Master of Science in Data Science and Law
Application Deadlines
Fall: December 15
Application to this program is only available for the fall semester
- Program Overview
- Application Criteria
- Tuition & Fees
- Career Outcomes
- DEN@Viterbi - Online Delivery
- Request Information
This program is designed for students interested in the legal aspects of data. Students will learn the basics of data science and the law and will develop knowledge and skills through data science and machine learning methodologies in order to address legal issues and problems.
It provides students with the breadth of knowledge that will position them for new and critical career paths that lie at the intersection of technology and the law. The primary professional/employment outcomes include:
- Becoming a data scientist in law firms to streamline legal processes, support organization analytics, and support data research for specific legal cases
- Develop approaches for efficient exploitation of large amounts of legal documents in different areas to serve specific aspects of the law and streamline well-defined aspects of legal processes and law-adjacent work
- Develop innovative data systems to broaden access to justice by streamlining popular legal services
- Provide counsel for organizations in matters involving data and privacy protection
- Provide counsel on legal aspects of new data systems and data architectures for organizations
- Provide counsel on public policy and regulations concerning data ethics and privacy
The MS in Data Science and Law program is offered jointly by the USC Gould School of Law and the USC School of Advanced Computing within the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
NOTE: This program does not qualify students to sit for a U.S. bar exam or become licensed attorneys. Those who intend to practice law will have earned or should pursue a JD degree. Also, this program does not provide advanced standing credit nor an admissions advantage to USC's JD program and course units from this program cannot be applied toward the JD degree.
International Students: This program is eligible for the OPT STEM extension. (pending final approval)
- This program requires completion of 32 units of coursework
- Thesis option not available. Directed Research (research without thesis) may be requested after completing first semester
- USC Catalogue
- USC Schedule of Classes
