay using 2 Credit cards. Yes, Example :
HDFC Card – Part payment – INR 100000
ICICI Card – Part payment – INR 50000

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

10. Why is the entire amount blocked on my credit card?
Initially your bank will block the entire amount from your available purchase limit and from your next billing cycle, you will be charged the EMI amount. As you start paying your EMI, your credit limit will be released accordingly. For example, if you have made a payment of ₹100000 on 6-months EMI and your credit limit is ₹200,000 then initially your bank will block your credit limit by ₹100000. After payment of your first month EMI of Rs.15000, the blocked amount will come down to ₹85000.

11. Why is interest getting charged on No Cost EMI?
Your bank will charge you interest. However, this interest charge has been provided to you as an upfront discount at the time of your payment, effectively giving you the benefit of a No cost EMI. The total amount paid during the entire EMI tenure to the bank will be equal to the amount to be paid to upGrad.

Eg. Amount payable to upGrad: INR 405000
Let's say Amount deducted at the time of transaction: INR 379850 (Principal amount) Bank charges interest of 12-15% per annum on INR 379850
[Note: Interest factor is reducing rate and not Flat rate]
EMI AMOUNT = INR 33750 x 12 = INR 405000
Effectively, you have taken loan on 379,850 instead of 405,000

Question 6

Refund Policy

Accepted Answer

Is there any deferral or refund policy for this program?

Refund Policy:

Students must pay an applicable Caution Amount for the enrollment to the Program. This Caution Amount will be adjustable against the total Program fee payable by the student.
Once the student has made a partial or full payment of Program fee, such student can claim a refund for this amount at any time before the cohort commencement date by raising a refund request through ‘My applications’ page on our website (www.upgrad.com), stating the specific reason for the refund. The refund shall be subject to a deduction of INR. 20,000/- towards processing fee. If less than INR. 20,000/- have been paid in total, students shall not be eligible for any refund in such a case.
Students shall not be eligible for a refund (under any circumstances) if the refund request is raised post-program/Batch Start Date. In such a case, the student will continue to pay the EMI of his loan (if applicable), as the loan cannot be canceled. This is also applicable to students who could not complete their payment and could not get enrolled in their opted cohort. However, the student can request a Pre-Program deferral as per the policy defined below for the same.
Student shall not be eligible for refund of any amount paid towards the Program in case any discrepancy is identified between your application and self-attested documents including but not limited to wrong details about your grades or any other incorrect information provided in your application.
In case of a valid refund request post obtaining the loan from a third party credit facility provider, we would like to clarify that the responsibility of canceling the loan will lie with the student as upGrad is not privy to such arrangements between the student and the third party credit facility provider.
If students do not provide documents as per the timeline mentioned in the offer letter, they will be deferred to the next batch but they will not be eligible for any refunds.
You shall not be eligible for refund of any amount paid towards the Program in case any discrepancy is identified between your application and self-attested documents including but not limiting to wrong details about your grades or any other incorrect information provided in your application.

Deferral Policy: (Pre- 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, if a student is deferring from his assigned cohort batch mentioned in the offer letter, the student will not be eligible for any refund post the deferral.
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 the 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 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 the initial batch the student enrolled for.
The student will be required to pay 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 been completed, deferral requests shall not be entertained. For clarification, the batch completion here shall mean the “last grace deadline” as communicated by upGrad.

Deferral policy applicable only for International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (“IIIT Bangalore”)
• The first deferral request to any program offered by IIIT Bangalore (pre-program commencement or post-program commencement) shall be free for one time.

The Executive Post Graduate Program learners should complete the course in a maximum duration of 3 years from the initial batch start date.
The Advanced Certificate Program learners should complete the course in a maximum duration of 2 years from the initial batch start date.
The Professional Advanced Certificate Program learners should complete the course in a maximum duration of 2 years from the initial batch start date.

MS in Data Analytics Engg at NU CoE

Northeastern University, CoE, USA

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₹21 Lakhs*

$140K

3 Years

Sep 2026

One degree, infinite global possibilities

Start online, complete on-campus in Boston

Curriculum designed for your success

Online

IIIT Bangalore, India

Advanced Certificate Program in Data Science

Pre-Programme Content

Core Courses

On-Campus

Northeastern University -CoE, USA