Majors & Minors

The minor in architecture provides the flexibility of complementing a student's major with an area of specialization. Taking a minor in architecture is a unique opportunity for a student to stimulate his or her imagination and learn creative approaches to problem solving.

Admission Requirements

Students in good academic standing who have completed the freshman year are eligible.

Course Requirements

The requirements for the minor include three required courses (8 units) and a minimum of 12 units of upper division courses.

The Bachelor of Arts program offers a more flexible and broad academic education than the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree while still providing a meaningful experience in the studio area and preparation for many design and art-related careers. The degree provides the student with the opportunity to double major or to combine an art major with a minor in various fields. Some possibilities for minors include communication, multimedia, education, business, film, animation and many other options.

In art history, undergraduates are provided with a sound, broad foundation in art from a variety of offerings. On this basis, exploration of the art of many eras and cultures proceeds in a program designed to develop an awareness of the integral role played by art as an expression of the human condition and society throughout history. A grade of C or higher is required in departmental courses for all undergraduate majors.

Curriculum Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts in Art History requires 128 units.

General Education and Diversity Requirements

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts in Art History must complete the general education and diversity requirements of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Major Requirements

The major requires 40 units as follows.

Art history combines the study of art with the study of culture broadly conceived. The art history minor offers a concentrated course of study that includes a variety of objects from different historical periods and cultures in relation to their makers, patrons, viewers and critics. Students in the minor are trained to analyze visual images and information through a process of intensive looking, reading, research and writing.

AI is a rapidly advancing discipline at the intersection of computer science, technology, cognitive science, and data science. AI has great promise to change the world in ways we cannot foresee. Society, industry, business, commerce, entertainment, medicine, finance and many other aspects of our lives could be transformed by advances in AI. 

Students in the minor will learn the foundations of AI and core concepts as well as tools and frameworks to solve real world problems. Applications such as computer vision and natural language processing will be discussed in core courses. Students will have the option to take an elective in topics such as the use of AI in autonomous driving and cybersecurity. Additionally, ethical issues will be explored in the core as well as in specialized elective courses.

The minor requires a minimum of 18 units.

The Bachelor of Science degree program in Artificial Intelligence for Business is offered jointly by the Marshall School of Business and the Viterbi School of Engineering.

This program aims to develop future business leaders who will have a deep understanding of Artificial Intelligence technologies. Specifically,

• Students will have expertise in leveraging AI within organizations with a goal of enhancing societal value and understanding the ethical issues and risks in AI technologies.
• Students will be able to conceptualize new products and services that leverage AI, with a sophisticated understanding of the state-of-the-art capabilities and practical limitations of what AI technologies can realistically achieve in a business context.
• Students will be capable of forming effective teams with the expertise required to implement and scale AI technology solutions and formulating realistic timelines for AI products.
• Students will have expertise in analytics-driven decision making and strategy, able to discern the value of data assets in an organization and the effort required to realize the full potential of analytics in a business context.
• Students will understand and situate advanced AI technologies, make realistic assumptions about potential and risks for business ventures, and envision new markets through AI innovation.

The degree cannot be combined as an additional major in either Business Administration or Engineering. The degree is administered by the Marshall School of Business.

This degree requires at least 128 units including USC's General Education requirements.

A grade of C (2.0) or better is required for each of the Artificial Intelligence Introductory courses CSCI 102L, CSCI 103L, CSCI 104L and CSCI 170. Courses with a grade of C- or below must be repeated; courses may be retaken only once. (Departmental approval is required in order to retake a course.)

Students who do not satisfy the degree requirement after repeating a class will be disqualified from the Artificial Intelligence in Business degree program and transferred to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required for all courses taken at USC as well as all upper-division courses applied toward the major, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken

This program is designed for young artists of exceptional ability and musical sensitivity who plan careers as solo performers. The Artist Diploma Program provides young artists with the opportunity to devote their full time to concentrated study and practice for the duration of their assigned programs.

Entrance Requirements

Following the recommendation of the student's major department, a performance audition, consisting of a full-length recital before the Artist Diploma Committee, is required.

Curriculum Requirements

A minimum of 16 units at the 754 level (from MPEM, MPGU, MPKS, MPST, MPVA or MPWP) and four full-length recitals are required. This program requires four consecutive semesters of study for completion.

The Iovine and Young Academy Bachelor of Science degree builds expertise at the intersection of human-centered design, technology, business innovation and culture. Through the Academy's core, students develop a powerful mindset to analyze challenges, think across knowledge domains and synthesize diverse ideas to create new technologies, ventures and humane solutions for purpose-driven change. Design Strategy and Industry Practicum courses place students inside premier professionalizing experiences with leading industry collaborators, providing unparalleled preparation for careers or graduate study. Students develop interactive computing skills as well as more advanced technical skills in extended reality or transformative AI. Students also develop product design modeling and prototyping skills. The Academy core covers business fundamentals within the context of developing new products and experiences. The annual Innovation Quest process assists students in maturing their venture ideas into viable products. The fourth-year “Garage Experience” provides an advanced workshop environment for student teams to develop new products, systems and services, taking them from concept and prototyping to development and launch. Throughout the program students are taught to think seamlessly across domains and to apply their technological, business and design skills in an integrative manner toward innovative problem solving. Academy- and USC-wide electives serve to customize each student's experience to their individual strengths or desired focus.

The degree requires a total of at least 128 units, including 52 units in the core and 36 units in major electives. Students must select elective courses from the Academy's offerings in cross-cutting industry areas such as extended reality, product innovation, interactive and physical computing, transformative AI, business of innovation, design strategy and health innovation. In consultation with their academic adviser, students may also petition to create unique degree paths by selecting courses from academic units or disciplines outside of the Academy.

The Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering prepares students for engineering careers in the space industry, for research and development in industry and government centers and laboratories, and for graduate study. The program combines a core in the fundamentals of engineering, specialized work in astronautics and space technology, and technical electives to broaden and/or deepen the course work.

The requirement for this degree is a minimum of 133 units. A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required in all upper-division courses applied toward the major, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken. See also the common requirements for undergraduate degrees section.

This program is for USC students who wish to work in the space industry and government space research and development centers and who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in science, mathematics or engineering with specializations other than in astronautical engineering.

The space industry employs a wide variety of engineers (electrical, mechanical, chemical, civil, etc.); scientists (physicists, astronomers, chemists); and mathematicians. These engineers participate in development of advanced space systems but they usually lack the understanding of basic fundamentals of astronautics and space systems. The minor in astronautical engineering will help overcome this deficiency and provide unique opportunities for USC engineering, science and mathematics students, by combining their basic education in their major field with the industry specific minor in astronautical engineering.

Required course work consists of a minimum of 18 units. Including prerequisites, the minor requires 46 units. Three courses, or 9 units, at the 400 level will be counted toward the minor. The course work is a balanced program of study providing the basic scientific fundamentals and engineering disciplines critically important for contributing to development of complex space systems.