Program Overview

The acceleration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics is reshaping industries, economies, and societies across the globe. With this immense potential for transformation comes an urgent need for leaders who can design robust frameworks to ensure data and AI systems are deployed responsibly, ethically, and effectively.

Brown’s online Master’s in Data Science: Policy, Governance & Society prepares professionals to lead in this evolving landscape by balancing strategic insight and an ethical mindset with technical fluency. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum, you will gain the knowledge and skills to guide your organization’s data strategy, governance, and policy decisions while prioritizing fairness, accountability, and the public good.

Delivered fully online, the program offers a flexible format for working professionals seeking a world-class education from one of the country’s leading universities. You’ll engage with Brown’s renowned faculty and a globally diverse student community through asynchronous coursework and live discussions designed to inspire intellectual growth, collaboration, and impact.

Learning Objectives

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:

• Build skills in data science methods like machine learning, big data, and data visualization to work with large datasets
• Effectively communicate complex data science solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Apply quantitative policy analysis techniques to fully understand policy issues
• Explore the ethical and societal impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) and its relationship to other disciplines and technologies
• Draw upon theories and methodologies from various disciplines to address AI's ethical challenges
• Critically evaluate current governance approaches for AI technologies
• Develop new insights into AI governance 

Curriculum

The online Master’s in Data Science: Policy, Governance & Society offers an academically rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum that pairs a nuanced understanding of data ethics, AI policy, and governance with advanced technical capabilities. Courses build upon one another to integrate data science foundations with the social, legal, and economic contexts that shape the responsible use of technology.

You’ll develop:

• The ability to identify and mitigate bias, improve accountability, and ensure fairness in data-driven systems.
• The skills to analyze, design, and implement governance and policy frameworks for data and AI in real-world settings.
• A solid grounding in data science, machine learning, and AI techniques.

Developed by Brown’s world-class faculty and online learning specialists, the courses are designed for working professionals across industries, whether you come from a technical or policy background. You will graduate prepared to bridge the gap between data practitioners and decision-makers, translating complex technical insights into informed and ethical leadership.

Online Master’s in Data Science: Policy, Governance & Society Sequence

View full course descriptions on the Course offerings page

Program Format

All courses are delivered 100% online and combine asynchronous and synchronous components for maximum flexibility. Each week, you will engage with faculty-created coursework such as interactive multimedia, recorded lectures, case studies, and expert interviews on your own schedule. Optional live sessions provide opportunities for discussion, collaboration, and deeper engagement with faculty and peers.

This model fosters an active, global learning community where participants bring diverse professional perspectives to shared challenges in AI, data, and governance. The program’s structure empowers you to balance rigorous graduate study with your professional commitments, while developing the leadership skills to drive responsible innovation within your organization.

This program can be completed in as little as 16 months, across four, 14-week consecutive semesters, including summer. 

Admissions Requirements

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 Process

Application to the online Master of Science in Data Science: Policy, Governance & Society requires the following:

• Official transcripts: All applicants may upload unofficial transcripts for application submission. An international transcript evaluation (WES, ECE, or SpanTran) is required for degrees from non-U.S. institutions for application submission. Official transcripts & evaluations are required for enrolling students prior to the start of their first semester classes.
• Letters of recommendation (3). At least one recommendation letter should be provided from a professional supervisor/manager.

• 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: 

  • A policy paper written for a non-profit organization disclosing how volunteer’s personal information is shared, along with a written explanation of the issues around privacy of data.
  • A data visualization of your company sales that is reported in an annual report, accompanied by a written narrative regarding the technical skills used to produce the visualization. 

Work Artifact Example 1Work Artifact Example 2

• Resume/CV showing at least two years of full-time work experience.
• Application fee payment ($100). Apply by the Early Decision Deadline and we’ll waive your $100 application fee.

• 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.

Career Trajectory

Demand for professionals who understand both the policy and technical dimensions of data and AI is rapidly growing across sectors, from government and healthcare to finance, technology, and civil society. As organizations confront questions of fairness, compliance, and accountability, they seek leaders who can navigate the ethical, legal, and societal implications of data-driven innovation.