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Online Courses
Our online Master's in Data Science interdisciplinary curriculum strengthens your technical expertise and pairs it with an ethical mindset so you can drive innovation through data while prioritizing the greater good.
Our online Master's in Data Science interdisciplinary curriculum strengthens your technical expertise and pairs it with an ethical mindset so you can drive innovation through data while prioritizing the greater good.
Brown University’s online master's in data science: policy, governance and society explores how to design and execute policies to govern data and AI responsibly.
Online Courses
Courses Required
In as little as 16 months, you can graduate ready to further your career
Visit the program finder website to request additional information about this program.
The acceleration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics is rapidly reshaping industries and societies across the globe. With this immense potential for transformation comes the need to develop robust governance frameworks that ensure data and AI systems are deployed responsibly, ethically, and legally.
Brown’s online Master’s in Data Science: Policy, Governance & Society program prepares you to be a leader and steward of your organization's data assets and analytics capabilities. An interdisciplinary curriculum strengthens your technical expertise and pairs it with an ethical mindset so you can drive innovation through data while prioritizing the greater good.
This fully online version brings a world-class education to a globally diverse student body while maintaining the same academic rigor and excellence of an Ivy League University. A flexible format delivered asynchronously gives working professionals global access to graduate education from one of the country’s leading universities.
Students in Brown’s 100% online Master’s in Data Science: Policy, Governance & Society program will graduate with technical and well-rounded, robust skills to be able to:
The online Master’s in Data Science: Policy, Governance and Society offers an academically rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum designed to strengthen your technical expertise and pairs it with an ethical mindset so you can drive innovation through data while prioritizing the greater good. You will gain the technical and non-technical skills needed to effectively build and implement responsible data policies. Courses will build upon one another and seamlessly pair strong technical data science capabilities and a deep understanding of AI ethics and governance.
The courses will be delivered through highly-sophisticated online modules developed by Brown’s world-class faculty and a team of online learning specialists. Designed for working professionals across industries, this program is intended equally for those with a deep technical background and those without.
DSIO 2000: Technical Foundation for Data Science Success
DSIO 2100: Basic AI & Policy Ethics
DSIO 2010: Data Engineering in Disguise
DSIO 2110: Evidence-Driven Policy Making
DSIO 2020: Machine Learning/DL/LLM
DSIO 2120: Fairness & Bias
DSIO 2130: Advanced Topics of AI Governance
DSIO 2030: Applied Learning Experience
View full course descriptions on the Course offerings page
All courses are delivered 100% online and will combine asynchronous and synchronous components to make the most of the online learning environment. Each week on your own schedule, you’ll engage with faculty-created asynchronous coursework such as interactive multimedia, recorded lectures and demonstrations, expert/guest lecture videos and discussion boards. Synchronous sessions will occur one time per week and will be recorded for students to access at their convenience.
Our unique curriculum combined with the power of instructional technologies will engage cross-continental learners, intellectually, personally and professionally. This program will prepare you to be a leader and steward of your organization's data assets and analytics capabilities.
This program can be completed in as little as 16 months, across four, 14-week consecutive semesters, including summer.
At Brown University, we take a holistic approach to our online Master of Science in Data Science: Policy Governance & Society admissions process, as we actively seek a diverse student population from across the globe.
This program is ideally suited for currently employed, working-professionals. We require that applicants have at least two years of full-time professional employment experience. This allows you to enter the program with ideas about where you want to take your career, along with real-world expertise you can share with your classmates.
Application to the online Master of Science in Data Science: Policy, Governance & Society requires the following:
Work Artifact: The Admissions Committee is interested in learning about your motivation for pursuing this specific interdisciplinary master's degree. In lieu of a traditional personal statement, applicants are required to submit a pre-existing work artifact or a product from their professional experience illustrating professional engagement with technical data science skills, policy related to data science, governance issues related to data science, or societal issues impacted by data science. This submission must be accompanied by a written explanation detailing these connections between the professional artifact and the element of data science, policy, governance, and society. Work artifacts from undergraduate internships, research or coursework will not be considered.
Examples of Work Artifact submission may include, but are not limited to:
TOEFL/IELTS
All international applicants whose native language is not English must submit an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score. See here for exceptions.
The TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and the IELTS Indicator exam are accepted. Students from mainland China may submit the TOEFL ITP Plus exam.
Demand for advanced expertise in data science continues to be high in academia and in the public and private sectors. Organizations globally grapple with the immense task of handling vast volumes of data currently available to them, and the looming challenge of managing even larger datasets in the future. The United States currently faces a deficit of data science experts, a figure that will continue to surge due to escalating demand. As the use of technology and artificial intelligence continues to rise, employment in areas of data science policy and governance is expected to be one of the fastest-growing domains in technology employment and projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations.
Common Job Titles:
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Fall 2025
Application Opens: October 15, 2024
Early Action Deadline: March 15, 2025
Priority Deadline: May 15, 2025
Final Deadline: June 15, 2025
Semester Starts: September 3, 2025
Spring 2026
Application Opens: May 1, 2025
Early Action Deadline: July 15, 2025
Priority Deadline: September 15, 2025
Final Deadline: October 15, 2025
Semester Starts: January 21, 2026