Graduate & Professional Degrees

The Master of Science in Quantum Information Science program requires a minimum of 28 graduate units with at least 20 units at the 500 level. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be earned on all course work applied toward the degree. This average must also be achieved on all 400-level and above course work attempted at USC beyond the bachelor's degree. A maximum of 4 units of Directed Research (590 or 790) may be counted toward the degree. A maximum of 4 transfer units count as credit (CR) toward the master's degree and are not computed in the grade point average.

This graduate certificate program provides students with a foundation of the key elements of real estate development. It is designed to provide these foundations for non-Master of Real Estate Development students who wish to obtain this knowledge to complement their graduate program of study as well as their careers. For admissions information, visit the Price School Website.

The certificate in real estate development consists of 12 units of graduate course work: RED 510, RED 511, and RED 512.

Designed for those who want to understand real estate law and explore the legal framework (statutory and contractual) of this area of law. At least 12 units are required. 

The graduate certificate in regulatory and clinical affairs is designed to provide specialized education for individuals interested in developing a systematic understanding of the U.S. regulatory system for medical products. Students must complete at least 12 units (four course minimum) of course work including an introductory course in regulatory affairs. The certificate can be completed on a part-time basis but must be completed within five years.

Regulatory management relates to the leadership of teams involved in the regulatory and legal requirements of biomedical product development to the scientific study needed to establish product safety and efficacy. The Master of Science in Regulatory Management program is designed to provide post-doctoral scientists and healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to become leaders in regulatory and clinical research. A Masters of Science in Regulatory Management will be granted upon completion of at least 24 units of formal course work. Degree requirements include courses concerned with the regulatory aspects of medical product development, quality assurance, clinical research and business. Students should develop a specific plan of study in consultation with the graduate advisers before beginning the program.

The Doctor of Regulatory Science program cultivates research, leadership and inquiry skills for advanced students in the emerging profession of global regulatory science. It is designed to produce graduates with expertise in strategic management, policy development and research assessment who can play leadership roles in the public sector, academia and the medical products industry. Participants in this program will take a set of interdependent courses that extend from a strong core of basic regulatory science course work and additionally focus on three main areas — global product strategy, product lifecycle strategy, and project and personnel management. After students have completed foundational course work, they will participate as a cohort that typically has a two-year cycle of classes and an additional one or two years of dissertation research. The program has been designed to meet the needs of individuals who are already seasoned professionals working full-time outside of the university. The doctoral degree will be administered by the Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Admission

The program is designed for individuals with strong professional experience and demonstrated intellectual and leadership capabilities. Applicants are expected to have a GPA of 3.0 on university-level course work and ten or more years of professional experience. Admission requirements include university transcripts, a résumé, at least three letters of reference, and a one-page personal statement that outlines the background and goals of the applicant. Students are encouraged even at this early stage to identify areas in which they are interested in conducting research. Students are not required to provide GRE scores unless indicated by the program director.

Students with an appropriate graduate or professional degree may use some previous graduate courses as transfer units toward the overall credit requirements of the Doctor of Regulatory Science program with the approval of the program director and under the normal rules of the university. Students who have graduated from the USC MS program in Regulatory Science can apply all of the previously taken course work toward the doctoral degree. Students with graduate degrees from outside of the regulatory science program are required to take a minimum of 32 units of course work and 4 units of dissertation research to complete the requirements for graduation. The course work requirements will be determined on an individual basis in consultation with the program director and participant's advisers.

Curriculum Requirements

The Doctor of Regulatory Science is administered by the Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. It requires participants to complete 64 units that include the following elements:

Regulatory science relates the regulatory and legal requirements of biomedical product development to the scientific study needed to establish product safety and efficacy. A Master of Science degree in regulatory science will be granted upon completion of at least 36 units of formal course work.  Course requirements normally include a minimum of three courses concerned with regulatory aspects of medical product development and a minimum of one course each in quality assurance, clinical research, business, statistics and law. Recommended course work includes some courses available in other departments of the university. Students should develop a specific plan of study in consultation with the graduate advisers before beginning the program.

The department does not accept applicants for a Master of Arts degree in religion. PhD students who are currently enrolled in the religion PhD program will be eligible to receive a religion MA degree after taking all the course specified requirements for the religion PhD and passing their qualifying exams. Religion PhD students who complete the course requirements for the religion PhD and pass their qualifying exams, but are unable to complete the requirements for the PhD, may also earn the religion MA degree.

Course Requirements

Sixty-four units of course work are required for the PhD degree, including units of previous graduate work for which credit is allowed. No more than two language courses at the 400-level and no more than two non-language courses at the 400-level (i.e., 16 units) may be applied to the total requirement of 64 units. Time of residency is contingent upon the background and preparation of the student.

Core requirements for all doctoral students regardless of track include REL 500, REL 592, REL 593 and a maximum of 8 units of REL 794a Doctoral Dissertation to be applied toward the 64-unit total requirement.

Additionally, mandatory courses for students in the Asia Pacific Religions track include REL 545, REL 645, and one course from the REL 652/REL 653/REL 654/REL 655 series. Mandatory courses for students in the Christian Studies track include REL 535, REL 635 and REL 651. Mandatory courses for students in the Global Islam track include REL 525, REL 625 and REL 650.

In addition to the mandatory courses, students are expected to take elective courses in areas that will support their dissertation work. Such courses may be offered in related departments in the university as well as in the School of Religion and should be selected in consultation with the primary adviser.

