university of southern california phd in marketing

PhD Program

The Marshall PhD Program is one of the premier Business PhD programs in the world. With a diverse and outstanding faculty and a student-centered culture, we have achieved stellar success in placing our graduates in faculty positions at the top business schools in the U.S. and abroad.

Accounting PhD Program

The Accounting PhD program includes research focused on several accounting disciplines, including Financial, Managerial, and Auditing and Corporate Governance Accounting.

Data Sciences + Operations PhD Program

Operations Management studies how firms organize their resources and recurring activities in order to be competitive in cost, price, responsiveness and quality. The field stresses quantitative techniques ranging from applied probability to optimization and game theory.

Finance PhD Program

The finance Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for academic careers in financial economics. Financial economics is the study of how individuals and firms raise and invest resources, and how financial assets are priced. Specific topics in asset pricing include the determinants of asset returns, pricing of risk, behavior of investors, and trading mechanisms. Specific topics in corporate finance include capital structure, payout policy, financial intermediation, internal capital markets, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

Management + Organization PhD Program

MOR research includes the study of human behavior in organizational settings, the design of organizational structures and the relationship of organizations to their environments. MOR research draws on the basic disciplines of psychology, sociology and economics to investigate research questions in three general areas: organizational behavior, organizational theory and strategic management.

Marketing PhD Program

Marketing is an interdisciplinary field that examines the interactions of consumers and businesses in the marketplace. Academic research in marketing draws upon theories and methodology from a wide variety of fields, including psychology, sociology, mathematics, statistics, and economics. Faculty members in Marshall’s marketing department represent numerous theoretical backgrounds and substantive interests. As mentors, they encourage students to identify their own interests and develop the analytic and methodological skills to pursue their own research questions.

Marshall PhD Program

Maya Cratsley is a PhD Candidate in the Management and Organization department at USC Marshall.

PhD Program Benefits

Why pursue a Ph.D. at Marshall?

Because Marshall offers a distinct set of advantages that is rarely available at other schools.

World-Renowned Faculty

Marshall faculty are top-tier professionals with a passion for academia and research. Currently, Marshall Faculty rank 6th in the world in terms of publication output in the top business journals per the UT Dallas Research Rankings . Many of our faculty are thought leaders in their profession, conducting innovative and influential research, serving as editors at top journals, and taking leadership roles in research bodies and associations. During the past few years, Marshall has engaged in an aggressive and successful strategy to recruit some of the top researchers in various areas of business.

For more information on faculty research and publications, please visit HERE .

Student-Centered Culture

- Our student-centered program is based on flexibility, a collegial environment, free inquiry, informed risk taking and exposes students to top quality research early in the program.

- We employ a “learner-centered” approach, fostering intellectual partnerships between faculty and students as students hone their skills in identifying interesting research topics, conducting rigorous research, and presenting their research to academic and non-academic audiences.

- We maintain a high faculty-to-student ratio, allowing students to receive quality mentoring and to develop research and teaching skills under the apprenticeship of renowned faculty members.

- We strive for students to have ample co-authorship opportunities with faculty; most of our graduates produce multiple papers with faculty before graduation.

- Students have unmatched exposure to global cultures as USC is home to more international students than any other university in the United States.

- Graduates join two powerful networks with unsurpassed reach: the Trojan Family, with more than 375,000 USC alumni worldwide, and the Marshall Trojan Family, with 80,000 graduates in 123 countries.

Abundant Research Opportunities

At Marshall, we believe in exposing students to research early in the program and providing all the necessary support to prepare students for conducting top quality research. This includes providing resources such as state of the art computers/information systems support, innumerable research databases, behavioral labs, research grants and industry access. It also includes working with faculty on research projects, and receiving the necessary training, guidance and mentorship from a top-flight researcher.

Many of our Ph.D. students will publish at least one top journal paper along with faculty prior to graduation.

Cutting-Edge Curriculum

The Marshall Ph.D. program offers you the opportunity to explore your research interests and take advantage of the classes, centers and programs offered both within and outside of Marshall.

- Our curriculum includes numerous electives that can be taken within Marshall, at USC schools outside of Marshall and at other universities.

