The Master of Applied Data Science program at USC is primarily career-oriented, with a 2020 USNEWS Composite Ranking of 22. Students will graduate with the equivalent of a Data Scientist, Data Analyst, etc. Students will learn practical data management and data analytics skills in the program, which will include some of the latest big data infrastructure such as Hadoop and SQL Server. Students will learn practical data management and data analysis skills in the program, which will include some of the latest big data infrastructures, such as Hadoop and Spark and a variety of analytical tools, such as machine learning, data mining and data visualization.

Curriculum: 3 core classes plus 5 electives, ****32 credits, 4 credits per course, overall the program is very quantitative. The core classes are Data Management, Machine Learning and Data Science, and Data Mining. The range of electives is also broad.

The program is located in Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the U.S. after New York, and there are many job opportunities in a wide range of fields, including Internet companies, financial institutions, consulting firms, engineering, and the education industry.

Additionally, as a STEM program, students can stay in the U.S. for an additional three years after graduation to gain work experience, and then return to their home country to find employment in a more competitive environment.

The Applied Data Science program at USC is better suited for students to work directly after graduation, but not for students to continue to study for a doctorate.