Majors & Minors

The Marshall School of Business in conjunction with the Viterbi School of Engineering offers a dual degree program leading to the degrees of Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Systems Architecting and Engineering.

Application

Applicants to the MBA/MS, Systems Architecting and Engineering program should apply to both schools simultaneously. Applicants must satisfy the admission requirements of both the MBA program selected and the MSSAE program. For this program GRE scores are preferred.

Program Requirements

This alternative requires at least 72 units and leads to both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Systems Architecting and Engineering.

The total number of units required for the MBA portion of the program is at least 48.

Required business courses include all required courses in an MBA program and graduate business electives sufficient to bring the total units completed in the Marshall School of Business to at least 48.

Dual degree program students may not apply courses taken outside the USC Marshall School of Business to the MBA requirements.

See Master of Science, Systems Architecting and Engineering/Master of Business Administration (MS/MBA) for systems architecting and engineering course requirements.

The MBA and the MS degrees are awarded simultaneously upon completion of all program requirements.

Return to: USC Marshall School of Business

Academic training in law and in communication management provides a powerful background for careers in business, entertainment or government life. The USC Gould School of Law and the USC Annenberg School of Communication collaborate in a program that enables these educational opportunities. Students complete both the JD and the Master of Communication Management in three years, the time normally required for the law degree alone.

Students must complete 20 units (five courses) of communication courses at the School of Communication: one required research methods course; one required core conceptual foundation course; one approved theory-practice integration course; and two courses from approved CMGT elective areas of focus.

Students are required to complete 76 units from the law school. To earn the JD, all students (including dual degree students) must complete 37 numerically graded law units at USC after the first year. The associate dean of the USC Gould School of Law may make exceptions to this rule for students enrolled in law school honors programs. 

First Year: Required law school courses.

Second and Third Years: 20 units of communication courses, including the 4-unit required research methods course in the first semester of the second year, and the 4-unit required core conceptual foundation course in the second semester of the second year, and an approved 4-unit theory-practice integration course; 46 units of law courses, of which 8 units must be approved as appropriate for acceptance by the School of Communication toward its degree.

Application to pursue the dual degree should be made before completion of 15 units of work in law or 8 units toward the Master of Communication Management degree. Admission by the law school to its JD degree will be evaluated as a substitute for GRE scores.

The dual degree program, Communication Management/Jewish Nonprofit Management, offers students the opportunity for advanced study of sophisticated communication processes and technologies in the context of the nonprofit arena. The program has been developed by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) to combine the study of communication theory, processes and technologies with postgraduate education in Jewish nonprofit management and leadership. The goal of this program is for graduates to perform more effectively in the nonprofit sector, having received specific training in areas such as organizational communication, media impacts and policy.

Students of this program are admitted separately to each school. Students are required to complete a minimum of 34 credits in Jewish nonprofit management. Eight of the 34 required credits of graduate course work at the Zelikow School are used to fulfill the School of Communication's cognate option.

In addition, students are required to take 24 units (six courses) at the School of Communication, including one required research methods course in the first semester; one required core conceptual foundation course in the second semester; one approved theory-practice integration course; and three courses from approved CMGT elective areas of focus.

Those interested in this program should contact Melissa Garai at the Zelikow School at (213) 765-2173 or visit the website at zsjnm.huc.edu for more information about its requirements.

The Master of Heritage Conservation/Master of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism dual degree program facilitates highly related cross-disciplinary studies in heritage conservation and in landscape architecture at the master’s level. The primary objective of the dual degree curriculum is to impart to students a basic familiarity with the origins and development of the philosophies, theories, and practices of landscape architecture and heritage conservation. This curriculum has been developed so that students will graduate from this program with a broad practical knowledge of the techniques and strategies for conserving the existing built environment through the lens of cultural landscape studies and landscape architecture. Students will be expected to understand the critical methodological tools necessary for a professional engaged in the investigation, interpretation, and evaluation of the cultural landscapes that surround us.

Qualified students who are admitted to the Master of Heritage Conservation and the Master of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism program in the School of Architecture may complete both degrees in a highly integrated five- to seven-semester program.

Completion of the dual degree requires 37 units of courses in heritage conservation (including 5 units of thesis) and either 50 units of landscape architecture (for those students admitted with advanced placement); or 74 units of landscape architecture (for those students admitted to the three-year curriculum).

The Master of Heritage Conservation/Master of Urban Planning dual degree program facilitates highly related cross-disciplinary studies in heritage conservation and in urban planning at the master's level. The primary objective of the dual degree curriculum is to impart to students a basic familiarity with the origins and development of the philosophies, theories, and practices of planning and heritage conservation. This curriculum has been developed so that students will graduate from this program with a broad practical knowledge of the laws, regulations, and policies that apply to planning and conservation practice in the United States and internationally. This expertise will include knowledge of urban design, public policy, and architectural and planning history and theory. Students will be expected to understand the critical methodological tools necessary for a professional engaged in the investigation, interpretation, and evaluation of the urban built environment.

Qualified students who are admitted to the graduate programs in both the School of Architecture and the USC Price School of Public Policy may complete both degrees in a highly integrated five-semester program.

Requirements

Requirements for completion of the dual degree program are 60 units, including 30 units in heritage conservation and 30 units in urban planning, as follows:

Qualified students who are admitted to the Master of Landscape Architecture program in the School of Architecture and to the graduate program in the USC Price School of Public Policy may complete both degrees in a highly integrated five-seven semester program.

