Majors & Minors

The Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts and Practice is a hybrid theory/practice program integrating creative and critical approaches to the history, theory and practice of digital media in the 21st century. Students learn how to work with a broad spectrum of media-making tools, including video, sound, graphic design and interactive media, while also exploring the relationships among media forms, emerging technologies, and culture. Students explore an array of methods, including worldbuilding, design fiction and critical making, as well as how to integrate research and creativity while working with faculty mentors in SCA’s varied research labs. The Media Arts and Practice major is ideal for students who are innovative storytellers eager to explore a full range of cinematic techniques and platforms; who are committed to making a positive difference in the world; and who will use their skills across diverse fields after graduation.

This 24-unit minor equips students with the skills and critical framework to navigate the innovation waves sweeping across the media industry. The interdisciplinary curriculum, which includes courses from Communication, Journalism, and Entrepreneurship, promotes an understanding of the key economic forces that are reshaping television, film, music, gaming, online creativity and news. The program emphasizes digitalization and solving business problems amid uncertainty. Above all, it prepares students to embrace the exciting changes that are reshaping the media landscape. Requirements for admission are a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of a minimum of 32 units (sophomore standing). The 3.0 GPA is a minimum standard and does not guarantee admission.

Medical anthropology examines the body, illness and healing from a cultural perspective, including comparative studies of folk healing systems, curing rituals and Western biomedical practices.

Departments and programs of the University of Southern California and the California Institute of Technology participate in the joint MD/PhD degree program administrated by the USC Graduate School, the Keck School of Medicine and the California Institute of Technology. This program integrates the medical school curriculum with graduate curricula in the basic sciences, to provide a unified course of study leading to both the MD and PhD degrees.

This program is especially designed to prepare highly qualified students for careers in academic medicine and medical research. Formal course work and dissertation research provide the student with in-depth scientific preparation and research experience which enhances the application of basic science information to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. Conversely, the PhD education becomes more meaningful because of its disease-oriented emphasis.

The curriculum for MD/PhD students differs from that of PhD graduate students in the basic sciences in that the former take medical school courses as well as selected graduate level basic science courses and specific courses designed for MD/PhD students. The integrated training of the MD/PhD program enables students to compress their total academic effort by applying some course work toward the requirements of both degrees. On average, completion of the combined program requires a total of eight years.

The following graduate programs from the Keck School of Medicine participate in the MD/PhD program:

Cancer Biology and Genomics

Development, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

Medical Biology

Molecular Structure and Signaling

Biological Sciences/Neurosciences, Molecular and Computational Biology

Engineering

Preventive Medicine (Biostatistics, Epidemiology, IPR/Health Behavior, Molecular Epidemiology)

Selected graduate programs from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences also participate in the combined degree program.

Time limits for qualifying examinations and other procedures are determined by considering MD/PhD students as medical students for the periods when they are following the medical curriculum and as full-time graduate students during their years of graduate research prior to completion of the clerkship phase and advancement to the post-clerkship phase of the medical school curriculum.

MD/PhD candidates have the option of pursuing a laboratory experience before beginning the Year I medical curriculum through a laboratory rotation at either USC or the California Institute of Technology. This laboratory experience is strongly encouraged although not required.

During the first two years of their program, MD/PhD students follow the medical school curriculum and gain added exposure to research faculty through a bi-weekly research seminar series. Students are guided by the MD/PhD executive committee, which outlines the integration of the graduate program with the medical school curriculum and serves as the students' liaison until they have selected a graduate program and graduate research adviser. The graduate programs vary in the extent to which they allow credit toward the PhD for courses taken during the first two years of medical school. MD/PhD students are encouraged to select a graduate program by early spring of the second year of medical school. Students are required to apply for admission to the PhD program of their choice by the recommended deadline on the graduate application.

Beginning with the third year of the MD/PhD program, students enter their selected PhD program as full-time graduate students. Although the content of graduate courses required of MD/PhD students is generally identical to that required of PhD students in the same graduate program, MD/PhD students are permitted greater latitude in the scheduling of their graduate courses. Four years are commonly necessary to fulfill requirements for the PhD, including course work, qualifying examinations, independent research, and writing of the dissertation.

After completion of the graduate program, the student returns to the clerkship phase of the curriculum and completes the final two years of the medical school curriculum. No portion of clinical training is deleted from the joint program. Prior to beginning the clinical component of the joint degree, students will be expected to participate in a clinical shadowing experience, which could be done throughout the PhD studies or as part of an intensive program prior to entering the clinic. MD/PhD students are also required to complete a four-week ambulatory medicine elective upon return to the Year 3 curriculum.

Keck School of Medicine-Caltech MD/PhD Program

A joint program between the Keck School of Medicine and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) was established for the granting of the MD/PhD degree. Students do their preclinical and clinical work at the Keck School of Medicine and their PhD work with any member of the Caltech faculty, including the biology, chemistry, engineering, applied sciences divisions and interdisciplinary programs divisions.

Admission to this joint program is made through the usual Keck/USC MD/PhD process. All applicants are interviewed by the Keck School of Medicine and Caltech. Matriculated students in this program have the option of doing their PhD at USC or Caltech. The MD degree will be awarded from the Keck School of Medicine.

