Graduate & Professional Degrees

JD students must complete at least 12 units of arbitration and mediation-related classes to receive this certificate. Interested JD students must submit their applications for this certificate program after completing the first year of law school. JD students complete the certificate requirements during their second and third years of law school, and courses may count both toward the JD degree and the certificate.

LLM students must complete at least 12 units of arbitration and mediation-related classes to receive this certificate. LLM students complete the certificate requirements during the year they are taking their LLM course work, and courses may count both toward the LLM degree and the certificate.

Certificate-only students must complete at least 12 units of arbitration and mediation-related classes to receive this certificate.  

All students must complete the required courses and a selection of elective courses.

The Master of Laws (LLM) in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) degree, is designed to prepare high caliber U.S. and foreign law graduates who are interested in the specialized and advanced knowledge in ADR. The program resides within the new Judge Judith O. Hollinger Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. The Hollinger ADR Program's mission is to design, develop, and implement a world class educational program in dispute resolution that will rival and ultimately surpass the quality of similar programs offered by other institutions of higher education. The goal is to have USC Gould emerge as a preeminent leader in dispute resolution and ADR education.

Master of Arts

The department does not accept applicants for a Master of Arts degree. All graduate work in American Studies and Ethnicity at USC is taken as part of a PhD program, and the MA in American Studies and Ethnicity is intended only as a transitional degree in the process of completing requirements for the PhD, although in some cases students may be invited to attempt a terminal MA

After completing at least 30 units, taking AMST 500 and at least one research seminar, maintaining a GPA of at least 3.0, making successful academic progress and taking the qualifying exam, students will either be granted a transitional master's degree and continue on towards the PhD or be granted a terminal master's degree.

Doctor of Philosophy in American Studies and Ethnicity

Application deadline: December 1

Students may earn the PhD in American Studies and Ethnicity by successfully completing the following requirements.

Total Units Required

The student's course work must total at least 64 units. No more than 8 units of 794 Doctoral Dissertation and no more than 4 units of 790 Research may count toward the 64 units.

Course Requirements

AMST 500 Introduction to American Studies and Ethnicity  is required of all doctoral students, and it is highly recommended that students complete this course in the first year of residence. Two 600-level graduate seminars are required for the degree, with at least one of these being an interdisciplinary seminar offered by American Studies and Ethnicity. The second 600-level course must be approved by the director of graduate studies.

Foreign Language Requirement

PhD students are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language. This requirement must be met before a student is eligible to take the qualifying examination. Competency may be demonstrated by completing a course in the literature of that language at the 400 or 500 level (with a grade of B [3.0] or better), or by passing a foreign language exam that tests proficiency in reading comprehension and translation.

Methods Requirement

Students are required to show competency in two theoretical methodologies from a list approved by the American Studies and Ethnicity department. In most cases, competency is established by successfully completing one course concentrating in a specific method offered by a department or school, although more advanced courses in that method may be suggested by a qualifying exam committee. The following methodologies fulfill the methods requirement: literary/textual analysis; historical/archival analysis; ethnography; cultural/visual analysis; spatial practices and analysis; and, quantitative analysis.

Disciplinary Requirement

The department of American Studies and Ethnicity believes that the strongest interdisciplinary research is conducted alongside a strong background in at least one disciplinary field by successfully completing at least four graduate courses in one discipline. These four courses must include at least one methodology course, one 600-level or above advanced seminar and two graduate reading courses at the 500- or 600-level. Each of these courses can also fulfill other requirements in the PhD program, particularly the methods requirement and the course requirements listed above.

Screening Procedures

The performance of every first-year doctoral student is formally assessed by the director of the program and the student's assigned adviser at the end of the spring semester and before a student has completed 24 units toward the degree. Unsatisfactory progress toward the degree requires either remedy of the deficiencies or termination of the student's graduate program. After successfully passing the assessment procedures, each student will be encouraged to establish a qualifying exam committee.

At the end of the second year, student progress will be evaluated and each student will formally establish the members of his or her interdisciplinary examination committee from faculty he or she has worked with during the first two years. A meeting of the director of the program, qualifying exam committee members and potential members of this examination committee will take place directly after the second year to identify remaining deficiencies in a student's training and identify solutions before the qualifying examination process begins.

Qualifying Examination

Following completion of course work, the student must sit for a qualifying examination at a time mutually agreed upon by the student and the qualifying exam committee. Students seeking the PhD will select four fields for examination. Every student must be examined by faculty from at least two different disciplines, as well as having one outside member on his or her examination committee.