- USC offers more than 400 highly regarded graduate and professional programs that prepare students for leadership positions in research, education and professional practice.

- Our interdisciplinary approach to research includes productive collaborations with other USC professional schools and access to USC’s 100-plus research centers and institutes.

Competitive Financial Assistance

Fellowship & Graduate Assistantships

Accepted students receive a competitive fellowship and/or graduate assistantship package. The package includes full tuition, a generous stipend, health and dental insurance, and coverage of mandatory student health center fees. The combination of fellowship and graduate assistantship is guaranteed for five years for those who maintain satisfactory degree progress.

Outside Funding

Occasionally a student brings outside funding to replace or supplement the funding from the USC Marshall School of Business. Examples of outside funding sources include the Ph.D. Project, foreign governments, and the Accounting Doctoral Scholars program. Such funding is acceptable, but applicants should understand that funding source is not considered in the evaluation process. We accept only the top applicants regardless of the source of funding.

Research Support & Awards

Marshall Ph.D. students are provided with a discretionary account for teaching and research activities. The annual funding increases as the student progresses in the program into more research activities in the later years.

After advancing to candidacy, students become eligible for competitive research awards open exclusively to USC Marshall Ph.D. students. Past awards have been sponsored by the USC Graduate School, the Ford Foundation, the USC Marshall Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurship and the USC Marshall James S. Ford Award.

Location Advantage

Marshall is located at the heart of Los Angeles and Southern California, giving students access to the people and places that make the region a global force. As one of the world’s most dynamic, diverse and successful business centers, Los Angeles is equal parts international trendsetter and cultural crossroads. Students at Marshall are immersed in a vibrant international city that is a major player in emerging economies across the Pacific Rim.The University of Southern California, one of the world’s leading private research universities, offers a global outlook as well as close ties with the local community, providing opportunities to gain real-world experience while making a lasting impact.

ADMISSIONS INFO
INFO SESSIONS

Our students have had job offers from top business schools including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, UT Austin, Duke, NYU, Cambridge, London Business School, University of Michigan, Rochester, Nanyang, North Carolina, Emory, and others.

Shuping Chen, PhD '03

Current Position: Wilton E. and Catherine A. Thomas Professor in Accounting, University of Texas at Austin

Initial Placement: Foster School of Business, University of Washington, Seattle

Shuping is a highly published researcher in accounting with an emphasis in voluntary disclosure, who no holds an endowed chair in accounting at UT Austin. She is on the editorial board of The Accounting Review .

Ran Duchin, PhD '08

Current Position: Coughlin Family Professor at Boston College

Initial Placement: University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business

Ran has published extensively in the top finance journals in areas as disparate as corporate finance and behavioral economics. He was recently awarded an endowed professorship at the University of Washington in record time. He also serves as Managing Editor of Journal of Financial and Quarterly Analysis.

Negin Golrezaei, PhD '17

Current Position: W. Maurice Young (1961) Career Development Associate Professor of Management and an Associate Professor of Operations Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Initial Placement: MIT, Sloan School of Management

Prior to graduation, Negin won the University of Southern California Graduate School PhD Achievement Award. This prestigious award is granted to a select few graduating PhD students across the entire university. Negin's dissertation has also won two prestigious awards: the INFORMS Revenue Management and Pricing Section Dissertation Prize, and the Dantzig Dissertation Award.

FACULTY + RESEARCH

Select phd faculty, patricia dechow.

Robert R. Dockson Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Accounting, Finance and Business Economics

Professor Dechow's research focuses on accounting accruals, the quality and reliability of earnings, the use of earnings information in predicting stock returns, and the effect of analysts' forecasts on investors’ perceptions of firm value.

Mark DeFond

A. N. Mosich Chair in Accounting
Professor of Accounting

Professor DeFond is the A. N. Mosich Chair of Accounting, Leventhal School, University of Southern California. His research investigates issues in auditing, international accounting, and earnings management.

Nathanael Fast

Associate Professor of Management and Organization
Director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making
Co-Director of the Psychology of Technology Institute

Nathanael Fast studies the psychological underpinnings of power, leadership, and technology adoption. His research examines how power and status hierarchies shape decision making, how people’s identities shape their professional networks, and how AI is shaping the future.

