Graduate & Professional Degrees

The online graduate certificate in Community Health Promotion provides training in key theories and techniques in community health promotion. This training is aimed at working professionals coming from a variety of backgrounds who wish to advance their knowledge and skills in community health promotion, such as public health administrators, physicians, nurses, clinical research professionals and policy analysts, among others. It is also an excellent starting point for those interested in public health. Participants will be introduced to key theories and techniques for community health promotion, the specifics of intervention development and delivery and how these might vary across settings, behaviors and strategies, and techniques and strategies, used to successfully organize and mobilize communities for better health.  Courses are taken online through the Keck School of Medicine for a total of 12 units. The program can be completed in as few as three semesters or over the course of three years.

Applicants for the certificate must make a formal application for admission to the certificate program and provide transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended (if applicable), a resume and a statement of purpose. The GRE is not required. 

This certificate program can serve as a possible “stepping stone” toward the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program. Up to 12 units may be applied toward both the certificate and the core or electives in the MPH. Note that students must apply and be admitted to the MPH program and must earn a grade of “B” or better in a course to be eligible to transfer that course toward the degree program. Completion of the certificate does not automatically guarantee admission to the MPH program. Also note that students enrolled in the Community Health Promotion concentration of the MPH program are not eligible.

The certificate in Community Health Promotion is also open to students who are currently enrolled in another graduate program at USC and are in good standing with a 3.0 GPA. These students only need to submit the appropriate paperwork, which may be obtained from the student services adviser, and pay associated tuition costs for adding the certificate program.

Overview

The Master of Music in Community Music is for musicians with a commitment to developing the necessary skills and best understandings of music teaching and learning in community settings. The program will build upon music preparation from the undergraduate level with course work designed to nurture skills in community music teaching, program development, professional practice, scholarship and research. With the wide range of courses available, the program can be tailored for a variety of student goals. This degree provides an academic link to the rich music learning opportunities available through community programs in urban Los Angeles and, in particular, to the Thornton Community Engagement Programs. 

Admission

Admission to Thornton programs is granted through the USC admission process. Applicants are screened by appropriate faculty selection committees. Specific entrance requirements are reviewed on an annual basis and published online at music.usc.edu.

Unit and Grade Requirements

Students must complete at least 26 semester units at USC, including a capstone and comprehensive review. A grade point average of not less than 3.0 (A = 4.0) is required for all graduate courses in music, and a grade of B or higher is required for all courses in the major department. Students who transfer credits must achieve this average on all combined transferred and residence units.

Transferred Credits

All credits transferred must be the equivalent of corresponding current work at USC. Course work completed at another institution that has been approved by the Thornton School for transfer credit must have been completed within seven years from the date of admission to a master's degree program to be applied toward that degree. Transfer credit petitions must be filed with the appropriate Thornton adviser during the first semester in residence.

Time Limit

The time limit for completing the Master of Music degree is five years. Progress is measured from the beginning of the first course at USC applied toward the degree. Extensions will be granted by petition to the Thornton School for only the most compelling reasons.

Music Graduate Entrance Exams

All students entering this graduate-level degree program at USC Thornton, who have not previously completed a degree at USC Thornton, must take a series of entrance exams in core music subjects. These exams are called Music Graduate Entrance Exams (MGEEs). Information regarding which exams are required for specific majors is available from the Thornton Student Affairs office. Also see the USC Thornton School of Music Admission to Graduate Standing section of this catalogue for specific policies relating to these exams.

Capstone and Comprehensive Review

A final project is required for candidates as a capstone for the Master of Music in Community Music. The project will consist of a scholarly document written on a topic approved by the Music Teaching and Learning department. Candidates must also submit a comprehensive portfolio of representative work product consistent with their work in classes and in the field.

Guidance Committee

Before registering for MTAL 592, a student must establish a guidance committee composed of three members of the faculty, approved by the department chair, of which at least two are from the home department. The chair of the guidance committee directly supervises the preparation of the project. The final acceptance of the project and portfolio is based upon the unanimous recommendation of all three members of the committee.

The online university certificate in Community Oral Health is a program with a total of six courses (13 units), specifically designed for the professional who wants to improve skills and gain expertise to ensure the best care for patients within their communities.

The curriculum is designed with a series of didactic courses in which students will gain knowledge about health sciences and education, programs assessment, planning and administration, epidemiology, environmental and cultural issues, social and behavioral sciences.  

The goal of this one-year certificate program is to give health care providers, educators and administrators an advanced didactic and evidence-based education in the field of community oral health.  

The online Master in Community Oral Health is a program with a total 16 courses (30 units), specifically designed for the professional who wants to improve skills and gain expertise to ensure the best care for patients within their communities. The curriculum is designed with a series of didactic courses where students will gain knowledge about health sciences and education, programs assessment, planning and administration, epidemiology, environmental and cultural issues, social and behavioral sciences. The student will select electives in one of two areas: vulnerable populations and community health care, or project administration. The goal of this postdoctoral two-year master's program is to give health care providers, educators and administrators and advanced didactic and evidence-based education in the field of community health.  

The on-campus Master of Comparative Law (MCL) program is a master's degree program for foreign graduate students trained in law who have already earned an LLM degree. This two-semester, full-time program is focused on the study of comparative law.

Admission Requirements

Students submitting an application must have earned a basic law degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree or the foreign equivalent and have previously earned an LLM degree. Please visit the Gould School of Law Website for more information.

Track II: Comparative Literature

The primary goal of graduate study in the comparative literature track is to prepare students to engage in original research and teaching after acquiring: a broadly based knowledge of literature's formal or generic development extending across linguistic boundaries; an understanding of literature's historical development within a number of specific cultural or ideological contexts; and a knowledge of the principles of literary criticism and theory essential to the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of individual works. The core of the discipline of comparative literature is advanced competence in several languages allowing research in their literary traditions.

Course Requirements

Completion of at least eight courses (29–32 units) distributed as follows: CSLC 501, CSLC 502 and CSLC 503; three courses in a first literary tradition; two courses in a second literary tradition. No more than one of these eight courses may be in directed research (590).

First-year Review

The program conducts a thorough review of all first-year students at the end of the second semester. To be permitted to continue doctoral work, students must receive a satisfactory evaluation in this review.

Track II Field Examination

A written exam based on a reading list must be successfully passed by all students in the track. It is normally taken at the end of the semester in which MA course work is completed.

Track II: Comparative Literature

The primary goal of graduate study in the comparative literature track is to prepare students to engage in original research and teaching after acquiring: a broadly based knowledge of literature's formal or generic development extending across linguistic boundaries; an understanding of literature's historical development within a number of specific cultural or ideological contexts; and a knowledge of the principles of literary criticism and theory essential to the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of individual works. The core of the discipline of comparative literature is advanced competence in several languages allowing research in their literary traditions.

Course Requirements

In addition to the MA course requirements listed under Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture (Comparative Literature) (MA), six additional 4-unit courses are required, distributed as follows: COLT 602, CSLC 601 or CSLC 603; two courses in CSLC, COLT or comparative fields relating to the student's program; two additional courses in the first literary tradition; one course in a third literary tradition. Students will also complete the professional development sequence, CSLC 600 and CSLC 700, which are 2-unit courses and offered only as credit/no credit. Only one enrollment of up to 4 units of directed research (590) or research (790) will count toward the 60-unit minimum required to complete the degree.

Track II Field Examination

See the requirement in the MA section.

Foreign Language Requirements

Students must successfully complete at least three advanced courses (400-level or higher) in the original languages of two literary traditions other than Anglophone (two courses in one language and one in the other). 

Qualifying Examination

To be admitted to candidacy for the PhD, students must pass this examination after all course work has been completed.

Dissertation Defense

An oral defense of the dissertation must be satisfactorily completed before the dissertation can be filed with the Graduate School.

Awarding of Degree

The degree of PhD in Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture (Comparative Literature) is conferred when all of the degree requirements have been completed satisfactorily.

