Majors & Minors

Who designs theme parks, museums, fireworks shows, water fountain spectaculars and parades? Themed entertainment designers do. From cruise ships to casinos to immersive educational retreats, they design almost anything that involves submerging a real, live human being into a story in a truly robust, physical way. As new tools for entertainment and education develop, they continually push toward one, common goal: a single place where movies, games, theme parks and museums converge. It is a non-dystopian kind of Westworld where we truly and completely become the heroes and heroines of our own stories. And it is the ultimate adventure because there is nothing (at least nothing that we notice) between our full, physical selves and the stories we want to live. 

To be eligible for the themed entertainment minor, a student must be in good academic standing and have a declared major. To declare the themed entertainment minor a student must get permission from the Interactive Media and Games Division (SCI 201) and submit a Change of Major/Minor form to Cinematic Arts Student Services (SCB 105).

Course Requirements for the Minor:

A total of 24 units is required for the themed entertainment minor: 4 lower-division units and 20 upper-division units.

This minor is designed for students who wish to augment their understanding of art in general in two-dimensional areas, rather than complete a minor that focuses on one medium. This minor provides a broad scope of courses in 2-D media and studies. This minor is open to any USC student, especially those interested in animation to sharpen their drawing, color and compositional skills. Students interested in the vast varieties of digital visual communication can develop better color and compositional skills. Total number of units required is 24.

The Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies and Planning is an interdisciplinary major that prepares students for graduate study and careers as change agents in the urban world. The major introduces students to theoretical foundations and practical applications through a set of introductory courses and develop expertise through electives. Students will learn analytical techniques for urban sustainability, methods for stakeholder engagement, approaches for poverty alleviation, and the role of the built environment and geographic data in city problem solving. Environmental analysis and sustainability, Geographic Information Systems, statistics, urban design, applied field research, and the mandatory internship are a sample of the courses and tools used to educate our students and to better prepare them for their professional careers or graduate studies.

The program requires a minimum of 128 units.

The 20-unit minor in urban sustainable planning focuses on the application of public policy, urban planning and public management to the analysis and solution of urban problems. It draws upon the interdisciplinary faculty and programs of the Price School of Public Policy and includes foundational courses that introduce students to the nature of urban phenomena and the analysis and solution of urban problems. The minor also introduces students to the professional and academic fields of either urban planning and development or public policy and public management. In addition, based on their specific interests, students have the opportunity to explore in greater depth three areas and approaches of urban problem-solving. This minor is appropriate for students interested in expanding their understanding of the fields of urban planning and public policy and management as potential professional careers as well as increasing their comprehension of the analysis and solution of urban problems.

This interdisciplinary minor explores the experience of people interacting with digital sites and other products and environments. It involves training in psychology, sociology, economics, design, marketing and other units offering course work in relevant areas. How do individual factors, culture and economics influence people's decisions? Why do people form the impressions that they do, and how can products and environments be designed to engage them more readily and responsively?   

As with all minors, students must choose at least four upper-division 4-unit courses and four courses dedicated exclusively to this minor (which may or may not be the same four courses). Students must also include four courses outside their major. To earn credit for this minor, psychology majors must choose four courses outside of psychology, art and design majors must choose four courses outside of the Roski School, and Business Administration majors must choose four courses outside of the Marshall School. Among the total, students must include courses from at least three departments. 

 For advisement, contact the Dornsife Advising Office.

 Requirements

 Please note that prerequisites will not be waived for upper-division courses; students should be sure to complete the introductory classes they will need.

Video games have grown into the largest category in the entertainment industry. Learn the techniques to manage this creative endeavor as a successful business enterprise. Prepare for a career in video game production.

The video game programming minor integrates the theoretical concepts and practical skills to prepare students for a career in interactive entertainment. Students will gain exposure to a variety of programming concepts related to creating video games including: 3-D graphics, artificial intelligence, particle systems, rendering, collision detection, game algorithms, physics concepts and math formulas. In contrast to the video game design minor where the focus is applying design concepts and using software design tools, students in the video game programming minor will evaluate, write and debug code.

Requirements for completion (four core courses plus 4 units of electives)

The minor requires a minimum of 18 units.

The Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts Studies is an interdisciplinary degree offered jointly by the Kaufman School of Dance, the School of Dramatic Arts, the School of Architecture, the School of Cinematic Arts, the Roski School of Art and Design, the Thornton School of Music, and the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Candidates for the degree must complete the university general education requirements in addition to  the courses in the major. Students in this major complete a core of required courses that provides them with a broad understanding of the various disciplines. The work in the major is completed by choosing courses from a wide array of course offerings from all the participating schools. A total of 128 units is required for completion of the degree.

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 may also satisfy certain Core Literacy requirements. Please work with your major adviser to determine those courses.

More than ever, students of today need the critical skills and intellectual breadth required to describe, analyze, and evaluate visual culture, which encompasses a broad range of visual material, artifacts, and media. Courses within the minor are organized around two foundational questions: how do we understand the production, dissemination, and consumption of visual media?; what do the objects of visual culture tell us about the experience and expression of cultural and social diversity?

The minor is open to all undergraduate majors and is especially relevant for those whose fields employ visual images to convey ideas as well as information. The minor will complement pre-professional majors (such as those in film) as well as in the humanities and social sciences.

This interdisciplinary minor is designed for students who wish to concentrate on Visual Narrative Art (which could be any genre or platform of art, including fine art, illustration and cartooning and more). This minor provides a broad scope of courses in 2-D media, rendering and narrative art studies. This minor is open to any USC student ** especially those interested in telling stories through pictures -- fine art, illustration, comics, journalism, narrative studies, cinema and media studies, animation and digital arts, film and television production, interactive media and game design and more. Students will create works that have a narrative intent, telling stories and creating worlds through the language of images and words. Students interested in the vast varieties of visual communication and media can develop better rendering (in all genres), composition, and word/image storytelling skills. Total number of units required is 20.

**Roski majors are required to include at least 16 units of electives that are unique to this minor (i.e., not included in their major and outside of Roski). Please consult with your academic adviser before adding this minor.