This five-person examination committee will direct the student toward his or her qualifying examination, which will consist of both written and oral parts, in the third year. Examinations are graded honors, pass, low-pass or fail. The qualifying examination has two phases: written examinations in each field followed by a single oral examination on all four fields. Students with one fail, a low-pass in their dissertation field or more than two low-pass grades will not be permitted to enter the oral phase of the examination process. The qualifying exam committee determines whether the candidate may retake any exam graded low-pass or fail.

Dissertation

After the qualifying examination has been passed, an interdisciplinary dissertation committee of at least three faculty members from the examination committee must approve a dissertation prospectus before full-time research commences. Only at this point is a student admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree and will thereafter concentrate on the dissertation. After students become candidates for the PhD degree, they must register for 794 Doctoral Dissertation each semester thereafter until the dissertation is completed.

The final state of the program is the submission of a dissertation that makes an original and substantial contribution to its field of study. The final copy of the dissertation must conform to the regulations of the Graduate School.

Advisement

Upon entering the program, each student will be assigned an academic adviser from among the faculty closest to the student's own academic interests. Students should seek advice on their program of studies from this academic adviser, the director of the program and the director of graduate and professional studies.

Once a student formally establishes an interdisciplinary examination committee, the chair of this committee becomes the student's main academic adviser, along with other members of this qualifying exam committee. The committee must be in place and approved by the Graduate School at the time the student schedules a qualifying examination.

The dissertation committee becomes the student's main advising unit after the qualifying examination, with the chair having the principal responsibility of advisement. At all stages of the student's progress through the program, the director of the program and the director of graduate and professional studies will be available for advisement and counsel as well.

Transfer of Credit

A transfer of credit statement is prepared by the Degree Progress Department for students admitted to full graduate standing. The application of any available transfer credit is contingent on successful completion of the screening exam and is determined by the director of the program no later than the end of the second year according to the following guidelines: credit will only be allowed for courses (1) from accredited graduate schools; (2) of grade B (3.0 on a four-point scale); (3) constituting a fair and reasonable equivalent to current USC course work at the graduate level and fitting into the program for the degree; and (4) approved by the Graduate School. Graduate transfer credit will not be granted for life experience, credit by examination, noncredit extension courses, correspondence courses, thesis course supervision or creative writing courses.

The maximum number of transfer credits which may be applied toward the MA degree is four units, and a maximum of 24 units of transfer credits may be applied toward the PhD degree. The Graduate School stipulates that transfer units must have been completed within 10 years of admission for the doctoral program to be applied toward the degree.

Ethel Percy Andrus

Gerontology Center 240

(213) 740-4893

Program Director: Cesar Acosta-Mejia

The Master of Science in Analytics is designed to satisfy the growing demand for professionals equipped with significant technical and quantitative training in the fundamentals of analytics for solving engineering and management problems in today's data-extensive digital world.

Analytics is a multidisciplinary field that relates the application of engineering approaches and methods to the analysis and management of engineering and enterprise processes based on data. Learning objectives of this program involve data collection, cleansing, fusing and curating, for the purpose of analyzing trends, discovering patterns and building decision models for well-reasoned decision support. Rigorous mathematical modeling and computational methods tools are at the heart of the program.

Graduates of this program will be prepared to convert data into meaningful information, embedded in decision support systems that can help organizations make important operational decisions and help set strategic direction and policy.

Master of Science in Analytics

The core of the MS in Analytics program consists of five foundational courses, and two elective courses, totaling 28 units. The foundational courses cover the fundamentals of optimization, Data Management, Data Mining and Predictive Analytics modeling and the computational tools needed to implement them. The elective courses expose the students to different business domains such as data analytics consulting, analytics of web data, predictive modeling with big data, among others.

The Master of Fine Arts degree in Animation and Digital Arts is a three-year (six semester) graduate program designed for students who have clearly identified animation and digital art as their primary interest in cinema. The program focuses on animation production, including a wide range of techniques and aesthetic approaches, from hand-drawn character animation to state-of-the-art interactive digital animation. While embracing traditional forms, the program strongly encourages innovation and experimentation, and emphasizes imagination, creativity and critical thinking. Students should graduate with a comprehensive knowledge of animation from conception through realization; an understanding of the history of the medium and its aesthetics; in-depth knowledge of computer animation software and the most important elements of digital and interactive media.

The program requires a minimum of 50 units: 35 units are in prescribed, sequential courses in the School of Cinematic Arts. The other 15 units are cinematic arts electives. A thesis is required for the MFA degree. Ongoing workshops in new technologies, traditional and digital media provide additional educational opportunities for students.

