Majors & Minors

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Technical Direction provides four years of intensive training at the undergraduate level. A total of 128 units of course work is required for the degree, including a 16-unit Critical Studies core in addition to required courses for the program.

All BFA students are required to earn a grade point average of 2.75 (A = 4.0) in their theatre courses each semester. BFA students who fail to earn a GPA of 2.75 in their theatre courses will be placed on probation the following semester. Students who remain on probation for a consecutive second semester will be disqualified from the BFA program.

A student disqualified from continued study in the BFA program for failing to meet the GPA standards outlined above will be given the option of transferring into the BA program.

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 is effective for all students entering USC in fall 2015 or later, or transfer students beginning college elsewhere at that time and subsequently transferring to USC. It requires eight courses in six Core Literacies, plus two courses in Global Perspectives (which may double-count with courses in the Core Literacies) and two courses in writing. In addition, all entering freshmen are expected to complete a General Education Seminar during their first year at USC. These seminars satisfy one of the Core Literacy requirements above.

Note that courses within the program will also satisfy certain Core Literacy requirements. Please work with your adviser to determine those courses.

The Technical Game Art minor is a unique 16-unit program, offered by the Information Technology Program that combines an engineering background with the production practice of character modeling, rigging and animation to prepare students for a professional career in the field of 3d games and cinematics. Focuses on creative orchestrations per project, user-friendly toolsets and production planning.

This interdisciplinary minor includes courses from both the business and engineering schools and provides education in the economic, technological and entrepreneurial aspects of commercializing new technologies. The minor is designed for students from a range of backgrounds (e.g., majors in engineering, life sciences or business) who are interested in starting their own technology-based ventures, working for technology-based start-up companies or pursuing corporate careers that may involve the commercialization of new technologies. In the minor, students learn about conceptualizing, developing and managing new, technology-based ventures and projects.

To enroll, students must have completed a minimum of 32 units of college-level course work and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75. To complete the minor, students are required to complete the two required courses (7 units) and enough elective courses to achieve a total of 16 units outside of their major. Business majors thus require 23 total units and other majors 16 total units to complete the minor.

The Dynamics of Early Childhood minor is intended to facilitate students' understanding of the historical implications that guide what we know and how we use the information we know related to the development of young children. The noted ideologies of theorists such as Dewey, Froebel, Pestalozzi and others will be examined from the perspectives of professions such as journalist, cinematographer, sociologist and psychologist. The effects of sources of entertainment such as children's books, films and television programs as well as consumer products such as toys will be studied in order to determine the "power" and effects they have on our developmental understandings and designs of educational needs for young children. Students will be encouraged to pursue a self-selected investigation of early childhood in order to be able to contribute as a professional, a family member, and an educator to address the roles and importance of young children in our society.

The general minor in theatre invites students to explore the many facets of this exciting field. Students have the opportunity to take a variety of classes in acting, playwriting, literature, stage management, directing, costume design and production. The curriculum is flexible and encourages students explore theatre through a broad combination of introductory and upper-division course work. All minor students are also eligible to participate in performance and production projects.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre provides four years of intensive training at the undergraduate level including design, sound design, stage management and technical direction. A total of 128 units of course work is required for the degree, including a 16-unit Critical Studies core in addition to a minimum of 60-74 Theatre units depending on the requirements for each emphasis. 

All BFA Theatre majors are required to earn a grade point average of 2.75 (A = 4.0) in their theatre courses each semester. BFA students who fail to earn a GPA of 2.75 in their theatre courses will be placed on probation the following semester. Students who remain on probation for a consecutive second semester will be disqualified from the BFA program.

A student disqualified from continued study in the BFA program for failing to meet the GPA standards outlined above will be given the option of transferring into the BA program.

