Majors & Minors

The Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the legal system including the infrastructure, the reasoning process and the substantive commitments that the legal system has made. As future leaders, students in this major will become critical thinkers able to apply and understand various legal concepts in their interaction with real world issues locally, nationally and globally.

This program is particularly appropriate for students interested in pursuing a career that integrates legal concepts with other disciplines or that requires familiarity with extensive aspects of the legal system. It is a major designed for students who are looking to become future leaders in the community, the city, the state, the nation and the world. It is also suitable for students wanting to pursue graduate education in various disciplines, such as economics, humanities, social science, political science, business, health care, public service and many more, and for anyone who wants to obtain a general understanding of the place of law in contemporary society.

The minor in Legal Studies enables students to deepen their understanding of the U.S. legal system and provides them with the fundamentals of law. It combines courses in law, economics, history, philosophy, political science and public policy taught at the Gould School of Law, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and the Sol Price School of Public Policy.

The minor in Legal Studies totals 22 units, consisting of 6 required units, and 16 elective units, as detailed below. 

The LGBTQ Studies minor focuses on how sexuality and sexual orientation shape gender identities, roles and status in societies past and present. Twenty units of course work are required for completion of the LGBTQ Studies minor: one course selected from SWMS 210gmw, SWMS 212gp, SWMS 215gw, SWMS 221g; required SWMS 306; and 12 units of upper-division electives.

The Bachelor of Science in Lifespan Health prepares students for admission to a graduate or professional school with an emphasis on the biomedical aspects of health including disease prevention, detection and treatment. This program is designed for students wishing to pursue graduate studies in a health field such as medicine, pharmacy, occupational/physical therapy, psychology and other related fields.

Admission to this program is granted through USC's admission process, described in the admission section of this catalogue. The same foreign language or programming skills requirement for the Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Aging default Social Science track (12 units total) is required as well as the USC General Education program. Students must enroll in the following courses:

Combined major program between the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Cognitive Science.

Combined major program between the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Philosophy.

The Luso-Brazilian Studies minor offers students the opportunity to further the study of the Portuguese language and take significant steps toward its mastery both as a richly layered expressive tool in the contexts of literary and cultural analysis and in the interpretation and articulation of critical thinking, as well as a highly effective instrument tailored to the practical needs of business interactions in a world that is increasingly more diverse and globalized.

Building on a solid basis of four semesters of Portuguese language (or equivalent), which serves as a prerequisite for the Luso-Brazilian Studies minor, students will have the opportunity to choose from a rich selection of core courses spanning cultural, literary and social aspects of the Portuguese-speaking world, as well as Portuguese applied to the context of professions. In addition to the core offerings, students will be able to choose from a wide array of electives in order to fulfill the required number of units for the Luso-Brazilian Studies minor, as well as have the opportunity to fulfill some of the requirements in one of the exciting Study Abroad options in Brazil.

The Luso-Brazilian Studies minor will require 20 units beyond the basic language requirements.