The objective of the USC Viterbi Master of Science in Applied Data Science is to train students with a range of backgrounds to be skilled data scientists.
This program allows strong students trained in either computer science or other engineering or scientific disciplines (or even social science disciplines with a demonstrated aptitude for math and science) to get the training to pursue a career in applied data science.
Students completing this degree will have learned the skills required to work as a data scientist, including a basic understanding of data science techniques, the ability to write data science programs in Python, knowledge and experience in working with both databases and big data infrastructure, skills in applying machine learning and data mining techniques, and knowledge of how to apply these skills to real-world problems.
Our students are immersed in the overall field of data analytics, the role of the analyst and/or data scientist, and the domains where informatics skills can be applied to critical organization missions. They understand how data management, data visualization, data mining, and artificial intelligence techniques (specifically machine learning) are critical to the analysis process and how these can be applied to real-world challenges.
The program features the application of knowledge and skill in hands-on type experiences, with the goal of having students leave the program having “lived in the data.” Through an extensive elective track and our unique professional practicum, students find the specializations that will help them better prepare themselves for the area(s) of analytics in which they hope to contribute.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
SEMESTER | DEADLINE |
Fall | December 15 |
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in any engineering or engineering-related discipline. We also accept applicants from majors including, but not limited to: Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Economics, Information Technology, and Physics.
Applications are reviewed holistically; simply taking these courses does not guarantee admission.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
The following materials are required to be included with your online application:
- Transcripts
- Resume/CV
- Personal Statement
- Letter of Recommendation (2 highly recommended)
NOTE: The GRE is not required for 2025 applications.
The following link will take you to an overview of the tuition & fees for graduate engineering students, including payment information. Both on-campus and DEN@Viterbi students pay the same tuition
TUITION AND FEES OVERVIEW
Use the link below to download the Cost of Attendance to see a summary of tuition and fees by semester. The document is a typical example and the number of courses, and time to complete the program, will vary by student.
Estimated Cost of Attendance - 32 Unit Program
REEM ALMIJMAJ
What were the main reasons you chose to pursue this graduate program at USC?
I was fascinated with Data Science and found the USC program very compelling to its interdisciplinary coursework that provides a breadth of knowledge.
Tell us about an exciting and unforgettable experience from your two years at USC.
I cannot forget the joy I felt when I succeeded as a team member in finishing a project that helped calculate car carbon dioxide emissions; it reflected the experience and knowledge I acquired through studying at USC. Moreover, participating for the first time in AthenaHacks that the USC hosting in 2022.
What are some personal achievements or experiences you'd like to share?
I have worked on "Evaluating Alzheimer's Patients' Assistance Systems in HCI Domain," which was published in the International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas, and Innovations in Technology. In addition, being a member of the Women in Computing organization at USC, I gained valuable knowledge related to technology, and I had the chance to attend a couple of tech talks and workshops.
Which organizations/activities have you been involved with outside the classroom?
I am currently leading a Saudi Students Association at USC, sponsored by the Saudi Arabia Embassy (SACM).
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REHAN AHMED
What were the main reasons you chose to pursue this graduate program at USC?
Coming on a Fulbright Scholarship, initially, USC wasn’t in my plan but was suggested by my scholarship advisors. After doing my research, it became my preferred choice among the four US colleges I applied to. Viterbi’s reputation as an incredible engineering school, attended by such world-renowned names such as Neil Armstrong and its namesake, Andrew Viterbi, left me in awe. Moreover, its presence in Los Angeles was an added bonus and it felt like a moment straight out of a movie when I got the offer.
Tell us about an exciting and unforgettable experience from your two years at USC.
