Majors & Minors

The minor in the history and culture of business is available to all students in all schools and departments. It is designed to cultivate an understanding of business as it is embedded in changing cultural, social and political environments in the United States and around the globe. Completion of the minor requires 20 units; 4 units at the lower division and 16 units at the upper division. At least 8 units must be from the Department of History course offerings. Interested students should meet with the undergraduate adviser for the Department of History.

The Bachelor of Arts in History requires students to take 10 courses (40 units).

The History major offers students a means to encounter the peoples and cultures of the past and develop critical thinking, research and writing skills essential for understanding the present. The program exposes students to underlying connections between the study of past times and places and the roots of that study in human concerns about values, identities, issues and policies.

In their lower-division courses, majors will have the opportunity to explore the histories of different cultures across time. Students at the upper-division level hone their knowledge of different cultures and societies, while also learning how to do history. When they arrive at their capstone course, they will apply that knowledge to a substantial world of independent research.

Lower-Division Requirements

All majors are required to complete HIST 201 Approaches to History. It is recommended that students complete HIST 201 early in their course of study.

Students can take up to three additional lower-division survey courses. However, if they prefer to take upper-division courses instead, they may.

The Department of History will accept scores of 4 or 5 on Advanced Placement European History, Advanced Placement United States History or Advanced Placement World History as a substitute for one course requirement at the lower-division level.

Upper-Division Requirements

Six upper-division courses are required, of which at least two must be 400-levels. No more than 4 units of HIST 490x Directed Research may be counted as satisfying the upper-division seminar requirement.

Geographic and Temporal Breadth Requirements

For geographic breadth, majors must take at least one course from four geographic areas. Those areas and the classes that fulfill them are listed below. Majors must also take two class that focus on the period before 1800 and two that focus on the period after 1800 to show temporal breadth. The courses that cover those periods are listed below. A single course may fulfill both a geographic and temporal requirement.

Capstone Requirement

Every major must complete a capstone to finish the major. To do so they must take a 400-level course their last year in the major (usually their senior year, but exceptions will be considered), which includes a substantial work of independent scholarship. They must have their choice approved by the department. See the department website for how to achieve an approved capstone. For students who choose to complete the Honors Thesis, this counts as a capstone. Classes that can be considered for a capstone are listed below.

The minor in history is available to students in all schools and departments. The study of history deepens our understanding of peoples and societies and expands our knowledge of important issues in the world today. History minors will strengthen their skills in critical thinking, assessing evidence, and formulating clear and persuasive arguments both oral and written. History is essentially a laboratory of human experience, and students from a wide range of disciplines can discover new perspectives on their own intellectual interests through the study of the past.

Requirements: The minor in history requires 20 units, a total of five courses, from Department of History offerings. One course may be at the lower-division level, among which HIST 201 is the preferred course. Four courses must be at the upper-division level and at least one of those must be at the 400-level. All students who wish to embark on the completion of a minor in history must meet with the department undergraduate adviser for approval.

The section of Human and Evolutionary Biology within the Department of Biological Sciences oversees the Human Biology BA at USC. This degree is designed for students seeking a course of study in human applied physiology and metabolism, performance and/or human evolution. The Human Biology BA is an excellent option for students pursuing pre-professional education in the fields of physical therapy, nutrition, pharmacology, sports training, kinesiology, biomechanics, human evolution,  primatology, evolutionary biology, etc.

Summary of Requirements

Students must complete the general core consisting of 21 units. In addition, they must select 16 units from one of the three track modules below, as well as 8 additional units from the restricted elective list or any other track in the major. No more than one course may be lower division (100- or 200-level) from the major track and electives combined. Total requirements: 45 units including at least 24 upper-division.

The section of Human and Evolutionary Biology within the Department of Biological Sciences oversees the Human Biology BS at USC. This degree is designed for students seeking a focused course of study in human applied physiology, biomedicine, nutrition and metabolism and/or human evolution. The Human Biology BS is an excellent option for students pursuing pre-professional education in the fields of medicine, physical therapy, dentistry, physician assistant, nursing, nutrition, kinesiology, biomechanics, human evolution, primatology, evolutionary biology, etc.

Summary of Requirements

Students must complete the general core consisting of 25 units. In addition, they must complete all courses listed in the major track of their choice (one thematic module of 20 units), as well as 16 additional units from the restricted elective list or any other track in the major. No more than two courses may be lower division (100- or 200-level) from the major track and electives combined. Total major requirements: 61 units; total degree requirements: 129 units.

The Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Aging is an undergraduate degree offered at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology in the social sciences. Students in this program often pursue careers related to older adults in business, law, the nonprofit sector or government agencies.

Students may also specialize in a health science track. The health science track combines the core gerontology curriculum with the prerequisites for admission to medical school and other health-related fields including: dentistry, pharmacy, occupational/physical therapy, physician assistant programs and others. In addition, students will participate in a supervised practicum experience in which they will become directly involved with aging clients in a health care setting.

Students planning to pursue a BS are urged to notify the school of this intent as early as possible during their undergraduate study. This will help ensure that the student receives proper advisement and that the student is alerted to any special requirements or program modifications.

During the freshman and sophomore years, students enroll primarily in general education required courses as specified by the university and the Human Development and Aging course (GERO 200).

During their junior and senior years, students enroll in required and elective courses in the School of Gerontology as well as other courses throughout the university. These courses are selected in consultation with an adviser and reflect the personal and professional interests of the students.

The honors program is available to juniors who maintain a GPA of 3.5 in gerontology and a GPA of 3.3 in other USC course work. The honors program includes mentored training in research and course work relevant to research methodology and statistics.

A grade point average of at least C (2.0) on all units attempted at USC is required for undergraduate degrees. The School of Gerontology requires a minimum 2.0 grade point average in upper division courses applied toward the major.

General Education Requirements

The university's general education program provides a coherent, integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge you will need to consider yourself (and to be considered by other people) a generally well-educated person. This program requires eight courses in six Core Literacies, plus two courses in Global Perspectives (which may double-count with courses in the Core Literacies). See dornsife.usc.edu/2015ge for more information.

Foreign Language or Programming Skills (12 Units)

Students must satisfy the skill level requirement in one language or complete ITP 101 and additional ITP 100-level programming courses to total 12 units.

The Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Aging is an undergraduate degree offered at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology in the social sciences. Students in this program often pursue careers related to older adults in business, law, the nonprofit sector or government agencies.

The health science track combines the core gerontology curriculum with the prerequisites for admission to medical school and other health-related fields including: dentistry, pharmacy, occupational/physical therapy, physician assistant programs and others. In addition, students will participate in a supervised practicum experience in which they will become directly involved with aging clients in a health care setting.

Requirements for Admission

The listed requirements for admission to the health science track in human development and aging will not differ from existing requirements for admission to the Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Aging. However, because health professional schools are very competitive, USC students interested in this program will be expected to have achieved at least a 3.0 grade point average (A = 4.0). Students entering the program from high schools or transferring from community colleges will also be expected to meet the minimum admission standards.

USC Davis offers an honors program to outstanding students already pursuing studies for the BS in Human Development and Aging degree. This program offers students an opportunity to participate in mentored undergraduate research, taking course work in research methods and statistics in aging, and experience in writing an honors thesis that summarizes the research project. Honors students are required to complete GERO 497a, GERO 497b, GERO 497c for a total of 6–8 units, beginning in the fall or spring of the junior year. In the senior year, they must complete GERO 593 Research Methods with a minimum grade of B. GERO 593 is offered only in the fall semester. Completion of the program requires a minimum GPA of 3.5 in gerontology and 3.3 in other courses. The program leads to the designation on the transcript of Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Aging with Honors.

The student takes 2 units of GERO 497a in the fall or spring of the junior year as a mentored research course to begin the process of developing an honors thesis. This would be in lieu of elective units. In the fall of the junior or senior year the student would complete GERO 593 for 4 units and 2 units of GERO 497b, both in lieu of elective units. Also during the fall semester, the research design and methods for the honors thesis are finalized and the research project begun. In the spring, the student would register for 2–4 units of GERO 497c in lieu of elective units. The goal for that semester is to complete the research and write the honors thesis.

The minor in Human Disease is an interdisciplinary program focused on the biological and psychological factors that determine wellness and disease. It is an ideal minor for students interested in various disciples such medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, public health, global health, health policy and health promotion.

The minor includes two lower-division pre-requisites, two upper-division courses to be chosen from a list of HBIO courses and two upper-division courses to be chosen from a list of PSYC courses for a total of four upper-division courses (16 units).

The minor in human resource management is available to students in all schools and departments except business majors. It is appropriate for students pursuing careers in human resource management, as well as for students pursuing management positions where they will be interfacing with or relying on the human resource function for support. To enroll in this minor, students must have completed a minimum of 32 units of collegelevel courses and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75. Completion of the human resource management minor requires a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the following business minor courses: