Majors & Minors

Organized sports are one of the most popular forms of live and participatory entertainment, and produce vast quantities of mediated content. Virtually all professional sport, and increasingly much of amateur competition, is influenced by the importance of having the competitions shared with a wide range of audiences and utilizing diverse platforms to engage these fans. This content rich environment highlights how leagues, teams, players and coaches are each independent and interdependent brands, as well as creators and distributors of multimedia content. This volume of sports content creates new challenges for journalistic norms and storytelling techniques as well as new opportunities for the business of sports media management. The Sports Media Industries minor introduces students to a range of professional settings, activities and challenges related to the growth of sports media.

This 20-unit minor requires that students be introduced both to sports journalism as content production and also to the notion of sports media as a unique setting for publicity, advertising, and public relations. Students will develop the skills required to create sports media content, and increase their ability to critically examine sports media's influence on contemporary culture, particularly issues related to race, gender, class and sexual orientation. The minor will also establish an introductory knowledge of the business of sports and sports media. Elective courses allow students greater opportunity to explore these fields as well as take courses dedicated to specific aspects of sports media.

USC has a unique historical relationship to sports and sports media, and is near the center of the current sports media capital of Los Angeles. The courses examine the role of sports and sports media in culture, how the presentation of sports in media has evolved, has been shaped by cultural issues and, itself, impacted culture. This minor will enhance students' skills in working and interacting with, sports media.

Requirements for admission are a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of a minimum of 32 units (sophomore standing). The 3.0 GPA is a minimum standard and does not guarantee admission.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management 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 for the program.

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.

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This interdisciplinary minor should appeal to students from any discipline who are interested in acquiring a basic understanding of the mathematics underlying modern statistical analysis and inference techniques, in learning how to handle and analyze large data sets, and in gaining insight into the applications of modern statistics. Students who complete this minor should be able to critically interpret statistically based conclusions, should be viable candidates for entry level positions requiring some knowledge of modern statistics and data analysis, and should be prepared to enter a graduate-level program in applied statistics. The only prerequisite for this minor is one semester of elementary calculus.

As with all minors, students must include at least four upper-division courses and four courses dedicated exclusively to this minor (which may be the same four courses). Finally, students must select four courses outside their major department. These may be the same four courses used to meet the first two conditions. Note that Math BA and BS economics/mathematics students may complete this minor by taking MATH 407 and MATH 408 and at least 16 additional upper-division units approved by the Department of Mathematics, which are not in their major department and not being used to satisfy a requirement for their major. Note also that if calculus must be taken to satisfy the prerequisite for MATH 307, 20 units would be required to complete the minor.

The Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine offers a minor in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. This minor provides focused course work in developmental biology, animal regeneration, stem cell science and regenerative medicine, as well as exposure to laboratory methods in stem cell science. The minor will appeal to undergraduates interested in the scientific, ethical, legal, regulatory and cultural implications of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. The minor prepares undergraduates for a diversity of careers in research, health care, regulatory affairs, intellectual property law, science fiction, and biomedical journalism, among others. The minor requires a minimum of 16 units and welcomes undergraduates in both biological and non-biological majors.

This minor offers students an opportunity to gain an overall understanding of substance abuse as a major modifiable risk factor for illness. It allows students to learn theories of behavior change, to understand the issues in prevention and cessation of drug abuse, and to develop, implement, and evaluate intervention strategies. It complements a number of majors including psychology, sociology, American studies and ethnicity, biological science and gerontology.

The Sustainability, Equity and STEM Education (SESE) minor prepares future educators to integrate sustainability principles into STEM education while fostering equitable and inclusive learning environments. Designed for those interested in teaching science (biological sciences, chemistry, geoscience or physics) at the secondary level, the SESE minor equips students with the pedagogical and content knowledge necessary to engage diverse learners in sustainability-focused STEM instruction.

Through interdisciplinary course work and clinical field experiences in urban schools and community organizations, students will develop the skills to design NGSS-aligned unit plans, implement equity-centered sustainability lessons and engage in real-world problem-solving. The program emphasizes systems thinking, inclusive instructional strategies and the application of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in STEM education.

Program Features and Career Pathways

The SESE minor aligns with USC's Assignment: Earth initiative and national trends emphasizing sustainability in education. Graduates will be well-positioned for careers as:

• Secondary STEM educators with sustainability expertise
• Environmental education specialists
• Curriculum designers focused on sustainability and equity
• Science and sustainability policymakers
• STEM-focused instructional leaders

As a California-based licensure program, candidates enrolled in the SESE minor must satisfy requirements in addition to the courses listed below. Please refer to the information about these requirements in the Credential Programs section of the Rossier School section of the catalogue. 

Core Courses (Each course is 4 units)

• EDUC 477 – Explores community-driven sustainability initiatives, integrating environmental literacy with STEM education to design interdisciplinary projects that promote equity and civic engagement.
• EDUC 478 – Examines how digital tools, AI and engineering practices can be leveraged to teach sustainability in STEM, with an emphasis on culturally responsive and ethical technology use.
• EDUC 481 – Focuses on systems thinking, interdisciplinary teaching and the use of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to create sustainability-focused STEM curricula.
• EDUC 483 (Maymester Capstone) – Investigates how STEM education can address sustainability and career pathways while incorporating social-emotional learning and equity-based instructional practices.
• EDUC 485 – A hands-on teaching experience where students design, implement and assess sustainability-focused STEM lessons in real-world classroom or community settings.

Clinical Fieldwork and Practicum

Students in the SESE minor engage in clinical placements in secondary science classrooms and community-based sustainability projects, totaling up to 838 hours of fieldwork. The Maymester capstone experience further deepens students' ability to apply instructional strategies and sustainability principles in authentic educational settings.

Program Benefits

• Prepares future STEM educators to integrate sustainability into science instruction
• Equips students with interdisciplinary teaching strategies and real-world applications
• Fulfills credentialing requirements for secondary science education in California
• Provides hands-on experience through clinical practice in urban schools and community organizations
• Positions graduates for careers in science education, sustainability policy, and curriculum design

The SESE minor is open to all USC undergraduates and may be completed in one or two academic years. By combining sustainability with STEM education, the program empowers students to become leaders in equity-focused science teaching and environmental advocacy.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Technical Direction 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 for the program.

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.

The Technical Game Art minor is a unique 16-unit program, offered by the Information Technology Program that combines an engineering background with the production practice of character modeling, rigging and animation to prepare students for a professional career in the field of 3d games and cinematics. Focuses on creative orchestrations per project, user-friendly toolsets and production planning.

This interdisciplinary minor includes courses from both the business and engineering schools and provides education in the economic, technological and entrepreneurial aspects of commercializing new technologies. The minor is designed for students from a range of backgrounds (e.g., majors in engineering, life sciences or business) who are interested in starting their own technology-based ventures, working for technology-based start-up companies or pursuing corporate careers that may involve the commercialization of new technologies. In the minor, students learn about conceptualizing, developing and managing new, technology-based ventures and projects.

To enroll, students must have completed a minimum of 32 units of college-level course work and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75. To complete the minor, students are required to complete the two required courses (7 units) and enough elective courses to achieve a total of 16 units outside of their major. Business majors thus require 23 total units and other majors 16 total units to complete the minor.