The Foundations of Data Science minor teaches students the skills to apply techniques in data science to problems in their own discipline. Students will learn the basics of programming, how to apply statistics to evaluate data and techniques in data management, machine learning and visualization. Choosing from a variety of electives, students will be able to tailor this minor to learn the techniques most relevant to their needs.
Admissions are made by the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Students must earn a grade of “B” or better in DSCI 250: Introduction to Data Science, which requires ITP 115: Programming in Python to be taken prior to or at the same time. Students can speak to their undergraduate advisors to declare this minor.
The most up to date description of the program is in the USC Catalogue. Course descriptions are available here.
Major Core Requirements (30 - 32 units):
Required Introductory Courses (6 units):
DSCI 250 Introduction to Data Science (4 units)
ITP 115 Programming in Python (2 units)
Statics/Probability Requirement - Choose One Course (4 units):
BUAD 310g Applied Business Statistics (4 units)
EE 364 Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (4 units)*
MATH 208x Elementary Probability and Statistics (4 units)*
MATH 407 Probability Theory (4 units)*
MATH 408 Mathematical Statistics (4 units)*
Data Science Electives - Choose Three Courses (12 units):
DSCI 351 Foundations of Data Management (4 units)
DSCI 352 Applied Machine Learning and Data Mining (4 units)
DSCI 429 Security and Privacy (4 units)
DSCI 454 Data Visualization and User Interface Design (4 units)
ITP 249 Introduction to Data Analytics (4 units)
ITP 265 Object-Oriented Programming (4 units)
ITP 487 Enterprise Data Analytics (4 units)
ITP 489 In-Memory Data Modeling and Analytics (4 units)
Notes:
A grade of C (2.0) or better is required for each of the courses taken.
For current students, please contact Siobhan Littlejohn (freshmen) or Alexis Teodoro (sophomores, juniors, seniors) for questions and advisement regarding the Minor in Foundations of Data Science.
Current students follow degree requirements in effect for the academic year they began their studies at USC. If you are a current student, please refer to your STARS report or the appropriate USC Catalogue for your year. Students seeking to advance their catalogue year to follow updated curricula may contact their department advisor.
