Learning Objectives

The Master of Science in Communication Data Science is a cross-disciplinary joint degree program offered by the Viterbi School of Engineering and USC Annenberg. 

The curriculum is designed to be accessible to students with any background, including students with a communication background and no computer science knowledge as well as students with a computer science background and no communication knowledge. For students with a computer science or engineering background, the program includes introductory courses on communication theory and practice and advanced courses on media, marketing, and the human and social aspects of communication. For students with a social science or communication background, the program offers courses to introduce them to programming and data systems, and advanced courses on machine learning, distributed systems, and human-computer interfaces. Advanced courses are offered to cover novel and emerging approaches to communication and data science.

Upon successful completion of the MS in Communication Data Science program students will be able to:

• Elicit requirements for data science needs in an organization.
• Design advanced data systems to collect, aggregate, and analyze data and information.
• Leverage data and theory to inform communication strategy.
• Effectively communicate complex data and results to a broad and diverse range of stakeholders.
• Combine narrative and visualization skills to tell compelling data-driven stories that support diverse perspectives. 
• Successfully lead a diverse, interdisciplinary project team in a data-rich communication environment.
• Learn fundamental concepts of data science that facilitate keeping abreast of the latest technological developments in a rapidly changing world.