Fast is Director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making and Co-Director of the Psychology of Technology Institute.

He received his PhD in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University and has been recognized for both teaching and research, including USC’s Golden Apple Teaching Award, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research, and Poets & Quants "best 40 B-school profs under the age of 40.

Peer C. Fiss

Jill and Frank Fertitta Chair in Business Administration
Professor of Management and Organization, and Sociology (by courtesy)
Associate Vice Dean for Research

Peer is broadly interested in how meaning structures shape organizational actions. His work has been published in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, American Sociological Review, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Organizations Science, Organization Studies, MISQuarterly, and the Strategic Management Journal, among others. Peer has also been working for almost two decades on the use of set-analytic methods in the social sciences, specifically on the use of fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) in management and related fields. Most recently he has been working on applying set-analytic methods to policy analysis, specifically the intersectionality of poverty. His recent book with Charles Ragin (UCI) is entitled “Intersectional Inequality: Race, Class, Test Scores, and Poverty” (University of Chicago Press, 2017).

ALL PhD FACULTY

SELECT RESEARCH

"how do accounting practices spread an examination of law firm networks and stock option backdating".

Patty Dechow, Samuel Tan (2021)

The Accounting Review 96, 431-464

"Implied Equity Duration: A Measure of Pandemic Shutdown Risk"

Patty Dechow, Ryan Erhard, Richard Sloan, Mark Soliman (2021)

Journal of Accounting Research 59, 243-281

"Is It a Home Run? Measuring Relative Citation Rates in Accounting Research"

Patty Dechow, Richard Sloan, Jean (Jieyin) Zeng (2020)

Accounting Horizons 34, 67-91

"Understanding the Determinants of Analyst Target Price Implied Returns"

Patty Dechow, Haifeng You (2020)

Accounting Review 95, 125-149

"Virtual (freedom from) reality: Evaluation apprehension and leaders’ preference for communicating through avatars."

Roshni Raveendhran, Nate Fast, Peter Carnevale (2020)

"“Theorizing the Multiplicity of Digital Phenomena: The Ecology of Configurations, Causal Recipes, and Guidelines for Applying QCA"

YoungKi Park, Peer Fiss, Omar El Sawy (2020)

MIS Quarterly

"Director Networks and Innovation Herding"

Felipe Cabezon, Gerard Hoberg (2021)

"Product Life Cycles in Corporate Finance"

Gerard Hoberg, Vojislav Maksimovic (2021)

Review of Financial Studies Accepted

NEWS + EVENTS

Marshall faculty publications, awards, and honors: april 2024.

We are proud to highlight the amazing Marshall faculty who have been recognized this month for their leading-edge work and expertise.

DSO Professor Receives USC Mentoring Award

The USC Provost awards Yingying Fan for her extraordinary mentorship.

K.R. Subramanyam Earns Prestigious 2024 Provost’s Mentoring Award

The Associate Dean of Marshall’s PhD program and accounting professor was recognized for his significant impact on mentees.

Marshall Educators Honored with 2023 USC Mentorship Awards

Abby Fifer Mandell, K.R. Subramanyam, and Paat Rusmevichientong receive accolades for exceptional commitment.

Marshall Faculty Publications, Awards, and Honors: May 2023 and Year-End Roundup

We are thrilled to congratulate our faculty on recently accepted and published research, 2022-2023 teaching and research awards, and new chair appointments.

STAY CONNECTED

Ph.D. Program Marshall School of Business University of Southern California 3670 Trousdale Parkway, BRI 306 Los Angeles, California 90089-0809

Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives. Modern marketing stresses research and analysis to understand consumer behavior and to identify customer needs, new product research and development, competitive pricing, coordinated promotional or sales programs, and efficient logistics and distribution. Students interested in careers in marketing management, logistics management, retailing or wholesaling, sales program administration, advertising or marketing research will find courses in marketing valuable.

