Majors & Minors

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.

The Web Development Minor introduces students to technologies, frameworks and methodologies used in the industry. Upon completion of the minor, students will be able to design and develop websites and web applications from the ground up. Students can use the theoretical concepts and practical applications of web development not only in the web industry, but also within a different major field of study. The broad areas of study include web development, software development, user experience / design, and project management. Electives are chosen based on students' academic and professional goals.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Writing for Screen and Television is a unique, four-year program for students who seek intensive professional preparation for a career in screen and television writing. This rigorous program emphasizes small, workshop-style classes, and attracts students from all over the world. Students attend a variety of guest speaker presentations, take high-level industry internships, are provided with mentors and taught by world-class professors.

Each fall, a class of 30 undergraduate writing students is selected to begin the program. A total of 128 units is required for completion of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; 70 of these units are taken in a prescribed sequential order. There are no spring admissions.

Applicants must submit supplemental application and materials to the program office. For specific instructions, contact The John Wells Division of Writing for Screen and Television, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211 or telephone (213) 740-3303, or online at cinema.usc.edu.

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. For more information about USC's general education requirements, see General Education.

Required Production Courses

Undergraduate writing students are required to take CTPR 290 Cinematic Communication. This introductory production course is taken during the sophomore year.

CTPR 290 introduces the interrelationship of visuals, sound and editing in cinematic communication. Students participate in directing and producing workshops as well as individual and group projects. Approximately $1,000 should be budgeted for miscellaneous expenses, lab and insurance fees.