I’ve been reading up on different universities for doing a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning, and I came across USC. I know CMU and Stanford are always on top of the list, but I was wondering how USC stacks up, especially for someone really into AI and ML. Would love to hear from people who’ve been through it or have done some research.
Hey! Great that you’re thinking about this early — it really helps. So yeah, CMU and Stanford are legends when it comes to AI/ML, but USC isn’t far behind, especially if you’re looking at the practical industry exposure you get in LA. The faculty there is pretty solid, and they’ve got research centers like the USC Information Sciences Institute which is quite involved in AI work.
Adding to that — one cool thing about USC is the strong connection with tech companies in California. You’ll find a ton of internships and project collabs happening through the program. It might not have the same “name drop” effect as Stanford or CMU, but the opportunities are very real if you’re proactive.
Yeah, and I’ve noticed USC’s AI curriculum is pretty flexible too. You can pick courses from both the CS and the AI-specific tracks, which is helpful if you’re still figuring out your focus area — like deep learning vs robotics or NLP. Also, USC’s MS in AI is relatively new, so it’s designed with current trends in mind.