Marketing Department Marshall School of Business Hoffman Hall 331 (213) 740-5033 FAX: (213) 740-7828 Email: [email protected] marshall.usc.edu/marketing Chair: Anthony Dukes, PhD

Robert E. Brooker Chair of Marketing: Valerie S. Folkes, PhD

Jayne and Hans Hufschmid Chair in Strategic Public Relations and Business Communication: Robert Kozinets, PhD

Richard and Jarda Hurd Chair in Distribution Management: Gary L. Frazier, DBA*

Jerry and Nancy Neely Chair in American Enterprise: Gerard J. Tellis, PhD

Dave and Jeanne Tappan Chair in Marketing: Shantanu Dutta, PhD

Robert E. Brooker Professor of Marketing: C.W. Park, PhD

Joseph A. DeBell Endowed Professorship in Business Administration: Joseph Nunes, PhD

Ernest Hahn Professor of Marketing: Sha Yang, PhD

Charles L. and Ramona I. Hilliard Professor of Business Administration: Deborah MacInnis, PhD*

Provost Professor of Psychology and Business: Wendy Wood, PhD

Provost Professor of Psychology and Marketing: Norbert Schwarz, PhD

Professors: Kristin Diehl, PhD; Anthony Dukes, PhD; James G. Ellis, MBA; Valerie S. Folkes, PhD; Gary L. Frazier, DBA*; Shantanu Dutta, PhD; Robert Kozinets, PhD; Deborah J. MacInnis, PhD*; Dina Mayzlin, PhD; Joseph C. Nunes, PhD*; Norbert Schwarz, PhD; Gerard Tellis, PhD; Allen Weiss, PhD; Wendy Wood, PhD; Sha Yang, PhD

Associate Professors: Lan Luo, PhD*; Joseph Priester, PhD*; Sivaramakrishnan Siddarth, PhD*; Gulden Ulkumen, PhD

Assistant Professors: Gil Appel, PhD; Eva Buechel, PhD; Linda Hagen, PhD; Davide Proserpio, PhD; Dinesh Puranam, PhD; Maria A. Rodas, PhD; Stephanie Tully, PhD; Kalinda Ukanwa, PhD; Yanhao “Max” Wei, PhD

Professors of Clinical Marketing: Diane Badame, PhD*; Rex Kovacevich, MBA*

Associate Professors of Clinical Marketing: Miriam Burgos, MBA*; Dennis Schorr, PhD; Therese Wilbur, MBA*

Assistant Professors of Clinical Marketing: Ira Kalb, MBA*; Lars Perner, PhD*; Gerard Power, MS; Arianna Uhalde, PhD

Research Associate Professor: Botao Yang, PhD

Emeritus Faculty

Emeritus Professors: Ben M. Enis, PhD; Dennis Rook, PhD

*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.

Return to: USC Marshall School of Business

What are you looking for?

Graduate & Professional Degrees

The university of southern california is one of the top-ranked universities in the country and offers a diverse range of graduate and professional programs to suit various career pursuits. students can gain access to exceptional academic scholarship, accelerated degrees, top faculty, leading research opportunities and collaborative learning communities. with state-of-the-art facilities and competitive faculty and staff committed to excellence, usc's graduate and professional programs serve as an attractive option for those seeking higher education on the west coast., graduate certificate | keck school of medicine of usc.

Students who do not wish to pursue a Master of Academic Medicine degree at this point may earn a university certificate in Academic Medicine. The certificate requires 12 units of course work. Each learner may only seek a single certificate. There are two options available: Teaching/Learning and Leadership. The teaching/ learning option provides graduates with the essential principles of teaching and learning needed to integrate learning principles, teaching techniques, and assessment methods within the health professions to effectively teach health professions learners at all levels: undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional development. The leadership option is designed to prepare those in academic medicine for leadership positions, for example, assistant/associate dean, program director (including assistant or associate), designated institutional officer and associate or vice chair for education. After completion of the certificate, the learner is no longer eligible to pursue the Master of Academic Medicine degree.

Each student completes the 12-unit certificate with 9 units of required course work and 3 units of elective course work from the courses available within the Master of Academic Medicine program. All courses should be selected with the approval of the learner’s adviser.