Each student entering the PhD program will select a primary academic adviser before classes begin. The adviser must be an internal member of the School of Religion who works in the student's proposed area of research. In addition, at least one other faculty member from the school of Religion is selected to constitute, along with the primary adviser, the student's "mentoring committee." The mentoring committee is responsible for overseeing the student's program of course work, course of language study, timing of qualifying exams and so on. The membership of the mentoring committee can be changed at any time with the agreement of the student, the student's primary adviser, and the School of Religion director of Graduate Studies. The dissertation committee (see below) will replace the mentoring committee once candidacy is achieved. Students are expected to maintain a 3.5 GPA in course work.

The mentoring committee conducts an annual review of the student's academic performance and progress toward the degree in the spring of each year, before the end of the spring term. Should a student's performance be considered unsatisfactory, following consultation with the director of Graduate Studies, the student will be placed on probation for one year and given the opportunity to improve his or her performance. If a student's performance is still considered unsatisfactory at the end of the probationary year, the student will be dismissed from the program. Only after a successful annual review in the second year will the student be permitted to convene their qualifying examination committee.

Foreign Language Requirements

Language competencies vary by track and are determined in consultation with the mentoring committee. Here are some general guidelines:

Asia Pacific Religions Track: Advanced facility in at least one Asian language is considered essential to the Asia Pacific Religions Track. Each student selects a primary language area. The mentoring committee determines which possible additional languages are necessary for the student's course of study, and the procedures for the evaluation of proficiency in those languages. The following is provided as a guideline depending on the area of sub-specialization.

• Chinese: Classical and modern Chinese, as well as modern Japanese (as a research language) and a modern European research language.
• Japanese: Classical (Bungo) and modern Japanese, as well as Kanbun, and one modern research language (European, modern Chinese, or modern Korean)
• Korean: Advanced Korean, as well as either modern Japanese (as a research language) or a European modern research language.
• Sanskrit and Hindi: Advanced competency in two South Asian languages, classical or modern, plus a modern research language judged relevant to the student's research.

Christian Studies Track: Students are required to demonstrate advanced ability in two languages other than English in order to enable comparative research. Given the temporal and global span of Christian traditions, the specific languages will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the student's mentoring committee. Customarily the committee will select one or two ancient languages and one or two modern languages. The following are the languages most frequently studied in the Christian Studies Track, but the mentoring committee can select others as needed:

• Ancient: Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Latin, as well as medieval vernaculars
• Modern: French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Korean

Global Islam Track: Required to demonstrate advanced ability in the primary lingua franca of Islamic civilization to ensure the ability to conduct original research. Secondarily, students are generally encouraged to acquire facility in a secondary language within traditional Muslim religious and secular literature. Students are also encouraged to acquire facility in one European research language where deemed appropriate.

• Arabic: Classical and Modern Standard, as the primary research language.
• Persian: Classical and Modern, as a possible secondary research language.
• French or Spanish: (Elective) a reading knowledge to conduct research on or in specific modern communities.

Qualifying Examination and Dissertation Prospectus

The qualifying examination process consists of five stages: (1) constituting the qualifying examination committee (this would normally include the members of the mentoring committee), (2) determining the three exam areas by the student and the qualifying examination committee, (3) taking the written examinations, (4) submission of the dissertation prospectus, (5) the qualifying oral examination.

Preparation for these exams should begin early in the student's course work. In consultation with the mentoring committee the students will select their primary area and also take an exam in the other two cognate areas. Preparation for the qualifying exam continues with supplementary readings based on a bibliography prepared by the student in conjunction with the qualifying examination committee. This committee is responsible for setting the exam questions for the cognate written exams. The student is given 24 hours to write on a total of three questions for each exam. Each of the written exams is evaluated by all members of the examination committee.

The dissertation prospectus should begin with a general review of the scholarship in the field, and situate the thesis within that field. It should clearly articulate the thesis and program of research, identifying the available source material to be consulted. The prospectus must include a chapter outline, and a full bibliography of primary and secondary sources.

The oral examination will occur shortly after the submission of the dissertation prospectus. It will focus on the content of the written exams, the basic literature in the student's primary field, as well as the content and cogency of the prospectus.

Dissertation

The dissertation committee, consisting of three faculty members, is formed immediately following advancement to candidacy. The committee consists of at least two faculty members in the track of the student's specialization as well as one other School of Religion faculty member. Candidates may also add an additional faculty member external to the School of Religion if appropriate. This final stage of the program requires the submission of an acceptable dissertation based on original investigation. The dissertation must show technical mastery expected in each track, evidence of independent research, and the analytical and interpretive ability expected of a scholar.

The Graduate Certificate in Religious Studies (GCRS) allows students across diverse fields in the humanities, social sciences and professional schools to take advantage of the broad knowledge and expertise of Dornsife's Religion faculty.

Students interested in pursuing the GCRS program should meet with the director of Graduate Studies to apply to the program and plan a course of study. In addition to taking relevant course work, candidates must also do one of the following: (1) include the study of religion in their dissertation projects; or (2) take a concluding qualifying oral exam based on three seminar or research papers written in conjunction with their Religion course work.

Students admitted into the GCRS program will be required to complete REL 500 Methods and Theories in the Study of Religion or REL 502 Themes in the Study of Religion. They must also take 12 units of elective courses from the pre-approved list below. (Students may also take as an elective whichever of the REL 500 - REL 502 series they did not take as a requirement.) In addition to the courses listed below, others may also be considered for credit on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the director of Graduate Studies. All GCRS courses must be at the 500-level or above, and at least 50 percent of their content must focus on the study of religion. REL 590 Directed Research may not count for more than 4 of these additional 12 units.