As China Scholarship Council (CSC) issued the Notice on Fund for International Cooperative Innovative Talents Project 2021, the THU-USC Communication Data Science Dual-degree Programgot approved for three-year funding. It highlights that the pioneering innovation in high-level international talents development led by the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication (TSJC).

The cross-disciplinary joint program was initiated by TSJC, USC Annenberg School of Communication, and USC Viterbi School of Engineering. After a two-year planning and three-round application, it was approved in Dec. 2018 and declared its official enrollment in Sept. 2019. Its first class of students has already started on-campus learning from Sept. 2020.

Graduates of the THU-USC Communication Data Science Dual-degree Program will be experts in the emerging fields of data science for journalism and communication. Considering serving for national strategic needs of constructing Chinese discourse system, during their studies, students will learn about theories and principles underlying human communication and their integration into emerging communication technologies. They will also understand the technical underpinnings of various emerging communication platforms. They will have the capability to build these technologies and effectively manage teams to create effective communication frameworks for a variety of goals. Finally, they will master powerful techniques to analyze large volumes of data generated by digital communication platforms using machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The two institutions, THU and USC, have established a formal partnership to capitalize on the synergies of the respective curricula and to provide students with transcultural and cross-discipline learning experiences. Students who meet the requirements of both universities upon graduation will be awarded two master’s degrees, one from each institution:a Professional Master of Journalism and Communication degree from THU and a Master of Science in Communication DataScience from USC.

The CSC has initiated the International Cooperative Innovative Talents Project since 2014 to further promote cooperation in high-level international talents fostering, as well as to improve the support for top universities and top disciplines. Its focus is to fund the cooperation between Chinese and foreign universities or in disciplines with common advantages. The THU-USC Communication Data Science Dual-degree Programstood out from more than 200 international joint programs from all over China in 2020, which fully reflects its pioneering innovation. For TSJC, the approved Program will further ensure comprehensive international cooperation, which accelerates Tsinghua University to rank among the world’s top-notch universities.

Source: Tsinghua News Website | 2021-01-25

Translator: Fang Yuxin

Editors: Liu Sijing, Dang Yiqian

Reviewers: Yang Ruofan,Yang Yi