On November 19, the University of Southern California launched a brand-new Master of Science in Economics and Data Science (MECDS) program. Jointly offered by USC’s two flagship schools—the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Viterbi School of Engineering—the program aims to combine core economic theory with data science skills, cultivating professionals capable of conducting in-depth analysis in complex economic environments. The program will commence in Fall 2025 and is expected to attract many students seeking to develop in both economics and data science. For more details and any graduate application questions, you can also scan the QR code below for one-on-one consultation.
1. Program Overview
The Master of Science in Economics and Data Science enables students to apply modern empirical techniques and leverage existing large datasets to conduct complex economic analyses across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. More importantly, the MECDS program equips the next generation of data scientists with the economic analytical skills to pose meaningful questions, design effective research strategies, and interpret and communicate findings.
Official website: https://dornsife.usc.edu/mecds/
2. Curriculum
The MECDS curriculum covers the core knowledge of economics and data science. Students are required to complete a total of 8 courses earning 32 credits, including 4 economics courses and 4 data science courses.
Economics Courses (4):
- Microeconomic Analysis and Policy
- Econometrics in Practice
- Econometrics for Big Data
- One elective
Data Science Courses (4):
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For students with no programming experience:
- Principles of Programming for Data Science
- Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science
- Data Science at Scale
- Data science elective
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For students with programming experience:
- Foundations of Data Management
- Machine Learning for Data Science
- Foundations and Applications of Data Mining
- Data science elective
Through these courses, students will master modern empirical techniques, be able to conduct complex economic analysis using large datasets, and possess the economic analytical skills to pose meaningful questions and design effective research strategies.
3. Admission Requirements
Applicants to the USC MECDS program must meet the following requirements:
- Degree Requirement: A bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Academic Background: Applicants must have completed one year of calculus, one statistics course, and introductory microeconomics and macroeconomics. Those with intermediate economics coursework will be given preference.
- Language Requirements:
- TOEFL: total score 90 with at least 20 in each section
- IELTS: total score 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each band
- GRE: Required; GMAT is not accepted.
The application opens on December 15, 2024, and the deadline is April 15, 2025.
4. Career Prospects
As data science and economics continue to converge, graduates of the MECDS program will possess strong competitiveness in the job market. They can conduct complex economic analysis in the public, private, and non-profit sectors and are well-suited for roles such as data analyst, economic consultant, and market research analyst. With the program’s emphasis on integrating modern empirical techniques with economics, graduates will be able to effectively handle data-driven decision-making processes, meeting the demand for high-caliber data scientists across various industries.
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