#47 · QS Data Science and AI 2026
University of Southern California
- Los Angeles, United States
- 4 programs
- 3 research labs
- University website
The University of Southern California (USC) is in Los Angeles, USA. AI lives in the Viterbi School of Engineering: in the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science and the new Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence. We list four programs: three master's degrees in AI and data, plus a bachelor's degree in data science.
Programs
Language, length and tuition as USC states them on its own pages.
Bachelor's
Master's
Research labs
- Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center (RASC)
Medical, service, humanoid and space robots, and robot vision and learning.
- Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society (CAIS)
Responsible AI to help vulnerable groups, together with social services and organizations.
- Center of Machine Learning (MaSCle)
Machine learning research in the Department of Computer Science.
What to know
The Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence operates within the Viterbi School of Engineering. With a 260 million USD gift from the Lord Foundation, the school will hire 30 new faculty by 2027 and 60 by 2030. Source
The university calls its MS in Computer Science with an Artificial Intelligence focus one of the first programs of its kind in the country. It takes 32 units and is offered on campus only, not online through DEN@Viterbi. Source
The Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center (RASC) was founded in fall 2002 and was called CRES until 2013. Its projects include medical, service, humanoid and space robots, haptic systems, and robot vision and learning. Source
The Center for AI in Society (CAIS) was created jointly by the School of Social Work and the School of Engineering. It develops responsible AI to help vulnerable groups, working with local communities, organizations and lawmakers. Source
Admission for international students
International students apply to undergraduate programs by the same steps as everyone else: through the Common Application, with academic records and English translations. The early deadline is November 1. Everyone whose first language is not English takes a USC-approved exam such as the TOEFL, with no exceptions. For the AI master's, the final deadline is January 15, and the rules are on the engineering school's site. Source
Checked against the university's own pages on October 16, 2026.