Track I: Comparative Media and Culture

The primary goal of the track in comparative media and culture is to prepare students to engage in original research and teaching after acquiring: a broadly based knowledge of the formal specificity and possibilities of different print, visual, sound and digital media; an understanding of the development of different media within their specific cultural and linguistic contexts; and a knowledge of the principles of criticism and theory essential to the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of individual works.

Course Requirements

Completion of at least eight courses (29–32 units) distributed as follows: CSLC 501, CSLC 502and CSLC 503; one course in a non-Anglophone literary or cultural tradition (CLAS, EALC, FREN, SLL or SPAN); four additional courses in fields relating to the student's program, of which at least two are in CSLC. No more than one of these eight courses may be in directed research (CSLC 590).

First-Year Review

The program conducts a thorough review of all first-year students at the end of the second semester. To be permitted to continue doctoral work, students must receive a satisfactory evaluation in this review.

Track I Field Examination

A written exam based on a reading list must be successfully passed by all students in the track. It is normally taken at the end of the semester in which MA course work is completed.

Track I: Comparative Media and Culture

The primary goal of the track in comparative media and culture is to prepare students to engage in original research and teaching after acquiring: a broadly based knowledge of the formal specificity and possibilities of different print, visual, sound and digital media; an understanding of the development of different media within their specific cultural and linguistic contexts; and a knowledge of the principles of criticism and theory essential to the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of individual works.

Course Requirements

In addition to the MA course requirements listed under Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture (Comparative Media and Culture) (MA), six additional 4-unit courses are required, distributed as follows: one of the following: COLT 602, CSLC 601 or CSLC 603; two courses in non-Anglophone literary or cultural traditions; three additional courses in CSLC or in fields related to the study of media and culture. Students will also complete the professional development sequence, CSLC 600 and CSLC 700, which are 2-unit courses and offered only as credit/no credit. Only one enrollment of up to 4 units of directed research (590) or research (790) will count toward the 60-unit minimum required to complete the degree.

Foreign Language Requirements

Students must successfully complete at least three advanced courses (400-level or higher) in the original language of a tradition other than Anglophone.

Track I Field Examination

See the requirement in the MA section.

Qualifying Examination

Dissertation Defense

An oral defense of the dissertation must be satisfactorily completed before the dissertation can be filed with the Graduate School.

Awarding of Degree

The degree of PhD in Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture (Comparative Media and Culture) is conferred when all of the degree requirements have been completed satisfactorily.

The Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture Department offers the MA and PhD in three tracks: Comparative Media and Culture; Comparative Literature; and National Literatures and Cultures (French and Francophone Studies or Spanish and Latin American Studies).

Track III: National Literatures and Cultures

French and Francophone Studies

The majority of students pursue the doctorate in Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture (French and Francophone Studies) in preparation for a career of teaching and research at the college or university level in the field of French and Francophone literature and cultural studies. Students preparing for these careers must obtain a broad knowledge of major French and Francophone literary texts and traditions from the Middle Ages to the present, which is achieved through a combination of course work and exams. They should also develop the intellectual depth that allows them to produce an original dissertation in a timely manner.

Course Requirements

Completion of at least 8 courses (29–32 units) distributed as follows: (1) CSLC 501, CSLC 502 and CSLC 503; three core courses, FREN 500, FREN 501 and FREN 503; (3) two additional courses in French or, with permission, in a related field. No more than two of the eight courses may be at the 400 level and no more than one course may be in directed research (590).

First-year Review

The program conducts a thorough review of all first-year students at the end of the second semester. To be permitted to continue doctoral work, students must receive a satisfactory evaluation in this review.

Field Examination

A written exam based on a reading list, followed by an oral defense must be successfully passed by all students in the track. For the exam, the student must show advanced proficiency in English and in French by selecting one language for the written exam and the other for the oral exam. A syllabus for an undergraduate French course of the student’s design is submitted two weeks prior to the Field Examination and is discussed by the examining committee at the oral defense. The Field Examination is normally taken at the end of the semester in which MA course work is completed.