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 is effective for all students entering USC in fall 2015 or later, or transfer students beginning college elsewhere at that time and subsequently transferring to USC. It requires eight courses in six Core Literacies, plus two courses in Global Perspectives (which may double-count with courses in the Core Literacies) and two courses in writing. In addition, all entering freshmen are expected to complete a General Education Seminar during their first year at USC. These seminars satisfy one of the Core Literacy requirements above.

Note that courses within the major will also satisfy certain Core Literacy requirements. Please work with your major adviser to determine those courses.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre provides four years of intensive training at the undergraduate level including design, sound design, stage management and technical direction. A total of 128 units of course work is required for the degree, including a 16-unit Critical Studies core in addition to a minimum of 60-74 Theatre units depending on the requirements for each emphasis. 

All BFA Theatre majors are required to earn a grade point average of 2.75 (A = 4.0) in their theatre courses each semester. BFA students who fail to earn a GPA of 2.75 in their theatre courses will be placed on probation the following semester. Students who remain on probation for a consecutive second semester will be disqualified from the BFA program.

A student disqualified from continued study in the BFA program for failing to meet the GPA standards outlined above will be given the option of transferring into the BA program.

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 is effective for all students entering USC in fall 2015 or later, or transfer students beginning college elsewhere at that time and subsequently transferring to USC. It requires eight courses in six Core Literacies, plus two courses in Global Perspectives (which may double-count with courses in the Core Literacies) and two courses in writing. In addition, all entering freshmen are expected to complete a General Education Seminar during their first year at USC. These seminars satisfy one of the Core Literacy requirements above.

Note that courses within the major will also satisfy certain Core Literacy requirements. Please work with your major adviser to determine those courses.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatrical Design provides four years of intensive training at the undergraduate level. A total of 128 units of course work is required for the degree, including a 16-unit Critical Studies core in addition to required courses for the program.

All BFA students are required to earn a grade point average of 2.75 (A = 4.0) in their theatre courses each semester. BFA students who fail to earn a GPA of 2.75 in their theatre courses will be placed on probation the following semester. Students who remain on probation for a consecutive second semester will be disqualified from the BFA program.

A student disqualified from continued study in the BFA program for failing to meet the GPA standards outlined above will be given the option of transferring into the BA program.

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 is effective for all students entering USC in fall 2015 or later, or transfer students beginning college elsewhere at that time and subsequently transferring to USC. It requires eight courses in six Core Literacies, plus two courses in Global Perspectives (which may double-count with courses in the Core Literacies) and two courses in writing. In addition, all entering freshmen are expected to complete a General Education Seminar during their first year at USC. These seminars satisfy one of the Core Literacy requirements above.

Note that courses within the program will also satisfy certain Core Literacy requirements. Please work with your adviser to determine those courses.

The interdisciplinary minor in Thematic Approaches to Humanities and Society allows students to examine a range of thematic and theoretical approaches to understanding culture and society from multiple standpoints in the humanities. The minor is rich in course and schedule options, enabling students with an interest in the humanities to continue their studies. It also includes co-curricular events and advisement from Thematic Option staff. Thematic approaches to humanities and society builds on the intellectual community developed in the Thematic Option honors program and is open to all interested students.

The minor focuses on themes such as interdisciplinary perspectives and modes of inquiry; approaches to criticism and history; reification, ideology, contextualization; and knowledge, human diversity and social relations. Students choose six 4-unit classes, including one lower-division elective, one upper-division Thematic Option class (CORE 301 Modes of Inquiry), and four upper-division electives. Students also complete a 2-unit reading salon (CORE 200 Liberal Arts Reading Salon).

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Themed Entertainment is a unique four-year program offered by the School of Cinematic Arts. Students study within the framework that combines a broad liberal arts background with a specialization track within the Themed Entertainment Industry. Areas of concentration might include show design, interactive arts, production, project management.

Undergraduate students take their pre-professional courses in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, including the general education requirements. Major courses are selected from the curriculum of the School of Cinematic Arts. The degree requires 128 units, including 62 units in the major.