One of the most rewarding experiences studying here is the “Trojan” camaraderie. One example of it is as long as I wear the Trojan shirt or Trojan symbol, I can go anywhere in the US and I’ll find a fellow Trojan waving me the two-fingered salute. I was once cycling in Santa Monica, oblivious to this unspoken tradition, and a girl carrying a surfboard waved the V sign and yelled Trojans. Took me a while to get that she was gesturing to me before I yelled back. A similar experience happened to me while hiking at the Grand Canyon. Now, I’m the one who’s doing the yelling first.
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
I never went outside my home country before coming to USC. And living here, alone, away from my family and friends, it was a learning experience and a big personal achievement of mine to make it in a completely new environment and make new friends. USC and the environment it offers around campus has been instrumental in helping me with that.
Which organizations/activities have you been involved with outside of the classroom?
I worked on a research project as a part of Graduates Rising in Information and Data Science (GRIDS), which allows you to work on projects with Professors. I found it really rewarding and loved the experience. Following up with that, I decided to join my GRIDS Professor’s research team in a professional capacity as a Graduate Research Assistant, working on some cutting-edge research project. It was not only a challenging experience, but it has also helped me a lot in finding me a job after graduating.
What advice would you give future Viterbi students?
After every semester, I decide I’ll work every day to finish my work early and cycle on the weekends, or go for hikes, or go exploring. And then the semester starts and I get engrossed in completing assignments, meeting deadlines. Don’t be like me. Enjoy!
2022 First Destinations Survey - Outcomes*
Top Employers*
- Amazon
- Experian
- Google
- Meta Platforms, Inc.
- Qualcomm
.
Alumni Employment - 2022*
(Companies & Job Titles)
- Aeyesafe - Data Engineer
- Alibaba - Data Engineer
- Amazon - Business Intelligence Engineer, Data Scientist, Software Development Engineer
- Amazon Web Services - Software Engineer
- American Express Company - Data Scientist
- Antra Inc. - Java Developer
- Antra Inc. - Software Development Engineer
- Apple - Software Engineer
- Bain & Company - Senior Associate Data Science
- Barclays - Software Engineer
- Baseball Prospectus - Prospect Team Contributor
- Capital One Financial Corporation - Senior Data Scientist
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center - Research Data Scientist
- CICC - Analyst
- Coinbase - Software Engineer
- Delhivery USA LLC - Software Development Engineer
- Dropbox - Software Engineer
- E-Doctors Corp - Sales Data Analyst
- Experian - Data Analyst, Data Scientist
- Farmers Insurance - Data Management Specialist
- Fulgent Genetics - Bioinformatics Software Engineer
- Goldman Sachs - Strats Analyst
- Google - Software Engineer
- Henkel Corporation - Intern dx Americas Analytics
- Huafu Securities Co. Ltd. - Business Data Analyst
- HuataiI United Securities - Quantitative Analyst
- Huawei - Software Developer, Software Engineer
- Hylink Digital Solutions – No Title Provided
- IBIX Solutions - Data Analyst
- IXL Learning - Software Engineer
- Jefferies - Data Scientist
- Kaiser Permanente - Graduate Data Science Intern
- Kuaishou Technology - Data Analyst
- LinkedIn - Data Engineer
- Lionsgate - Data Scientist
- McMaster-Carr - Software Engineer
- Meta Platforms, Inc. - Data Engineer, Data Engineer, Research Data Scientist, Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer
- Microsoft - Data Scientist
- Microsoft China - Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer
- Minfon Group, Inc. - Internship position as a Program Associate
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - Curatorial Assistant
- Newsflare - Social Insights Analyst
- Palo Alto Networks - Data Scientist
- Poshmark, Inc. - Data Analyst, Marketing Analytics
- Qualcomm – Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, Software Development Engineer
- Quantum Photonics Club Corp. - Financial Analyst
- Rapp - Data Scientist
- Redbubble - Insight Analyst
- Redfin - Software Engineer
- RMSI North America Inc. - SQL Analyst
- Rubin Postaer and Associates (RPA) - Product Strategist
- SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park - Data Analyst
- Spokeo - Data Optimization Analyst
- Steno - Software Engineer
- Stripe - Software Engineer
- Tencent - Machine Learning Engineer
- ThoughtWorks - Data Engineer
- TikTok - Global ECommerce UG Product
- Tyson Foods, Inc. - Data Scientist
- Uber - Data Scientist
- United States Air Force - United States Air Force Officer
- University of Southern California - Data Mining, Software Engineer
- USAA - Business Analyst
- Vibrant America - Software Development Engineer
- Visa - Data Scientist
- VIZIO - Data Engineer II
- Walmart - Data Scientist
- Xiaotian He - Quantitative Research Analyst
- Yahoo! Inc. - Software Development Engineer
- Zenjob - Data Scientist
.
