Majors & Minors

The minor in Risk Management provides students with the fundamental knowledge of risk management - a crucial component of contemporary management, corporate governance and decision making under uncertain conditions.

The required courses provide the foundation of the risk management framework and present alternative business models of insurance, the most common form of risk transfer. The electives provide opportunities to more deeply understand facets of risk and the environments in which they arise as well as specific methodologies of mitigation.

Industries currently seeking risk management professionals include entertainment, tech, aviation, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, insurance and many others.

A student declaring the minor in Risk Management also has the opportunity to participate in the Risk Management Mentorship Program and be paired with a mentor from the risk management industry for the academic year. 

The minor is available to students in all schools and departments except for students pursuing the Business Administration (Risk Management) (BS) emphasis.

To declare 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.

Successful completion of the Risk Management Minor requires 16 units with a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the following courses:

Lower-division requirements for the major (RUSS 120, RUSS 150, RUSS 220 and choice of RUSS 250 or SLL 255) plus three elective courses chosen from the following (at least two of the areas must be represented): Russian language (RUSS 310, SLL 340); Russian literature and culture taught in Russian (SLL 321, SLL 465); Russian literature, art and culture taught in translation (SLL 110g, SLL 330gp, SLL 344g, SLL 345g, SLL 348g, SLL 378); and translation (MDA 305).

Minimum units required: 28

The minor in Science and Management of Biomedical Therapeutics consists of a minimum of 20 units of Pharmaceutical and Regulatory Science (RXRS) course work, 16 of which must be at the 300 or 400 level, and which are unique to this minor and do not overlap with the major, another minor or general education requirements of the undergraduate students.

The minor in Science and Management of Biomedical Therapeutics requires a minimum of five RXRS courses. A maximum of 4 units can be met by taking Directed Research (RXRS 490). Only students with a declared major are eligible to apply. Students must be in sophomore standing and have completed a minimum of 32 USC units as an entering freshman or 16 units as an entering transfer student.

Course work within the minor will focus on domains of pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences, toxicology, nutritional sciences, medical product development and drug use and abuse.

Students will select course work in consultation with an academic adviser.

The science, health and aging minor is appropriate for students working toward careers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, biological sciences, public health or other health related fields. Admission to the minor is only available to students who have completed 4 units of prerequisites (BISC 120 or BISC 121) as part of their major requirements. Upon completion of 20 units and graduation, the minor is noted on the student's transcript.

The minor in screenwriting is designed to train students in the creatively challenging field of writing for screen and television. Students learn the fundamentals of writing for film and television with the opportunity to specialize in writing feature length screenplays, teleplays in both drama and comedy, or analysis of the craft of screenwriting.

Application Procedures

To apply to the minor in screenwriting, a student must be in good academic standing, have a declared major, and have previously completed with a passing grade CTWR 409 Fundamentals of Screenwriting: Character, Conflict, and Story.

Applications and information can be obtained at the Writing Division office, SCA 336, (213) 740-3303 and online at cinema.usc.edu.

Course Requirements for the Minor

The minor in screenwriting is a specialized course of study for students who desire a solid foundation in the craft of screenwriting. A total of 16 units is required to complete the screenwriting minor, 10 units from fundamental courses and 6 units of electives.

This minor focuses on making, organizing and manipulating objects and their spatial relationships in a range of materials such as wood, fiberglass, clay, plaster, latex and metal. Course work includes choice of classes in sculpture, ceramics, visual literacy, public art, moldmaking, metal and casting. The three-dimensional skills taught in this minor intersect with many other disciplines including architecture, cinematic arts, special effects, engineering design, urban planning and any other areas where skills in maquette and model building are relevant. The total number of units required for the minor is 20.

The minor in social entrepreneurship provides students from all undergraduate majors with a foundation in the context and practice of social entrepreneurship, nationally and internationally. The minor provides an understanding of social entrepreneurship and its relationship to government and public policy as well as an understanding of management skills specific to starting and maintaining a social enterprise. The curriculum includes options allowing the student to tailor course work to his or her individual academic interests and professional aspirations.

To enroll in this minor, students must have completed 48 units of college level courses with a cumulative USC GPA of at least 2.75.

Students are required to take ECON 203, ECON 205, ECON 303, ECON 305 and three economics elective courses numbered 300 or 400. A grade of C (2.0) or better is required for each of the core courses ECON 303 and ECON 305. MATH 118gx or MATH 125 is required and an additional 12 units of upper-division courses from departments in the social sciences (anthropology, geography, international relations, history, political science, psychology, sociology).