Quickview 2011–12
30+ 130+ 10,000+ 800 Dornsife The largest, oldest and most diverse of USC’s 19 schools, USC Dornsife is composed of more than 30 academic departments and programs. Offering more than 130 majors and minors as well as a range of innovative Ph.D. and master’s degree programs, USC Dornsife is home to approximately 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and nearly 800 faculty members.
Overview Founded in 1880, the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences advances knowledge in traditional and emerging disciplines across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Anchoring the university’s commitment to the importance of scholarly inquiry within these fields, USC Dornsife combines two “worlds” — the world of the self-contained liberal arts school, with small classes and close working relationships between students and faculty, and the larger world of the research university, where new ventures and ideas are being explored by preeminent scholars. USC Dornsife also offers many opportunities for postbaccalaureate study including graduate programs that lead to master’s degrees and doctor of philosophy degrees through the USC Graduate School. At the core of USC’s mission to promote world-class research, USC Dornsife trains the next generation of scholars, and provides undergraduates with an education that is innovative, engaging, student-centered and experiential.
30+ Message from Dean Steve Kay Welcome to the largest, oldest and most diverse school of the University of Southern California. The USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is the academic core of the university. The breadth and depth of USC Dornsife is vast with more than 30 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, and dozens of research centers and institutes. USC Dornsife faculty and students are passionate about excellence, the creation of new knowledge and improving the world. Our faculty explore never before conceived connections between their disciplines, and our students embrace the entrepreneurial spirit that is at the heart of USC. In these great times of discovery — whether it’s in the library, in the lab, or in the community — our talented young minds have incredible opportunities to emerge as their generation’s critical thinkers and leaders.
USC Dornsife houses more than 30 research centers and institutes, which include:
• USC Shoah Foundation — The Institute for Visual History and Education • USC Brain and Creativity Institute • USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute • USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies • Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration • Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute • Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics
By the Numbers 32
76
Undergraduate Minors
77
38
Doctoral Degree Programs
Undergraduate Majors
Research Centers and Institutes
43
Master’s Programs
33
450+
Academic Departments and Programs
Tenured and Tenure-track Faculty
11
National Academy of Sciences Members
5
National Academy of Engineering Members
3
Nobel Prize Recipients
1,969
2
Royal Society Fellows
Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded
17
35
American Association for the Advancement of Science Members
American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows
291
Master’s Degrees Awarded
50
66,076
250
Alumni
Research Faculty
1,157
Ph.D. Students
7,977
605
Study Abroad Programs in Countries
28
Master’s Students
Undergraduate Students
2122
Average SAT Score for Admitted Freshman
18%
0f Undergraduates are FirstGeneration College Students
24%
of Undergraduates are Under-represented Students of Color
28
174
Doctoral Degrees Awarded
69
Graduate Certificates Awarded
29
Fulbright Fellows since 2008
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellows
26
Average Class Size
56
New Faculty Hires
2011–12
Selected 2011–12 Highlights USC Dornsife’s extramural funding has increased 12% in four years to $74.5 million.
USC Dornsife’s research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has increased by 32% in 3 years while the NIH Extramural Budget Allocations have remained flat for the same period.
32%
USC Dornsife faculty members received international recognition, including the Guggenheim Fellowship as well as election to the National Academy of Engineering and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. More than 500 undergraduates received $1.1 million plus in funding to work with faculty researchers. Undergraduates received more than $1.7 million in scholarship support and graduate students received 693 awards toward tuition and research. Ten undergraduates were selected as inaugural Dornsife Scholars based on their academic achievements that address questions of human value and vital social challenges. The first USC Dornsife summer internship program combined paid internships with a course focused on leadership themes and mentorships with distinguished professionals to prepare students for the workforce.
1,000,000+ service hours
committed by more than 70,000 students since 1972
1972
1982
1992
2002
Noteworthy Landmarks Since 1972, more than 70,000 students have committed more than 1 million service hours participating the local community through USC Dornsife’s Joint Educational Project (JEP), one of the nation’s oldest and largest service-learning programs. The USC Dornsife-Keck School of Medicine Academic and Advising Program was implemented to enhance pre-health undergraduate programming and advising across the university. The First-Year Investigations program was launched as a series of introductory seminars taught by USC Dornsife’s top faculty for USC Dornsife undergraduates, to help them understand the resources available during their careers at USC.
2012
University of Southern California dornsife.usc.edu