Internships (Summer 2023)**
Adobe Inc.; ADP; Amazon; AMD; Ameriprise Financial; Amphenol; Apollo Auto Inc.; Ares Operations LLC; Ark Biotech; Bank of China, New York Branch; Blue Systems; B-TRNSFRMD Consulting LLC; Capital One; Centene Management Company LLC; Children's Hospital Los Angeles; CVS Health; Deloitte; Dish Network; E. & J. Gallo Winery; Earnest; eBay; Electric Power Research Institute; Eli Lilly and Company; Equinor; Esri; EXL Services; Galileo Financial Technologies; Genpact; House of Hits; InnoSource and Nationwide; Intel Corporation; Intellipro Group Inc.; KIPP DC; Lightsource Consulting; Morgan Stanley; Mother Tongue Media LLC; Nationwide; Nitto BioPharma Inc.; Petrochina; PingCAP (US), Inc.; Pitney Bowes; Precision Drilling; Renesas Electronics America Inc.; Roblox; Sabre Corporation; SSi People; Stellantis; Strategy Asset Managers LLC; Symetra Life Insurance Company; TAPBLAZE; Tata Consultancy Services Limited; TikTok Inc.; University of Houston; Verisk Analytics; Veritiv Operating Company; Wayfair
.
* Information is based on a voluntary survey and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive view of the 2022 graduating class.
** Internship data is from CPT internships done by our international student population.
This program is also available online to professional engineers through DEN@Viterbi. Because the DEN@Viterbi program provides a fully equivalent academic experience, the degree a USC engineering student earns is the same whether they are on-campus or online.
If you are interested in beginning classes as a DEN@Viterbi student next semester, explore the requirements and steps to enrolling as a Limited Status Student.
Learn More About DEN@Viterbi
Detailed Program Curriculum and RequirementsSchedule of Classes
DEN@VITERBI ONLINE COURSE OFFERINGS
The following courses and program requirements serve as program planning for DEN@Viterbi students. Course offerings and availability are subject to change. Please consult with advisor if you have any questions.
Core Courses
|
All Courses Required - 12 units total. |
DSCI 551 | Foundations of Data Management (4 units) |
DSCI 552 | Machine Learning for Data Science (4 units) |
DSCI 553 | Foundations and Applications of Data Mining (4 units) |
Electives |
5 Courses Required - 20 Units total. |
DSCI 510 | Principles of Programming for Data Science (4 units) |
DSCI 549 | Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science (4 units) |
DSCI 550 | Data Science at Scale (4 units) |
CSCI 561 | Foundations of Artificial Intelligence (Units 4) |
CSCI 567 | Machine Learning (Units 4) |
CSCI 570 | Analysis of Algorithms (4 units) |
CSCI 571 | Web Technologies (4 units) |
CSCI 572 | Information Retrieval and Web Search Engines (4 units) |
CSCI 585 | Database Systems (4 units) |
Additional Notes |
Students with limited or no training in computer science should take DSCI 549, DSCI 510, and DSCI 550 before taking any other classes.
DSCI 550 should be taken prior to or in parallel with DSCI 551 and prior to taking DSCI 552 and DSCI 553.
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