Located near the heart of Los Angeles, the University of Southern California is one of the top private research universities in the United States.
 
Since its establishment in 1880, USC has conferred degrees on more than a quarter-million students — leaders who have helped Southern California emerge as a national trendsetter in public policy, economic and business affairs, urban planning and engineering, scientific research, health care, communications and the arts.
 
Today, USC and its graduates carry forward this heritage of leadership — developing innovative opportunities for learning, exploring new fields of scholarship and investigation, and establishing a widening network of service and partnership among the nations of the Pacific Rim.
 
The traditional function of the university is to teach students — and at USC teaching takes place in the classroom, studio, laboratory, seminar room and on the playing field, as well as where students live. USC is committed to promoting lifelong learning and to the principle that education is most effectively carried out in a context that encourages the creation of new knowledge.

USC places a premium on research and scholarship and on the professional and scholarly credentials of its faculty. Since 1969, USC has been a member of the Association of American Universities, the elective body that unites the 60 premier research universities in the United States and Canada.

The University of Southern California is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 985 Atlantic Ave., Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001. Students may review USC's accreditation documents by contacting Robin Romans, associate provost for undergraduate programs.
 
Throughout its history, USC has performed a wide variety of roles in service to its constituencies — contributing to the welfare of its own students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as to Southern California, the nation and the world. In particular, the university's network of affiliated hospitals and its partnerships with business and nonprofit organizations help to make USC's expertise available to the community at large.

 
Academic Programs

The University of Southern California upholds a tradition of academic strength at all levels — from the earliest explorations of the undergraduate to the advanced scholarly research of the postdoctoral fellow.

USC offers bachelor's degrees in 95 undergraduate majors as well as master's, doctoral and professional degrees in 134 areas of study. Hand-in-hand with this wide array of majors, USC has developed 147 different academic and professional minors — the broadest selection of any U.S. university — to encourage students to study subjects across widely separated fields. Students may select from a variety of degree combinations under the direction of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School and the university's 17 professional schools.
 
The heart of the university's liberal education program is the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The largest of USC's academic divisions — in terms of both student enrollment and faculty — the college serves more than 6,400 undergraduates and more than 1,500 graduate students, and offers some 57 academic fields of study. In addition to the undergraduate degrees offered by the college, many of the university's professional schools also offer bachelor's degree programs.
 
School of Cinematic Arts

The USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) is one of the nation's preeminent centers for the creation, study, research and development of film, television and interactive media. The school confers degrees ranging from the bachelor's to the doctorate, and is composed of six divisions: John C. Hench Animation and Digital Arts, Critical Studies, Film and Television Production, Interactive Media, Peter Stark Producing, and Writing. In 2007, the school inaugurated the Media Arts and Practice Ph.D., which enables candidates to draw on the expertise and resources of all six divisions. The SCA also has two organized research units — the Institute for Multimedia Literacy and the Entertainment Technology Center.

Since its founding in 1929 as the first course of study in film at any college or university in the United States, USC's cinema program has constantly set the academic and professional standards for excellence. In addition to offering the first undergraduate and doctoral degree programs in the field, the school has established a record-breaking number of endowed chairs in the discipline; created production facilities that rival or exceed industry counterparts; and gathered extraordinary faculty and staff who impart their guidance, skills and knowledge as they work one-on-one with students.

Thanks to its location in the heart of Los Angeles, SCA offers students access to the country's leading film, television, animation and interactive gaming producers; world-class literary and talent agencies; libraries and archives brimming with research materials; and a vast alumni community that actively supports the school and the men and women in its academic body. This school is also home to USC's Trojan Vision television station, which reaches nearly two million households.

Perhaps the school's most important attribute, however, is its time-tested philosophy that recognizes a student can only truly excel in his or her chosen area of expertise after exposure to all elements of the art form. Consequently, there is an emphasis on cross-disciplinary course work that ensures writers get behind the camera; critical studies scholars edit footage; and production majors examine the canon of work from a rigorous academic perspective.

USC Annenberg School for Communication

From its founding in 1971, the USC Annenberg School for Communication has been a leader in the communication revolution. Its location at the University of Southern California in the heart of Los Angeles puts it at the crossroads of media, entertainment, technology and globalization – an intersection with an unlimited number of possible paths.

For instance, if you are interested in the changing nature of communication as more interpersonal transactions are conducted online, the newly formed Charles Annenberg Weingarten Program on Online Communities would be a perfect match. You could earn a Master of Communication Management degree with an emphasis in Online Communities, finishing your degree by creating a fully functioning Web site bringing together people of a certain affinity group (such as MySpace or CancerCare.org).

If you are interested in recording history for the next generation, the graduate and undergraduate degrees in journalism provide a gateway to this fast-changing industry, whether it is in print, broadcast or online journalism. Bachelor's and master's degrees are offered in Public Relations. The program features the Strategic Public Relations Center, researching PR best practices across American corporations and industries.

If you are interested in a flexible degree program that will prepare you for careers in media, entertainment or politics, to name a few, a degree in communication is an excellent solution. With classes in political communication, entertainment marketing, children and media, communication technology, or organizational communication, you can pursue almost any direction of scholarly inquiry you choose.

The Annenberg School for Communication, established in 1971 through the generosity of Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg, offers a wide range of instructional and research programs through its Schools of Communication and Journalism.

Entertainment, technology and global trade are powerful forces in the world today, and the Annenberg School, located in a "multimedia mecca" (the National Science Foundation has designated USC as the country's primary multimedia research center), plays a vital role in the growth of all three areas. USC Annenberg programs combine a policy-oriented focus with cutting-edge research and teaching, and the school is providing leadership in areas ranging from the quality of civic discourse, to journalism ethics, to global communication. The opportunities are boundless, and USC Annenberg aims to link its programs to cultural, political, technological and social developments around the world.
 
With an online electronic newsroom and digital editing equipment for radio and television news production, the School of Journalism is at the forefront of efforts to prepare students for the new information age, while maintaining the highest ethical standards of journalistic practice. The School of Communication's multidisciplinary curriculum requires students to examine the processes and effects of discourse occurring in interpersonal, cross-cultural, public, international, organizational and mass media contexts.

USC Annenberg alumni fill top posts throughout the communication and media industries — including film, television, radio, newspapers, telecommunication, multimedia, advertising, public relations and publishing — as well as in government, education and nonprofit agencies around the world. Through active involvement with USC Annenberg, alumni remain an invaluable resource to students and faculty.
 
Annenberg faculty are prize-winning journalism professionals and renowned communication scholars who are distinguished by their teaching and research excellence. Their enthusiasm and expertise in these dynamic fields challenge and inspire USC Annenberg students and prepare them to become the communication leaders of tomorrow.

Why USC Annenberg? The possibilities are endless.   For more information, or to APPLY, visit http://annenberg.usc.edu/Prospective/Applying.aspx