Academics»Communication Data Science (MS)

Program Information

Dual Degree with Tsinghua University School of Journalism and Communication

Admissions and applications for the Master of Science in Communication Data Science Dual Degree with Tsinghua University School of Journalism and Communication are handled by Tsinghua University.

The Master of Science in Communication Data Science Dual Degree with Tsinghua University School of Journalism and Communication leads to two Master degrees, one from each institution: a Master of Science in Communication Data Science (a cross-disciplinary joint degree offered by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) and a Master of Journalism and Communication from the Tsinghua University (THU) School of Journalism and Communication. The two institutions, USC and THU, have a formal partnership to amplify cooperation between USC and THU and between the United States and China to capitalize on the synergies of the respective curricula and to provide students with the opportunity for a unique transcultural and cross-discipline experience that will position them to be global leaders in their field.

Graduates of the Master of Science in Communication Data Science Dual Degree will be experts in the emerging fields of data science for journalism and communication. In the course of their studies, students will learn about theories and principles underlying human communication and their integration into emerging communication technologies. They will also understand the technical underpinnings of a diverse range of emerging communication platforms, including digital newsrooms, social media, enterprise collaboration systems, and virtual and augmented reality. They will have the capability to build these technologies and effectively manage teams to create effective communication frameworks for a variety of goals. Finally, they will master powerful techniques for analyzing large volumes of data generated by digital communication platforms using machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The dual degrees are subject to the following stipulations: 

1. The requirements for both degrees must be satisfied to complete the dual degree.

2. The program description for the Tsinghua University Master of Journalism and Communication is online at https://www.tsjc.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/info/1205/1320.htm.

3. The general requirements for the MS in Communication Data Science (MS CMDS) in this dual degree program are the same as those for the USC general MS Communication Data Science except that at least 24 units (of the 32 required units) must be completed at USC, and up to 8 units of preapproved course work transferred from Tsinghua University may be counted toward the degree requirements at USC. This is due to a special partnership established by a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Universities. 

4. Other requirements for the MS CMDS are the same as set forth in the general requirements for Viterbi School of Engineering Master of Science degrees.

5. Students who elect to receive only the USC degree must change their degree objective from the USC-Tsinghua University dual degree to the general USC MS CMDS.

6. Generally, students must take at USC the “Foundation” courses of the USC MS CMDS. There must be justification for the omission of a required course in either degree; for example, a certain course in one degree may provide comparable content to the omitted course in the other degree.

7. The USC Data Science Program and the Annenberg School of Communication have identified a list of transferable THU courses that can be considered USC equivalents but are also willing to entertain transfer, on a case by case basis, of unique relevant THU courses for which no obvious mapping to a USC course exists.

Students with requisite programming knowledge may be allowed to test out of DSCI 510. An entrance exam will be held at three time periods: two weeks before the start of the semester, one week before the start of the semester and during the first week of the semester. Students who pass the exam will be allowed to replace DSCI 510 with an additional elective.

Foundation (20 units):

  • COMM 502 Theoretical Approaches to Multidisciplinary Design Projects (4 units)
  • COMM 557 Data Science for Communication and Social Networks (4 units)
  • DSCI 549 Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science (4 units)
  • DSCI 510 Principles of Programming for Data Science (4 units)
  • DSCI 550 Data Science at Scale (4 units)

Data Science Core (4 units):

  • DSCI 517 Research Methods and Analysis for User Studies (4 units)
  • DSCI 531 Fairness in Artificial Intelligence (4 units)
  • DSCI 529 Security and Privacy (4 units)
  • DSCI 552 Machine Learning for Data Science (4 units)
  • DSCI 553 Foundations and Applications of Data Mining (4 units)
  • DSCI 554 Data Visualization (4 units)
  • DSCI 555 Interaction Design and Usability Testing (4 units)
  • DSCI 556 User Experience Design and Strategy (4 units)
  • DSCI 558 Building Knowledge Graphs (4 units)
  • DSCI 560 Data Science Professional Practicum (4 units)
  • DSCI 564 Probability and Statistics for Data Science (4 units)
  • DSCI 565 Introduction to Deep Learning for Data Science (4 units)
  • DSCI 599 Special Topics (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 units)

Communication Core (8 units):

  • CMGT 507 Information Management: Analysis and Visualization (4 units)
  • CMGT 510 Communication and Persuasion (4 units)
  • CMGT 513 Communication Ethics for New Media and Technology (4 units)
  • CMGT 515 Innovation and the Information Economy (4 units)
  • CMGT 520 Social Roles of Communication Media (4 units)
  • CMGT 529 Creator Culture and Industries (4 units)
  • CMGT 530 Social Dynamics of Communication Technologies (4 units)
  • CMGT 537 The Industry, Science and Culture of Video Games (4 units)
  • CMGT 541 Integrated Communication Strategies (4 units)
  • CMGT 542 Business Strategies of Creator Firms (4 units)
  • CMGT 550 Hollywood 3.0 — Entertainment Industry in the Convergence Age (4 units)
  • CMGT 551 Communicating Entertainment Media Identities (4 units)
  • CMGT 555 Online Marketing Communication Development and Analysis (4 units)
  • CMGT 556 Global Marketing Communication (4 units)
  • CMGT 558 International Entertainment Marketplaces (4 units)
  • CMGT 564 Methodological Fundamentals of Big Data in Communication (4 units)
  • CMGT 568 Influencer Strategies (4 units)
  • CMGT 587 Audience Analysis (4 units)

This page is based on the current 2024-2025 USC Catalogue. The 2025-2026 USC Catalogue will be published in summer 2025.