Admission is granted once a year in the fall; there are no spring admissions. Approximately 10 students will be enrolled in each incoming class. In addition to practical production, students would be notified of opportunities for extracurricular projects and internships that they may apply for. These experiences augment the work within the program and facilitate the student's transition into the profession. Prior knowledge of fundamental digital animation concepts and techniques is recommended.

Applicants for the MFA in Animation and Digital Arts must apply online. For specific instructions, including deadline information, please visit cinema.usc.edu.

The Graduate School Two-Thirds Rule

The school requires 50 units minimum to graduate from the MFA in Animation and Digital Arts program, and two-thirds must be at the 500 level, not including 4 units of CTAN 594a Master's Thesis,  CTAN 594b Master's Thesis.

The Anthropology Department's PhD program offers students a strong foundation in the history, theory and practice of anthropology, while enabling them to develop formally innovative dissertations. 

Before being admitted to PhD candidacy, the student must fulfill the language requirement, present a portfolio and pass the qualifying examination. Having completed this work, the student will conduct fieldwork and write the doctoral dissertation.

Language Requirement

Students are required to demonstrate competence in one or more foreign languages, to be selected in consultation with the faculty committee. 

Required Course Work

The student's course work must total at least 60 units. No more than 8 units of 794 Doctoral Dissertation may count toward the 60 units.

Additional Requirements

In addition to specific course work, PhD students are expected to engage in relevant practical training, ideally by completing 2 or more units of ANTH 596 Internship for Curricular Practical Training or equivalent.

Additional information about the PhD can be found on the Anthropology program website.

The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (MABA) is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in Applied Behavior Analysis. The mission of the program is that all graduating students will become scientist-practitioners, who will be leaders in the provision of services that improve the quality of life of individuals with autism and other populations benefiting from positive behavior change. The program satisfies all requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, including 315 instructional hours of course work in applied behavior analysis, and up to 2,000 hours of supervised field experience. After graduating from the program, students will have completed all of the course work and fieldwork requirements to sit for the Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA) certification. A unique component of the program is the provision of courses in developmental psychology that provide students with an up-to-date survey of theory and research in social and emotional development of children and adolescents.

The program is especially appropriate for individuals who have majored in a behavioral science field, such as psychology and sociology, or who have a background in teaching or special education. Applicants must have received their baccalaureate degree by the semester in which they enter the program. Admission is competitive and based on grade point average, course work, and practical experience with children. There are openings for approximately 24 students in each year of the program.

The program requires 42 units.

Applicants must apply for admission to the Graduate School, and satisfy all requirements for admission. Details on the method for applying, admission criteria and deadlines can be found at dornsife.usc.edu/aba.

The department encourages applicants with undergraduate degrees in allied health, pharmacology, public health, medicine, biological and clinical sciences or other related fields. Undergraduate preparation should have included applied statistics, college algebra, an introductory course in calculus and basic computer programming. Applicants should also meet the minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate School. Demonstrated proficiency in the English language is essential. With approval of the Graduate School, applicants not meeting these requirements may be conditionally admitted contingent upon maintaining a GPA of 3.0 for the first 12 units of graduate study.

Course Requirements

General requirements include at least 39 units of required courses as follows: 26 units of core courses and at least 9 units of elective courses. In addition, each student must register for 4 units of PM 594a Master's Thesis, PM 594b Master's Thesis and write a master's thesis.

Students in USC Annenberg's Master of Communication Management Program can pursue a STEM specialization and earn the MS Applied Communication Research.

The STEM specialization recognizes the increasing value of quantitative and other empirical methods, built on rigorous research methodologies, for professionals in the communication field.

Students pursuing this specialization will build expertise in subjects such as research, analysis, and statistics applied to communication and media fields; their professional and management contexts; audiences in legacy and newer social media and algorithmic-driven social networks. 

The degree is a specialization within the Master of Communication Management, and open only to students admitted to the Communication Management program. To be considered for the specialization, students enroll in CMGT 540: Uses of Communication Research plus one Communication Management elective in their first semester. Upon completing at least one semester, students may petition to join the STEM specialization. Approval will be based on academic performance, positive faculty evaluations, academic integrity and student conduct.

Residence

Students may pursue the MS Applied Communication Research only on a full-time basis. Full time, the specialization can be completed in two academic years; an accelerated path can be completed in one calendar year plus one semester, with approval of program directors.

Foreign Language Requirement

There are no foreign language requirements for this degree specialization.

Course Requirements

The MS Applied Communication Research requires 32 units of approved graduate-level courses.