Majors & Minors

This minor equips students from various academic backgrounds to leverage engineering innovation in addressing the greatest challenges facing our world today. With a focus on the knowledge, tools, techniques and mindsets that have evolved in engineering innovation from the Industrial Revolution to the Second Machine Age with its self-driving cars, next-generation robots, and 3D printing, this minor brings time-tested principles together with novel, integrated approaches to bear upon wicked problems such as climate change, human displacement, pandemics, access to education, and a widening socio-economic gap. In pursuing these grand challenges, engineers, scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs must increasingly frame their work to address areas of human concern – sustainability, health, vulnerability, and the joy of living – while they lead the design of ingenious products, services and technologies with a human-centered approach.

This is a minor for a new generation of students who see themselves as makers, inventors, entrepreneurs, engineers, designers and peace builders, who want to create real solutions and put them to work against the wicked problems. The minor prepares students to think globally and develop culturally relevant perspectives and teaches the skills that not only inform the way we work in diverse teams but also shape the future of global collaboration.

This minor is designed to provide students who have a sound foundation in mathematics and the sciences with tools and skills for managerial analysis and problem solving.

Science and technology are driving significant portions of American and global economies. Individuals, companies and governments are demanding products, services and systems, which grow more complicated every day. Suppliers are forced by competition to provide goods and services efficiently and economically.

Scientists and engineers are trained in scientific and technical subjects which form an excellent base for building complex, technical products, services and systems. But more and more, scientists and engineers are managing the financial, material and human resources required to turn abstract ideas into physical and virtual reality, often without any formal management training. This minor provides that training, a complement to any science or technology degree.

Application Procedures

Applicants must be upper division students in good standing and complete the Change/Addition of Major, Minor or Degree Objective form. The minor is not open to industrial and systems engineering majors.

All English majors must take an introductory course (ENGL 240), senior seminar (ENGL 491) and complete a minimum of 40 units in the major, of which 24 units must be upper-division. Students should take ENGL 240 before enrolling in upper-division literature courses or creative writing workshops.

In addition to ENGL 240, majors emphasizing English literature must take: one lower-division course and one upper-division course in early literatures; one lower-division and one upper-division course in later literatures; two courses in interpretive lenses (categories include race, gender, and/or sexuality, and genre and media studies); and two electives.

In addition to ENGL 240, majors emphasizing creative writing must take: one lower-division course in early literatures; one lower-division course in later literatures; one course in interpretive lenses; two introductory creative writing workshops in poetry and prose; one creative writing workshop at the 400-level; one course in contemporary/modern literature; and one elective.

All English minors must take an introductory course (ENGL 240) and complete a minimum of 20 units, of which 16 units must be unique to the minor. Students should take ENGL 240 before enrolling in upper-division literature courses or creative writing workshops. Minors must take one course in early literatures, one course in later literatures, one course in interpretive lenses (categories include race, gender, and/or sexuality, and genre and media studies), and one elective.

The first two decades of the 21^st century have seen tremendous growth of global business, which has required robust and integrated information systems to support streamlined business processes. These Enterprise Information Systems, also known as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, have continued to mature and dominate the information systems of corporations. Most Fortune 500 companies have adopted ERP systems. This minor combines business process management and information technology to prepare students for a career in technical as well as business consulting in the ERP domain. Students will study various areas of ERP implementation, configuration, business intelligence, security and supply chain management. Electives are available depending on the students' academic and professional goals.

The minor requires a minimum of 16 units.

The minor in the entertainment industry provides students interested in media content creation with a focused curriculum that will give them insight into the economic factors and professional practices that influence the creative process, and how they interact with social, historical, technical, and aesthetic elements. To be eligible for the entertainment industry minor, a student must be in good academic standing, have a declared major, and have completed CTCS 190g Introduction to Cinema or CTCS 191 Introduction to Television and Video with a C or better. To declare the minor, a student must submit a Change of Major/Minor form to Cinematic Arts Student Services, SCB 105.

Course Requirements for the Minor

A total of 20 upper-division units is required for the minor in the Entertainment Industry.

The minor in entrepreneurship is available to students in all schools and departments except business majors. It provides an understanding of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial mindset. To enroll in this minor, students must have completed a minimum of 32 units of college-level course work and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75.

The minor requires a minimum of 16 units to complete.

The environmental chemistry and sustainability minor is designed for students majoring in business, engineering, law, communications and other professional fields to give them the knowledge of chemistry needed to understand, formulate and manage scientific issues related to natural environmental processes as well as technologies involving the environment.

The program requires a minimum of 134 units. A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required for all courses taken at USC as well as all upper-division courses applied toward the major, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken. In addition, a minimum grade of C must be earned in the following course: ENE 410. See also common requirements for undergraduate degrees.

This minor provides students with a basic understanding of environmental health and its challenges. Curriculum will focus on global health, epidemiology (as it relates to environmental exposures), toxicology and exposure science. Students will be prepared to address and prevent environmental health hazards, promote public health and contribute to the resolution of various environmental health challenges. This minor is ideal for pre-health majors across the university.