Master's Degree | Keck School of Medicine of USC

Keith Administration Building 211 1975 Zonal Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90033 (323) 442-3004 Email: [email protected] Program Director: Julie G. Nyquist, PhD

The Master of Academic Medicine (MACM) is offered by the Keck School of Medicine. The Master of Academic Medicine program's mission is to cultivate leaders who will develop and advance educational programs for healthcare professions through their roles as teacher, leader, scholar and mentor. These leaders will guide future health care professionals to thrive in their careers as they guide care for diverse patient populations. Academic medicine is defined in broad terms as relating to those who lead training worldwide in medicine or in other health care related fields. Enacting this mission is possible due to the flexible delivery model selected. The 32-unit program employs a model of synchronous online learning in all courses, accompanied by optional annual on-campus face-to-face skill-building workshops for three days each February.

The program addresses the unique population of medical and health professions faculty who are focused on leading the academic enterprise for health professionals at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education levels. The curriculum focuses on four roles that faculty and other leaders can play: teacher, leader, scholar and mentor. Our alumni are well prepared to guide future generations of health professionals toward better meeting the health needs of our diverse society and promoting the wellbeing of future providers.

For those with a clear focus on the academic enterprise, a complementary degree in academic medicine offers the specialized skills needed to lead development of enhanced training for health professionals, increases professional capacity, and provides new opportunity for promotion. The audiences for this degree are current and future leaders in health professions education, e.g., education fellows, Associate Program Directors, Program Directors and Designated Institutional Officers. Matriculants typically have primary professional degrees in health fields (e.g., MD, DDS, DPT, RN, MSN, PA, DVM, DO, PharmD, DC, DOM). The Master of Academic Medicine will provide the needed complementary training for clinician educators.

Applicants for admission to the Master of Academic Medicine program are generally expected to have an advanced or professional degree, typically in medicine or another healthcare profession. Official transcripts from all institutions will need to be submitted. Proof of graduation is required. For all applicants, an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (A=4.0) is expected and three letters of recommendation are required.

Students can be admitted to begin the program in Fall, Summer or Spring. Inquiries regarding applications and admission procedures should be made by email to [email protected] or by phone to (323) 442-3004.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

A graduate GPA of at least 3.0 is required at all times. Any student whose graduate GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students on academic probation who do not raise their GPA to 3.0 after two semesters of written notification of academic probation will be academically disqualified.

A minimum of 32 units of graduate-level course work is required.

Master's Degree | USC Leventhal School of Accounting

The Master of Accounting program with an emphasis in data and analytics combines course work from the Leventhal School of Accounting and Marshall's Data Sciences and Operations department. Advances in computing technology are fundamentally changing the way audits are conducted. The data and analytics emphasis of the MAcc is designed to train auditors for the data age.

The program employs a rigorous case analysis approach that requires students to exercise their analytical abilities and develop both teamwork and professional communication skills.

Integrated into the data and analytics emphasis is an audit internship during the spring semester encompassing both audit and data and analytics in an integrated fashion. This required element of the program builds a critical bridge for the student between his or her academic and work lives, ultimately enriching both.

Application

The data and analytics emphasis of the MAcc is open only to individuals who have earned the equivalent of a four-year bachelor of accounting degree from an accredited program. Applicants also must have an offer letter for a spring internship at a "big four" or major national public accounting firm or equivalent. Spring internships must run from January through April and integrate both audit and data analytics.

Program Requirements

The Master of Accounting, Data and Analytics emphasis requires up to 31.5 units including fundamentals, core requirements and electives. Students with prior study in statistics who pass the challenge exam for Data Driven Decision Making receive a waiver reducing the units required to earn the degree to 30.

The Master of Accounting program (MAcc) prepares graduates for careers in public accounting, industry and government. The program offers students technical and conceptual knowledge, professional development, research and lifelong learning, ethical and professional standards and globalization and diversity. For details on these student learning outcomes, see the program website at marshall.usc.edu/macc .

An undergraduate accounting or business major is not necessary, nor is work experience a requirement. The program enrolls students in the summer or fall based on their academic backgrounds. For application information visit marshall.usc.edu/macc/admissions .

