STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Academic, social, and professional support are available to USC Gould graduate students from the day you join the Trojan Family. As members of our small, tight-knit community in the midst of a large and vibrant campus, our students receive personalized support that recognizes and addresses the unique needs of our graduate law students.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Our Graduate & International Programs office offers specialized Academic Excellence workshops throughout the year to assist students with their studies and introduce law school concepts such as case-briefing, outlining, and exam taking strategies.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

The Graduate & International Programs team includes career advisors dedicated to the unique needs of non-JD graduate students. We provide individualized counseling for students across our various programs, unique to different students’ goals. Regular workshops are held to help students prepare for their job search, write a resume and cover letter, and practice interviewing and networking skills. Career development opportunities also include several networking events with students from our JD program as well as those from the Marshall School of Business

and Price School of Public Policy. Job fairs in New York and Los Angeles are offered for LLM students, and ADR specific conferences are available for our ADR program students. Finally, our graduate students receive weekly job posting emails and have access to USC Gould’s exclusive job posting system.

EARLY BAR PREPARATION

Students in our LLM programs who qualify to take a U.S. bar exam receive guidance from our career advisors on registering for the California, New York, Washington, or District of Columbia bar exam. Our office also provides a free-of-cost series of Early Bar Preparation workshops which introduce core subjects tested on the bar exam, including contracts, real property, multi-state and performance exam topics.

THE LLM PROGRAM AT USC WAS A VERY REWARDING OPPORTUNITY. WHILE EXPANDING MY LEGAL KNOWLEDGE, I WAS ABLE TO INTERACT AND ENHANCE MY NETWORK WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD DIVERSE LEGAL BACKGROUNDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. >> ISABELA ADAMI, BRAZIL

LOS ANGELES

One of the few cities in the country where you can go from snow to surf within hours, Los Angeles offers eclectic culinary choices, unparalleled cultural opportunities, and exciting sporting events. Whether you want to study, work, volunteer, or play, there’s no better place than LA.

Los Angeles averages 292 sunny days each year, with the average temperature in LA at 74 degrees Fahrenheit. The USC campus is situated just miles from famous beaches in Santa Monica, Malibu, and Manhattan Beach. Mountain ranges are not much farther off, where you can hike or ski.

Los Angelenos originate from 140 different countries, and our culinary and cultural opportunities reflect that multi-cultural population. The city boasts 105 different museums to explore, as well as some of the best shopping you can find.

The LA public transit system is accessible and easy to use. You can jump on the Metro just steps away from the law school building and in minutes be transported to Santa Monica, Pasadena, or Long Beach. The university also offers buses exclusive to USC students, on which you can quickly get downtown, to the USC hospital, or Union Station to catch a train outside of LA.

HOUSING

Los Angeles offers a wide variety of housing options for students who are single as well as those with families. Many of our graduate students choose to live in our exclusive law graduate program housing on campus. Others choose to rent private apartments within walking distance to campus. Still others choose to live in surrounding communities and commute to campus. Our Graduate & International Programs staff provides support in assessing housing options and the application requirements.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

USC Gould offers more than 35 student organizations exclusive to our law students, including legal, political, religious, social, cultural, and ethnic student organizations. The university at large has more than 1,000 unique student organizations, in which law students can also participate. Whatever your social, academic, or professional interest, there is a group for you at USC!

SOCIAL & CULTURAL EVENTS

Our Graduate & International Programs office hosts several social and cultural events throughout the year, so that our graduate students can become immersed in all that our vibrant Los Angeles community has to offer. We offer our students free tickets to a concert at

the historic Hollywood Bowl, an experience at a USC football game at our famous Memorial Coliseum, and

more.

OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICES

USC is home to over 11,000 international students, and our dedicated Office of International Services

department assists students with all aspects of visa requirements, including dependent visas, and working on Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT).