12 minute read
Schools
from Meet USC
Davis School of Gerontology
Gerontology is the interdisciplinary study of human development and aging, integrating fields such as biology, psychology, sociology, medicine and business. With nearly one-third of the U.S. population reaching retirement age, there has never been a better time to study this rapidly growing field.
Keck School of Medicine
There is perhaps no better place than USC for students to prepare for advanced studies or careers in the health professions. The Bachelor of Science in Global Health and the Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Studies foster multidisciplinary approaches to the study of health, allow students to tailor their coursework to their professional goals, and graduate health professionals ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Thornton School of Music
The oldest continually operating cultural institution in Los Angeles, USC Thornton is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top music schools. By blending the rigors of a traditional conservatory-style education with the benefits of a leading research university, USC Thornton offers a curriculum designed to prepare students to excel as performers, composers, industry leaders and educators around the world.
Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Ranked #1 by U.S. News and World Report, the accelerated bachelor’s to master’s degree in occupational therapy prepares students for clinical practice. This five-year program is for students who are committed to pursuing a career as an occupational therapist. Students will receive individualized mentorship and training to prepare them to be global leaders in the field of occupational therapy and contribute to the quality of life for people around the world.
Price School of Public Policy
Fostering leadership, collaboration and innovative thinking, the USC Price School of Public Policy works to improve the quality of life for people and their communities around the world. Students enjoy the resources of a large research university, combine classroom knowledge with practical realworld experience, and gain a multidisciplinary perspective that facilitates effective problem-solving.
School of Pharmacy
Founded in 1905, the USC School of Pharmacy has played a key leadership role in both the advancement of the field of pharmacy and in the education of new generations of pharmacists. The USC School of Pharmacy offers the Pharmacology and Drug Development major in addition to two minors—Science & Management of Biomedical Therapeutics and Foundation in Regulatory Science—all of which are designed to prepare undergraduates focused on pre-pharmacy, pre-medicine and other health-related professions.
A USC Education: Passion for Excellence
A USC education will uniquely prepare you to face the challenges of the 21st century as a leader and innovator. Whether your passion is art or anthropology, computer science or the life sciences, you will have opportunities to explore, to challenge, and to distinguish yourself.
Global Education
A global outlook has never been as vital as it is today. When you graduate college, you will need the knowledge, experience and skills to navigate an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. At USC, you will be encouraged to engage with other cultures and languages, and to examine key concepts within an international or multinational framework. As part of your undergraduate studies, you will also be able to choose from numerous study abroad programs offered in 50+ cities on five continents.
Internships
passions for and go on to major or minor in subjects outside their usual comfort zones. This openness to new ideas often inquiry. From cultural venues to Fortune 500 and biotechnology firms to film studios and talent agencies, the city of Los Angeles provides students with numerous opportunities to extend students participate in more than one internship during their time at USC. Many others participate in volunteer, service learning and community service programs—in Southern California, across the U.S. or around the world. Whatever your interests, you will find ways to expand your professional network, develop new skills and effect positive social change.
Academic Diversity
An interdisciplinary approach is the hallmark of a USC education. At USC, you can select from more than 150 majors and minors. All students are encouraged to pursue multiple interests across unique double majors or majorminor combinations, and you will find courses offered in nearly every subject you can imagine—and some you may never have considered. Our General Education program will introduce you to fields of study ranging from the arts and letters to science and its principles. Many students develop yields startling new insights and opens up new paths of their learning outside the classroom. Most undergraduate
Research
At USC, you will have numerous opportunities to contribute to the creation and discovery of knowledge. Each year, USC sets aside several million dollars to fund undergraduate research through stipends, fellowships and tuition remission. Current undergraduate research projects explore such varied topics as architecture in Southeast Asia, the metastasis of breast cancer, and the removal of radioactive uranium from groundwater.