The Master of Accounting degree requires 45 units, including fundamentals, core requirements and electives. A student with an undergraduate degree in accounting or the equivalent may be able to waive 15 units for a total degree requirement of 30 units.

The Leventhal School of Accounting Master's Program Office evaluates the academic background of each admitted student to determine the courses required to complete the program.

ACCT 525 Intensive Accounting Principles and Practices (15 units) — an eight-week course for students who have not completed undergraduate degrees or other extensive course work in accounting. This course must be completed successfully prior to beginning the fall semester.

ACCT 525 class reducing the number of units required to earn the degree to 30.

USC BS in Accounting students may qualify for waiver of an additional 6 units reducing the number of units required to earn the degree to 24. (USC BS in Accounting students should meet with a graduate adviser during their junior year to determine if they qualify.)

Addiction exacts a toll on individuals, families and communities worldwide. The Master of Science in Addiction Science (MAS) exposes students to the biological, psychological and social aspects of substance use and addictive behaviors. Students study emerging trends in addiction studies with an emphasis on evidence-based transdisciplinary approaches in to addiction science and practice addressing epidemiology, etiology, prevention, treatment, policy and harm reduction, as well as sociocultural and healthcare contexts that intersect with addiction. The MAS equips students with a solid foundation and prepares them to enter a number of fields, from treatment to recovery and research to policy-work, representing critical areas of support among diverse communities in need.

Master's Degree | USC School of Architecture

The Master of Advanced Architectural Research Studies, City Design and Housing emphasis is a 42-unit multi-disciplinary graduate degree program at the USC School of Architecture that prepares participants to study, analyze and design within complex urban systems. Focusing on the 21st-century city the program will address specific urban challenges through a combination of explorative design studio and advanced topical research. Working across disciplines and at multiple scales, this degree concentration moves between real-world issues and innovative architectural approaches to explore ideas for radically re-thinking the ways in which we can design, build and inhabit our cities in more inclusive and equitable ways.

The program will leverage Los Angeles as a laboratory to examine the forces that shape local and global cities. Addressing a diverse set of factors that are linked to city design and housing – such as urban development and housing policies, real estate and housing finance, history and theory, technology and infrastructure, and ecology and climate change – the program will introduce students to broad methodological tools for critically analyzing contemporary challenges of urban systems and housing and will strengthen their skills to employ research and design to create more equitable, sustainable and resilient urban environments and housing schemes.

The CD+H program's design and research efforts will be framed by three topical trajectories: a) urban housing (low-cost, collective, affordable, informal, densification, etc.); b) urban inequalities (racial segregation, economic disparities, gentrification, homelessness, digital divide, migration, etc.); and c) urban infrastructures (street design, public transportation, walkability, public space, programmatic and zoning issues, etc.). In addition, the one-year course will switch between the local context of Los Angeles and a selected global city (Latin America, Asia, Africa). In order to more thoroughly study the international context – and potentially establish more sound collaborations with institutions and stakeholders abroad – the same international context will be part of the program in a two or three-year cycle.

Finally, to connect students with real-world contexts, challenges and experiences, the CD+H program seeks to include various travel components throughout the year, which could potentially be linked to the PD+T and SP+SJ cohorts. Semester 1 will incorporate field trips in the Los Angeles and Southern California region. In Semester 2, the program's focus on an international context will be supplemented by a week-long trip to the respective city. For semester 3, the program intends to provide students the option of an immersive trip in a foreign or domestic location for their final project. The USC School of Architecture is developing the Latin Americas Cities Initiative and Asia Cities Initiative, which will be expected to interface with the MAARS CD+H, PD+T and SP+SJ programs.

Completion of the degree requires 42 units, including 8 units of Architecture Directed Design Research.