Completion of the dual degree requires 26 units of courses in urban planning, 9 units of Advanced Design Research and either 49 units of landscape architecture (for those students admitted with advanced placement); or 71 units of landscape architecture (for those students admitted to the three-year curriculum).

The Master of Public Administration/Master of Arts in Jewish Nonprofit Management (MPA/MA) has been developed, in cooperation between the USC Price School of Public Policy and the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at HUC-JIR, to prepare those students who want to pursue a career in Jewish nonprofit management. Students in this dual degree program develop policy and leadership practices that support a strategic understanding of how the application of financial and program resources shape a community's future. The MA in Jewish Nonprofit Management program is project based. Through paid field internships in Jewish organizations and consulting projects, students apply what is learned in the classroom in a real world experience that develops their professional expertise.

Students must complete 68 units of course work, 34 in Public Administration and a minimum of 34 credits in Jewish Nonprofit Management. There is an opportunity to spend either 12 months in Sacramento, California, or Washington, D.C. At these sites, students attend classes while serving internships in the offices of politicians, lobbyists or other advocates.

Students must meet admission requirements and be admitted by both the Price School of Public Policy and the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management.

Curriculum Requirements

The program begins in June of each year and continues for the next 24 months. Students are expected to work out individual course plans with advisers from each school.

In addition to applying to the Price School of Public Policy, those interested in the program should contact Melissa Garai at the Zelikow School at (213) 765-2173 or visit the Website at ZSJNM.HUC.edu, for more information about its requirements.

Public administration course work may be taken in Los Angeles or Sacramento. In Sacramento, a student will complete the Price core and elective courses, will take independent study with an HUC professor, and will serve in an internship while enrolled in HUC fieldwork classes.

The Master of Public Administration/Master of Science in Gerontology (MPA/MS) dual degree offers students interested in management of agencies and institutions the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the administrative and organizational processes and management skills necessary for the effective delivery of services to older persons.

In the MPA/MS dual degree, students spend their first year taking the required courses in the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. The research course, GERO 593 Research Methods and the capstone course GERO 555 Integrating Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Approach, are taken in the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. The student begins courses in the Price School of Public Policy during the second semester of the first year.

Two versions of this dual degree are available, one with a general orientation and one with an emphasis on health services administration. Students must apply to both schools and, if accepted to both, participate in a specially designed program combining course work from both schools.

Curriculum requirements for the general focus dual degree are detailed in the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology section of this catalogue. Students are encouraged to seek advisement as they plan their actual programs, since curriculum changes may occur.

The Master of Public Administration/Master of Social Work (MPA/MSW) dual degree offers students interested in careers as administrators of social agencies the opportunity to prepare for social work while developing the administrative capabilities necessary in the public sector.

The MPA/MSW requires two calendar years of full-time study. The first academic year is devoted to the standard social work first year curriculum. During the second year, the curriculum combines social work and public administration course work. The curriculum for both summers will be in public administration.

Course requirements in the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work include the required courses outlined in the Social Work (Integrative Social Work) (MSW) section of the catalogue. Students will take their remaining MSW units in specialized courses in integrative social work. Students will be advised into the appropriate courses. 

Students can enter this program only with the written consent of both schools. Students who apply initially to the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work must declare their intention to pursue the MPA/MSW dual degree at the time of their application. If admission is approved, such students will be admitted to the dual degree program. 

Students must complete 73 units (45 in social work and 28 in public administration).

The School of Pharmacy and the Master of Public Health program, in recognition of the rapidly changing health care environment, and in response to the growing demand for pharmacists who are knowledgeable in both pharmacy and population-based health care issues, have developed a dual degree program. The joint PharmD/MPH degree will enable graduates to be more responsive to today's health care needs and will provide training for pharmacists who seek to be agents of change within the profession and to assume leadership roles in the pharmacy field and in public health at the local, state and national levels.

Students who are enrolled in the School of Pharmacy must apply to the Master of Public Health program no later than January of their first year. All requirements for admission to the regular MPH program must also be fulfilled by dual degree applicants.

The PharmD/MPH program spans five years (four years of pharmacy school courses and one year of public health courses). Students begin the core MPH courses following the successful completion of the first year of pharmacy school. The last three years of the program are devoted to course work and the clinical rotations of the School of Pharmacy and to the completion of the elective courses and practicum (field experience) of the MPH program.

All students in the PharmD/MPH program must meet course requirements, grade point average requirements and program residency requirements of both programs. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the PharmD curriculum and a 3.0 in the MPH curriculum to meet graduation requirements.

The PharmD and the MPH degrees are awarded simultaneously upon completion of the School of Pharmacy and the Master of Public Health requirements.

Admission Requirements and Procedures

Students applying for the dual degree program must meet the respective admission requirements for each program. This includes having completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and having acceptable GRE and TOEFL or IELTS scores as applicable. Students will not be given special consideration for admission to either program because they are applying for the dual degree. Students may apply to the dual PharmD/MPH degree program in two ways. First, they may apply at the time they submit their PharmD application by concurrently submitting applications to both programs. Students who elect this approach must identify themselves on both applications as potential dual degree students. Students who are admitted to both programs will be offered admission to the PharmD and will be offered admission to the dual degree program contingent on passing all courses in their first year of the PharmD with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Students who are accepted by only one program may choose to attend that program, but will not be eligible for the dual degree. Second, students can apply to the dual degree by submitting an application to the MPH program during their first year of enrollment in the PharmD prior to the MPH published application deadline. Students who elect this approach must apply through the School of Pharmacy. Students admitted to the MPH program using this approach will be offered admission to the dual degree contingent on passing all courses in their first year of the PharmD with a minimum 3.0 GPA.