Majors & Minors

The major in communication gives students theoretical perspectives and applied approaches focused on how people create and use communication to build and sustain systems, persuade others, resist compliance, critically examine challenging real-world problems, and be skilled practitioners in a variety of fields. Students complete foundational courses in social science, rhetoric, and cultural studies before pursuing a wide array of electives that include media, economics, sports, health, and technology. Graduates are prepared for careers ranging from entertainment, marketing, and advertising to sustainability, nonprofit consultancy, and government service in addition to advancing to further study in law school or masters and doctoral programs. 

Course Requirements

The Master of Science in Communication Data Science Dual Degree with Tsinghua University School of Journalism and Communication leads to two Master degrees, one from each institution: a Master of Science in Communication Data Science (a cross-disciplinary joint degree offered by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) and a Master of Journalism and Communication from the Tsinghua University (THU) School of Journalism and Communication. The two institutions, USC and THU, have a formal partnership to amplify cooperation between USC and THU and between the United States and China to capitalize on the synergies of the respective curricula and to provide students with the opportunity for a unique transcultural and cross-discipline experience that will position them to be global leaders in their field.

Graduates of the Master of Science in Communication Data Science Dual Degree will be experts in the emerging fields of data science for journalism and communication. In the course of their studies, students will learn about theories and principles underlying human communication and their integration into emerging communication technologies. They will also understand the technical underpinnings of a diverse range of emerging communication platforms, including digital newsrooms, social media, enterprise collaboration systems, and virtual and augmented reality. They will have the capability to build these technologies and effectively manage teams to create effective communication frameworks for a variety of goals. Finally, they will master powerful techniques for analyzing large volumes of data generated by digital communication platforms using machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The dual degrees are subject to the following stipulations: 

1.     The requirements for both degrees must be satisfied to complete the dual degree.

2.     The program description for the Tsinghua University Master of Journalism and Communication is online at https://www.tsjc.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/info/1205/1320.htm.

3.     The general requirements for the MS in Communication Data Science (MS CMDS) in this dual degree program are the same as those for the USC general MS Communication Data Science except that at least 24 units (of the 32 required units) must be completed at USC, and up to 8 units of preapproved course work transferred from Tsinghua University may be counted toward the degree requirements at USC. This is due to a special partnership established by a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Universities. 

4.     Other requirements for the MS CMDS are the same as set forth in the general requirements for Viterbi School of Engineering Master of Science degrees.

5.     Students who elect to receive only the USC degree must change their degree objective from the USC-Tsinghua University dual degree to the general USC MS CMDS.

6.     Generally, students must take at USC the "Foundation" courses of the USC MS CMDS. There must be justification for the omission of a required course in either degree; for example, a certain course in one degree may provide comparable content to the omitted course in the other degree.

7.     The USC Data Science Program and the Annenberg School of Communication have identified a list of transferable THU courses that can be considered USC equivalents but are also willing to entertain transfer, on a case by case basis, of unique relevant THU courses for which no obvious mapping to a USC course exists.

Students with requisite programming knowledge may be allowed to test out of DSCI 510. An entrance exam will be held at three time periods: two weeks before the start of the semester, one week before the start of the semester and during the first week of the semester. Students who pass the exam will be allowed to replace DSCI 510 with an additional elective.

The core of this minor is communication design. In addition to courses in design, visual literacy and digital imaging, this minor includes optional courses in business, communication, public relations and marketing, allowing students to translate their design foundation in ways that are directly relevant to their career paths. The total number of units required for the minor is 24.

Information and communication practices and technologies have an increasingly powerful impact on nearly every aspect of our lives. From the level of privacy in our personal lives to the way we govern our communities or manage our businesses, the legal and policy issues in the communication field are ever-changing and increasingly complex. To prepare students to navigate this dynamic and complicated world, the minor in communication policy and law combines courses in communication, law, ethics, and the business of communication taught at both the School of Communication and the School of Journalism at USC Annenberg. Students can choose to focus on policy or legal issues that affect communication technologies, strategies, and uses. This minor will not only enable students to understand the revolution in media and telecommunications technology and practice, it will ground them in the fundamentals of free speech, intellectual property and the local, state and federal role in the regulation of communication platforms ranging from emerging social media to the legacy media of broadcasting and newspapers. This is an ideal minor for students interested in law or advanced communication scholarship. Admission requirements are a minimum 3.0 grade point average and completion of 32 units (sophomore standing). The 3.0 GPA is a minimum standard and does not guarantee admission.