The Master of Advanced Architectural Research Studies, Performative Design And Technology Emphasis is a 42-unit graduate design program at the USC School of Architecture that focuses on the integration of architectural design, building performance and technology, within the context of digital design and fabrication. As a design-centric approach to building science concepts in the spirit of Ralph Knowles and the legacy of the Natural Forces Laboratory at the USC School of Architecture, issues of sustainability, structure, daylighting and thermal comfort will be explored in the context of architectural design. In this program, students will explore digital and analog techniques for discovering form through variable material and geometric organizations and force simulations, while simultaneously considering the design opportunities being afforded by advances in computation and fabrication technologies. The proposed curriculum will respond to emerging shifts in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry towards integrated technologies, increased efficiency, and productivity, and a digital workforce driven by digital, sensing and intelligent technologies. An integrated design curriculum that incorporates these concepts will support students in developing the skill necessary to foster innovation in practice with a focus on: data, technology, integration, performance, ecology and sustainability.

A travel component will be included in Semester 1 through field trips in the Los Angeles and Southern California region to connect students with the real-world context and challenges faced in urban cities. In Semester 2, a week-long trip to a foreign or domestic location will provide students with a global context and interface and connect with the CD+H program. Students will have an option in Semester 3 to participate in an extended and immersive trip in a foreign or domestic location that will support completion of the final project. The USC School of Architecture is developing the Latin Americas Cities Initiative and Asia Cities Initiative, which will be expected to interface with the MAARS CD+H and PD+T programs.

This program is dedicated to cutting edge research and experimentation, and seeks to explore in a highly innovative fashion the cultural and technological landscapes of Los Angeles. Through its range of experimental 'Labs', the program is structured under three distinct veins of inquiry [1] architectural urban studies using Los Angeles as a laboratory to engage global issues; [2] advanced computation/fabrication technologies and material processes; and [3] performative architecture with an emphasis on sustainable systems. These specific design and research directions are diversely initiated by our faculty and fully supported by additional resources from the University of Southern California and the city of Los Angeles.

The Master of Advanced Architectural Studies is a three-semester advanced degree program. Consisting of two option-based topic studios followed by an in-depth Directed Design Research project [DDR], and coordinated seminar courses each for the first two semesters, the degree is focused on advanced and emerging topics in architecture. The design and research directions are diversely initiated by our faculty and fully supported by additional resources from the University at-large and the city of Los Angeles.

Candidates for admission must have a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree or its equivalent. Completion of the degree requires 48 units, including 28 units of required studio and seminar courses, [including 8 units Directed Design Research or Thesis], and 20 units of approved electives, over three semesters of residency.

Graduate Certificate | USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

The graduate certificate in Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice prepares students for practice in clinical settings by enhancing their theoretical, empirical and practice knowledge relevant to these settings and by offering a blend of didactic and experiential learning. Through an intersectional lens, students enhance their understanding of critical elements of advanced clinical practice, such as assessment and conceptualization, diagnosis and treatment. Given that social workers treat diverse client populations, this certificate also encompasses a commitment to social justice and addressing barriers to mental health treatment.

The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work offers university certificates that provide students advanced practice or research training through a social justice and intercultural competence lens that emphasizes community, organizational and environmental justice. Certificates are designed to complement and deepen training provided through our degree programs by focusing on experiential application of concepts in relation to particular and diverse client populations, settings, and systems. Each certificate consists of at least 12 units, which may in part be satisfied by courses completed for a degree program. Certificates are also available to graduate students from other disciplines and to employed professionals.

The graduate certificate in Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice requires a minimum of 17 units.

Graduate Certificate | Advanced Programs in Dental Education

The advanced endodontics certificate program is a 24-month course of study. The program provides advanced students with the academic background information and clinical experience necessary for the specialty practice of endodontics. The program also requires activities in research and teaching to expose the advanced students interested to these areas of endodontics.

Advanced students are encouraged to pursue Board Certification by the American Board of Endodontics and are prepared for the certification examinations.

Emphasis is also placed on the interaction of endodontics with other specialties and general dentistry.

The program in endodontics is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), which serves as the only nationally recognized accrediting body for dentistry and the related dental field. The Commission receives its accreditation authority from the acceptance of all stakeholders within the dentistry community and recognition by the United States Department of Education. Since its inception in 1937, the Commission and its predecessors have operated within the parameters of the ADA Bylaws. The Commission serves the profession and the public by establishing and applying high-quality standards for the accreditation of educational programs in dentistry, postgraduate general and specialty dentistry, and the allied dental professions.