Majors & Minors

Five courses (20 units) are required to complete the minor in sociology.

All minors are required to take at least two of the core courses in sociology:

The minor in songwriting incorporates practical instruction in the craft of songwriting and in performance skills, instruction in the technology relevant to songwriting, and critical studies in the relevant repertories.

Requirements for admission: Those who are considering this program should enroll in MUSC 255 Songwriting I. Admission will be based on songwriting ability and potential as determined by the songwriting faculty. 

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sound Design provides four years of intensive training at the undergraduate level. A total of 128 units of course work is required for the degree, including a 16-unit Critical Studies core in addition to required courses.

All BFA students are required to earn a grade point average of 2.75 (A = 4.0) in their theatre courses each semester. BFA students who fail to earn a GPA of 2.75 in their theatre courses will be placed on probation the following semester. Students who remain on probation for a consecutive second semester will be disqualified from the BFA program.

A student disqualified from continued study in the BFA program for failing to meet the GPA standards outlined above will be given the option of transferring into the BA program.

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 program will also satisfy certain Core Literacy requirements. Please work with your adviser to determine those courses.

This interdisciplinary minor offers students a framework for developing a fundamental understanding of the richness and complexity of South Asia, broadly defined as including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Students may select courses that provide an introduction across disciplines, or they may choose courses that address a particular historical period or theme.

The minor requires a minimum of 20 units.

This minor allows students to supplement more narrowly defined departmental majors with a multidisciplinary focus on an area of great importance both to global developments and to cultural heritage issues in California and the United States. There is no language requirement and no required courses, but students must take one lower and four upper-division courses dealing with Southeast Asian cultures and people of Southeast Asian heritage in the United States. The focus of this new minor is on transnational connections and the new area of global culture.

The Spatial Studies minor requires a minimum of 20 units, consisting of one lower-division elective, three required courses and an upper-division elective. The minor offers students an opportunity to examine some of the major challenges of the 21st century (climate change, human health and sustainability, urbanization and cultural homogenization, among others) through a spatial lens.

The USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery offers the minor in Collaborations in Speech-Language and Hearing Professions. This minor is designed to introduce undergraduate students from a wide variety of majors to the field of communication sciences and disorders (i.e. speech-language pathology and audiology) and guide them in the development of interdisciplinary knowledge, which will lead to collaborative practices in health care, social services and education, as it relates to communication sciences and disorders. Relevant majors from which students may be interested in this minor include education, pre-medical and biological sciences, social work, occupational and physical therapy, linguistics, music or other related fields in a variety of aspects related to the field of communication sciences and disorders and/or speech, language and hearing professions.

Course work for this minor will focus on Interprofessional Practice necessary to serving individuals with communication disabilities. The course work will examine broad aspects of typical and atypical speech, language and hearing development, delays and disorders, technological advancements in hearing science and audiology practice and collaborative work settings for allied and related professionals serving individuals with communication disabilities. In addition, public policy and practice will be discussed throughout the course work, including aspects of access to medical and educational services.

This minor requires 16 units, consisting of 4 required units and 12 elective units, as detailed below.

The worldwide and national sports industry is large and growing, with a significant presence in Southern California. The sports industry has significant ties to entertainment, real estate, games and special events, as well as media, journalism and other industries. The sports industry provides a unique business context, with specific needs in marketing, finance, economics, data analytics, risk management, communication, human resources, law and other business disciplines. The Sports Business and Management minor provides students the opportunity to combine courses in core management disciplines with complementary courses specific to sports business.

The Sports Business and Management minor is available to students in all schools and departments outside of the Marshall School of Business and Leventhal School of Accounting. To enroll in this minor, students must have completed 32 units of college-level courses and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75. 

Successful completion of the Sports Business and Management minor requires a minimum of 20 units and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in the courses applied to the minor.