Students in this minor trace the roots and dynamics of contemporary networked technologies and learn how to participate and excel within media cultures, online networks and organizational workplaces. The minor focuses on three areas: cultures (connecting communication technologies to histories, values, and ethics of social relationships and civic communities); networks (developing qualitative and quantitative skills to model, explain and influence relationships among media and people at local and global scales); institutions (tracing the legal, organizational, economic and interpersonal contexts that produce and transform communication technologies). The field of communication technology requires individuals who can critique, cultivate, build and influence new relationships among people, platforms and practices. Whether starting careers in strategic consulting, medical informatics, non-profit management, social media design, public sector service or new media entrepreneurship, students are encouraged to utilize skills and foundational concepts underlying 21st century communication technologies.

Requirements for admission are a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of a minimum of 32 units (sophomore standing). The 3.0 GPA is a minimum standard and does not guarantee admission.

Students may earn the BA in Comparative Literature by satisfying the requirements for either of two tracks.

The Literature/Media/Critical Thought Track allows students to focus their study in one of three concentrations while also taking courses in the other two. Together, these three concentrations represent the broad range of interests in the discipline: (1) literature considered comparatively and transnationally; (2) the media of other arts and modes of communication (photography, film, music, painting and digital media); (3) modes of critical thought that inform and shape theoretical reflection on the arts and society.

This track offers the opportunity to pursue a major that is broadly based in the liberal arts. Students on this track might consider extending their concentration with a double major or minor. For example, the literature concentration could be extended with a second major or minor in a national literature (French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, English, classics or an East Asian literature); the media concentration by another major or minor in cinematic arts, art history or communication; and the critical thought concentration by a second major or minor in philosophy, religion, history, sociology or anthropology.

The Foreign Language Track incorporates the study of at least one literature in a foreign language into the comparative perspective of the comparative literature major.

Students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in either comparative literature or a foreign literature are strongly advised to choose this track, as are students who already possess advanced skills in a language other than English. Majors in comparative literature with foreign language emphasis might consider a double major or a minor in a department of foreign language or in a non-literary field such as international relations or journalism.

The requirements for both tracks of the major accommodate very well semesters of study abroad. Students are helped and encouraged to plan their programs in advance to allow for that experience.

Students can minor in one of three tracks: the literature/media/critical thought track, the foreign language track or the global cultures track.

Overview

All USC Thornton undergraduate programs in classical performance and composition combine a rigorous foundation of the finest conservatory training with curricular flexibility for students to chart their own artistic pathways. All curricular components are designed to support students in creating a distinctive musical voice and preparing for a fulfilling musical career.

Entrance Requirements

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.

General Education Requirements

USC's General Education program, revised in fall 2015, provides a coherent, integrated approach to the study of the liberal arts, with the goal of nurturing habits of thought that are essential for professional success, personal development, and meaningful lifelong learning. Eight courses are required in six Core Literacies, in addition to two courses in Global Perspectives, two courses in Writing, and one General Education Seminar taken during the first year at USC. With careful planning, certain courses (including courses required for the music major) can fulfill more than one of these general education requirements. Academic advisers in the Thornton School carefully guide Thornton students in making their course choices. This typically will result in Thornton students taking a total of eight courses (including two writing courses) in order to fulfill all of the USC general education requirements.

Capstone Projects

Young Artist Project

During the junior and senior years of the program, students develop and fully realize unique individualized, mentored projects related to their work as classical musicians. This could involve developing a hybrid performance, conducting original research, exploring new creative technologies, or applying creative expression to a pressing social issue.

Recital

A senior recital must be completed under approved faculty supervision and guidance. The faculty of the department of the student's major program determines the detailed requirements of the recital, including content, length, format and other specifications. In cases in which a performance venue is required in order to present the recital, reservations must be made according to the current guidelines of the Music Operations office.

The Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology offers the Minor in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics. This minor provides essential training in using quantitative skills to solve fundamental biological problems.

As with all minors, students must include at least four upper-division courses (16 units) and four courses (16 units) dedicated exclusively to this minor (they can overlap). Four courses (16 units) taken outside the major department are required. Students need to take 28 units of the courses listed: all requirements, and enough electives to add up to 28 units, while fulfilling the requirement listed above.

The courses are designed for students in biological sciences, neuroscience, mathematics, computer science, or biomedical engineering. Other students may need more units to receive the minor. Please contact the minor adviser for specific program requirements.

Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Computational Linguistics

The degree requires six to seven lower-division courses (22-26 units) and six upper-division courses (24 units): a total of 46-50 units.