USC Career Center
The USC Career Center connects students with a variety of job and internship opportunities throughout Los Angeles, the U.S. and around the world. Many of them are offered through Trojan alumni, who are eager to hire fellow Trojans and serve as mentors. careers.usc.edu Trojan Voices
ZIYING LEI ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA
Commencement Honors
Our signature academic programs attract and reward motivated students who demonstrate exceptional leadership, dedication, creativity, global awareness and scholarly research—both inside and outside the classroom.
ahf.usc.edu
Global Scholars
Students who have excelled in their studies, both at home and abroad, are honored as Global Scholars. Students need to have spent at least 10 weeks abroad as an undergraduate—in an academic program or pursuing volunteer or internship opportunities— and complete a research paper or creative project in which they reflect on their experience.
Discovery Scholars
The Discovery Scholar award honors undergraduates who conduct significant original research in their academic field, create outstanding works of art or achieve an exceptional level of mastery in artistic performance. More information about these and other honors programs can be found through your academic department or in the USC Catalogue at catalogue.usc.edu.
Renaissance Scholars
Outstanding students who graduate with a major and minor (or two majors) that span disparate fields of study are honored as USC Renaissance Scholars. Our role model is Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance artist and renowned scientist and engineer.
Engage With World-Class Faculty Every Day
Your classes are taught by world-renowned experts in their fields: leading scholars and active professionals who continue to explore new ideas, develop new technologies and contribute to the world’s store of knowledge.
You will have the opportunity to discuss your ideas, receive feedback on your class projects and be personally introduced to the worlds of high-level research and creativity. USC faculty are winners of hundreds of academic and professional honors, including the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes; the Pritzker Architecture Prize; Academy, Emmy and GRAMMY awards; and awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Sixty-eight faculty have become members of the prestigious National Academies, advisors to the nation on science,
engineering and medicine. Other measures of our faculty’s intellectual clout include the amount of research funding they receive—$571 million for the 2019 fiscal year—and their long list of life-changing inventions, celebrated books, prize-winning performances, and media appearances and mentions.
Faculty Distinctions
NOBEL PRIZES Angus Deaton James Heckman Murray Gell-Mann Daniel McFadden George Olah Arieh Warshel
MACARTHUR FELLOWSHIPS Luis Alfaro Josh Kun Viet Thanh Nguyen Elyn Saks Jacob Soll NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS Frank Gehry Morten Lauridsen George Lucas
PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND ENGINEERING MENTORING Maja Matarić Gisele Ragusa John Slaughter NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 16 Members
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE 16 Members
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING 36 Members
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 98 Members
PLEASE VISIT ABOUT.USC.EDU/FACULTY FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF FACULTY DISTINCTIONS. AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES 33 Members
AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY 7 Members
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 14 Members
TODD BOYD USC School of Cinematic Arts The Katherine and Frank Price Endowed Chair for the Study of Race and Popular Culture
A leading expert on popular culture, Boyd is also a distinguished scholar, prolific author, ubiquitous media commentator, consultant and producer. In the immediate aftermath of the 1992 L.A. riots, Dr. Boyd arrived at USC and began developing a new field of study centered around hip hop culture. He has written pioneering works on race, media, sports and hip hop culture, including The Notorious Ph.D.’s Guide to the Super Fly ‘70s (2007).
VELINA HASU HOUSTON USC School of Dramatic Arts Director of MFA Dramatic Writing and Head of Undergraduate Playwriting
Internationally acclaimed playwright Velina Hasu Houston specializes in Pan-Asian American feminist dramatic literature. Her plays, including the critically acclaimed Tea, have been produced at leading theatres in the United States and Japan. Also a poet and essayist, she is the editor of two anthologies of plays by Asian Americans. Her awards include two Rockefeller Foundation Playwriting Fellowships and three James H. Zumberge Research and Innovation Fund grants.
STEVEN L. LAMY Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Director of the Dornsife Task Force for Global and Political Studies
Professor of international relations at Dornsife College, Lamy specializes in analysis of the foreign policies of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe, and the moral dimensions of international relations. A recipient of many teaching awards, he founded the Teaching International Relations Program, which provides opportunities for undergraduates to work with local high school students. Lamy has served as a consultant to the National Security Education Program, U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Education.