Further information about the MD/PhD program at the Keck School of Medicine may be obtained by contacting: MD/PhD Program, Keck School of Medicine, 1975 Zonal Avenue (KAM 103), Los Angeles, CA 90089-9023; (323) 442-2965, FAX: (323) 442-0386; email mdphdpgm@usc.edu.

This interdisciplinary minor offers students interested in exploring the richness and complexity of the Middle East, broadly defined as extending from Morocco through Iran, a framework for developing a basic but solid understanding of the region. Students may select courses that provide a broad introduction across disciplines, or they may choose courses that address a particular historical period or theme.

Twenty units (five courses) are required. All students must take MDES 201w and MDES 301g. To complete the minor a student must also take three upper-division courses from the list below. Students who are also studying a language may substitute ARAB 252, HEBR 315 or IRAN 250 for one of the three upper-division courses. However there is no language requirement for the minor.

A special accommodation is in place for majors in the School of International Relations who minor in Middle East Studies. Courses that are cross-listed between MDES and IR can satisfy the four unique courses (at least 16 units) that must be completed outside of their major department for this interdisciplinary minor. Students will still be required, however, to complete at least four courses (16 units) that are unique to the minor (not required to meet major course requirements).

Students will explore the interconnectedness of body and mind wellbeing through an experiential, interdisciplinary study that blends theory, research and practice. Offered through the Department of Physical Education and Mind Body Health, core course work includes foundations in yoga, mindfulness and stress management for a comprehensive approach to healthy living. Interdisciplinary course work examines mental and physical health for a multi-dimensional view of mind-body awareness and connection. This minor is designed for students who want to add a dimension of wellbeing to their personal and academic lives. It is particularly suited for those with career interests in health care, physical therapy, psychology or social work. 

Required Course Work (20 units): Students will complete a combination of experiential classes in Physical Education and Mind Body Health, as well as theory and research-based interdisciplinary electives.

Students pursuing this minor will study and gain experience with the technologies, tools, frameworks, and languages that are most commonly used in developing apps for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. They will learn: the fundamentals of programming languages widely used to develop mobile apps; how to design mobile interfaces; how to use the libraries to build apps that have the proper look and feel; how to design and handle user input; and the essential principles of mobile apps in order to be prepared for the new technologies and frameworks that are constantly being developed. Students in this minor will have the opportunity to build a mobile app from the initial idea all the way to a finished product.

Students should meet the regular admissions standards and have a declared USC major. Students will complete an application for the minor with the Viterbi School of Engineering. For specific information on admission and application procedures, contact the Information Technology Program at (213) 740-4542.

The minor requires a minimum of 18 units.

The Modern Art Markets and Ethics minor is designed for students, including Art History majors, who are drawn to an interdisciplinary study of modern art markets. The minor allows students to consider the intersection of law, ethics, and cultural studies. It offers students an interdisciplinary education in art institutions, and ethical discourses that surround the production, display, circulation, and consumption of art, both past and present. The minor will help students develop the critical skills of reading, writing and analysis crucial to a liberal education. Students will gain theoretical and analytical perspectives on ethical, political, and social issues relevant to art as they explore how the market informs and shapes our encounter with artistic objects.

Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Music combines a rigorous foundation in music consisting of theory, aural skills, and music history, with the USC general education program, foreign language study, and the flexibility of a Bachelor of Arts curriculum. Within the core Thornton academic courses, students will have the opportunity to choose course groupings that reflect their interests within classical, popular music, and jazz disciplines. At the end of the program, students will complete a senior thesis as a capstone project.

Entrance Requirements

Admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Music is available to current USC undergraduates who wish to change their major program of study to the BA Music. Students will be required to apply for and be approved for admission. Specific entrance requirements are available at the Thornton School of Music website (music.usc.edu).

General Education Requirements

USC's General Education program, revised in fall 2015, provides a coherent, integrated approach to the study of the liberal arts, with the goal of nurturing habits of thought that are essential for professional success, personal development, and meaningful lifelong learning. Eight courses are required in six Core Literacies, in addition to two courses in Global Perspectives, two courses in Writing, and one General Education Seminar taken during the first year at USC. With careful planning, certain courses (including courses required for the music major) can fulfill more than one of these general education requirements. Academic advisers in the Thornton School carefully guide Thornton students in making their course choices. This typically will result in Thornton students taking a total of eight courses (including two writing courses) in order to fulfill all of the USC general education requirements.

Capstone Project

Senior Thesis

The capstone will consist of one or two substantial papers on a topic that is either a focus of traditional music research (e.g., musicology, ethnomusicology, music teaching and learning, music theory and analysis, the music industry), or an interdisciplinary topic that explores music's relationship to other fields of study. The expected total length is a minimum of 50 double-spaced pages, exclusive of bibliography. This can be one 50-page paper or two papers of roughly 25 pages each. Students will enroll in 4 units of Directed Research 490 in the appropriate department in order to facilitate the Senior Thesis requirement. Students will be required to secure a Senior Thesis adviser who will also serve as the supervising faculty member on the Directed Research contract.