Majors & Minors

This program covers the most current theories and practice of construction planning and management. The program provides a valuable adjunct credential to professional school students pursuing careers in business administration, public administration, environmental studies, and other areas; and a unique opportunity for professional focus to students in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Construction activities are complex. In contemporary society, effective planning and management of these activities requires specialized knowledge of the technical, economic and political environment. This program couples the knowledge of how construction activities are organized with a broader understanding of the urban system in which construction projects are embedded. With the exception of statistics, all of the required courses are within the Department of Civil Engineering and the Price School of Public Policy. Any USC undergraduate who has completed the equivalent of two full-time semesters in good standing is eligible to pursue the minor program. This minor program is rigorous enough to serve as an introductory credential for students subsequently electing to pursue advanced studies in development, urban planning, construction management or allied fields.

See the Construction Planning and Management Minor in the Department of Civil Engineering for course requirements.

This interdisciplinary minor explores consumer thinking from the perspective of psychology, marketing, economics, anthropology, sociology and other departments interested in popular culture. Why do people form the attitudes and impressions they do? How do individual factors, culture, mass media, economics and social trends influence people's decisions? See USC Marshall School of Business.

Consumer behavior studies inform decision makers in the business, government and non-profit sectors on how consumer decisions, preferences, activities and other behaviors are influenced by factors such as culture, subculture, demographics, sensation, thinking, conscious and unconscious information processing, knowledge organization, beliefs, interpersonal communication, learning from experience and values. This is an interdisciplinary field, drawing on such disciplines as marketing, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, linguistics, ethnic studies, gender studies, geography, history, cognitive science and communications to understand the experiences of contemporary consumers across the world.

To enroll in this minor, students must have completed a minimum of 32 units of college-level courses and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75.

This minor requires 18-20 units.

The minor in Contemplative Studies provides students with the opportunity to explore contemplative traditions — such as mindfulness, meditation and prayer — critically and from multiple perspectives. Courses taken from within the department will enable students to understand contemplative traditions from historical, doctrinal, institutional and cultural perspectives. Courses from other units included in the program place contemplative traditions within scientific, sociological and experiential frameworks and also consider contemporary applications of such practices.

Total unit requirement for the minor is 20 units; 16 units must be upper-division.

The Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Latino and Latin American Studies (CLLA) is an interdisciplinary major bridging the fields of Latin American Studies (focusing on the history and cultures of Central and South America) and Latino Studies (focusing on the experience of Chicano/a and Latino/a communities in the United States). By combining these two areas of scholarly inquiry in a single undergraduate degree, students acquire interdisciplinary perspectives on the indigenous and transnational histories, cultures, and social issues of the Américas.

The Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Latino and Latin American Studies provides an opportunity for undergraduates to gain a general understanding of this area of scholarship and research and focus their study to reflect their personal aspirations. The major requires nine courses (36 units), two at the lower-division (100 and 200) level and seven at the upper-division (300 and 400) level. This curriculum prepares students for careers in business, diplomacy, or social change that reflect and respect the cultural diversity of the western hemisphere.

The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, the Viterbi School of Engineering Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Department of Biological Sciences jointly offer the minor in craniofacial and dental technology. This minor is designed to prepare engineering, pre-dental, pre-medical and biological sciences undergraduates to enter the dental biotechnology industry as well as to introduce them to recent innovations in craniofacial sciences and therapeutics. The course work introduces students to concepts in dental and craniofacial sciences and technology, tissue engineering, molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry and biotechnology as well as applications to dental diagnostics, imaging and dental therapies (dental implants, restorative dentistry, salivary diagnostics).

This minor requires a minimum of 16 units outside your home department; further, at least 16 units must be unique to the minor.

Please see a biomedical engineering, biological sciences or Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry adviser for specific program requirements.

The minor in Creating Dramatic Content presents undergraduate students an opportunity for broadening and deepening expression using the literary and performing arts. This minor offers a foundation for extended expression in dramatic writing and creative writing genres in general; fostering skills in content creation, research, communication and collaboration. The minor is a 16-unit program.  

The study and practice of embodied communication, collaboration and storytelling to create pathways to authentic, dynamic and empathic leadership. Through the use of these dramatic tools, students will develop and enhance their unique leadership presence. The minor is a 16-unit program.

Cultural Anthropology is the comparative study of human culture and society, the study of how individuals and communities are shaped by their traditions, values, and institutions.

The anthropology minor provides students with training in the fundamentals in anthropology, the core academic discipline for the study of culture and social difference in global context. The cultural anthropology minor provides students with training in anthropological theory, as well as opportunities to study and apply anthropological insights in an interdisciplinary context. 

Departmental minors are required to take four courses (16 units) in Anthropology.

This minor is designed for students who plan to enter careers or professional programs in medicine after graduation and are interested in using cultural knowledge to provide more effective health care. The minor focuses on cultural differences in the understanding of health, disease, health care and risk factors unique to specific populations. The minor provides a foundation for students who want to become effective health care providers in an increasingly diverse society. It complements major programs such as biological sciences, chemistry, kinesiology and environmental studies.