JOSH KUN Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Director, School of Communication Director, Popular Music Project, The Norman Lear Center
A prolific journalist, essayist and curator, Professor Kun is also a 2016 MacArthur Fellow whose research focuses on the arts and politics of cultural connection, with an emphasis on popular music, the cultures of globalization, the US-Mexico border, Los Angeles and Jewish-American musical history. His book Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America won the 2006 American Book Award. As a curator of exhibitions, installations and public humanities projects, he has worked with The Getty Foundation, The Grammy Museum, LA County Museum of Art and The Autry National Center, among many others.
ANDREA HODGE Viterbi School of Engineering Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Chair
Before joining the faculty at USC, Andrea Hodge graduated with a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University and went on to become a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore Labs. By studying and altering the nanonstructures of metals, she is working to make air travel more fuel efficient and environmentally sustainable. Her work will also allow space craft to withstand the extreme temperatures and conditions of outer space exploration. Believing they are the keys to great engineering, she remains committed to innovation and pushing the boundaries of creativity.
JODIE GATES Glorya Kaufman School of Dance Vice Dean and Artistic Director
Jodie Gates is a renowned educator, director, dancer and choreographer. She was a principal dancer with The Joffrey Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet, as well as a guest artist with dance companies around the world. As a choreographer, she has published more than 60 original dance works. At USC, she introduced a revolutionary new dance program founded upon the idea of “The New Movement,” with a hybrid curriculum grounded in pioneering research and practice, as well as a commitment to nurturing the next generations of dance leaders.
At USC, you can explore every imaginable interest. You will discover new opportunities to express your political views, write for a student publication, worship with your religious community, explore a creative activity and enjoy a wide variety of recreational sports.
Get Involved
At USC, you will join one of the most diverse and dynamic student populations in the U.S., representing all 50 states and 135 countries around the world. You will meet artists, performers and writers. Scientists and athletes. Activists, leaders and innovators. They will not only enrich your academic experience, but also challenge you and broaden your perspective outside the classroom.
Student Organizations
More than 1,000 clubs and organizations give students opportunities to pursue special interests, develop leadership skills, help others and just have fun. You can meet people who share your academic or professional goals, or your cultural background. You will discover new opportunities to express your political views, participate in student government, write for a student publication, worship with your religious community, explore a creative activity and enjoy a wide variety of recreational sports.
USC fosters a culture of service. More than 60 percent of USC students volunteer with local schools, community groups and businesses; participate in Alternative Spring Break programs; or otherwise learn to apply academic skills to solving real-world problems.
Reflecting the diversity of our backgrounds, more than 100 campus organizations and communities bring together students to explore politics, culture, spirituality and academic or professional interests. Popular clubs range from African Americans in Health to the Russian Literature Book Club to the Association of Indian Students.
Although non-sectarian, USC is home to a vibrant multifaith community of more than 80 student religious groups, representing most of the world’s major denominations, as well as comprising a strong Interfaith Council. Whatever your spiritual affiliation or interest, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at USC helps provide the means for you to observe your faith and learn about others. USC maintains a long tradition of celebrating and supporting the visual and performing arts. The Visions and Voices initiative brings the world’s best writers, musicians and performers to the USC community each year. Students can also find numerous free film screenings at the School of Cinematic Arts, exhibitions and gallery showings at the Roski School of Art and Design, lectures at the School of Architecture and hundreds of performances by the School of Dramatic Arts and the Thornton School of Music. No matter what your tastes or interests, you will always find a way to pursue them at USC.
For more about student organizations please visit campusactivities.usc.edu.
1,000+
STUDENT-RUN ORGANIZATIONS
100+
CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES
80+
STUDENT RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
22%
GREEK LIFE INVOLVEMENT ACROSS 50+ ORGANIZATIONS
60%+
COMMUNITY SERVICE INVOLVEMENT
