A STEM-designated degree program, the Master of Science in Digital Social Media (DSM) aims to equip students with the practical skills, critical knowledge, and state-of-the-art strategies to succeed in a cutting-edge career in the digital and social media sectors. Beyond learning the fundamentals of digital and social media industries theories and methods, students pursue a customized curriculum towards the design, incubation, and execution of a rigorous, portfolio-building, capstone project.
Students may pursue the MS on either a full- or part-time basis. Full time, the degree can be finished in one year and four months (across four terms, including the summer session); part time, all course work can be finished in two to three years.
Course Requirements
DSM is a 32-unit degree program, typically requiring two to three courses per semester, but can be adjusted to a student’s professional needs.
Mandatory DSM courses include two courses in research and methods (4 units each) and the 4-unit capstone course. Students must take either DSM 510 Introduction to Digital Social Media or INF 549 Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science , as well as DSM 596 Final Project Capstone .
Among the remaining courses, at least 12 units must be from a list of approved electives across the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Up to 8 units may be taken at USC outside the Annenberg School; these courses must be approved by the DSM program director and may be selected from a variety of disciplines.
Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in the program to graduate.
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