Graduate & Professional Degrees

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The Technology Commercialization Graduate Certificate is designed to let USC graduate students experience the entire spectrum of the commercialization process — invention, product development, technical and market feasibility analysis, intellectual property protection, business planning and venture funding.

This program is particularly well suited to master’s and PhD candidates in science, engineering and business. We encourage students from other disciplines who are interested in technology businesses to apply.

Prospective students may apply to begin the program in the fall, spring or summer term. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. For information regarding how to apply, visit students.marshall.usc.edu/graduate-certificate-admissions-usc-students.

Additional information about the program can be found at marshall.usc.edu/tccm.

Two required courses and 6 units of electives (for a total of 12 units) must be completed to earn the certificate.

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The Graduate Certificate in Technology for National Security requires a minimum of 16 units of graduate work. It provides a pathway for graduate students in science and engineering to study the relationship of their disciplines to emerging issues, challenges and policies in national security and intelligence. The certificate is available to any graduate student pursuing a MS or PhD in mathematics, science or engineering.

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Given the rising demand, accessibility and effectiveness of telebehavioral services, service providers must be prepared to respond to this need. The graduate certificate in Telebehavioral Health Practice prepares students for mental health and behavioral health practice by enhancing their understanding and skills in the policy, legal, ethical, empirical and practice knowledge relevant to telebehavioral practice. By offering a blend of instruction, discussion and experiential learning, students will build their understanding of telebehavioral health practice's critical elements, such as digital literacy, assessment, treatment planning and intervention. Since telebehavioral health practice can improve access for many diverse populations, this certificate will also encompass 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 change and intercultural competence lens that emphasizes community advocacy. Certificates are designed to complement and deepen training provided through our degree programs by focusing on the experiential application of concepts in relation to particular client populations, settings and systems. Each certificate consists of at least 12 units, which may be partially satisfied by courses completed for a degree program. Certificates are also available to graduate students from other disciplines and employed professionals.

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The Master of Fine Arts in theatre allows the choice of an area of emphasis in theatre performance studies including acting, directing, dramatic writing or theatrical design.

Sixty-eight units of study at the 400- or 500-level are required for the acting emphasis, 72 units for the dramatic writing emphasis and 48 units for the directing and theatrical design emphases. Regardless of the emphasis, at least two-thirds of the units must be at the 500 level or higher. In design, instead of a conventional thesis, the MFA student completes a final project in the area of design and defends it orally before the design faculty. A grade point average of 3.0 must be achieved in all graduate work taken in the School of Dramatic Arts. Graduate candidates whose undergraduate degrees are in disciplines other than theatre may be required to satisfy undergraduate prerequisites in theatre as determined by School of Dramatic Arts faculty.

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Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower

1450 Biggy Street, NRT 2508
Los Angeles, CA 90089-9601
(323) 865-1591

Fax: (323) 442-2490
Email: dtg@usc.edu
dtg.usc.edu

 

Program Director: Tirzah Petta, PhD

keck.usc.edu/translational-genomics/
dtg.usc.edu/education/translation_entrepreneurship

Keck School of Medicine Department of Translational Genomics offers a Graduate Certificate in Translation and Entrepreneurship in Biomedical Sciences (TEBS). This program combines a unique curriculum and distinctive practical training to enable students who already have advanced biosciences training to gain familiarity with drug and device development from the initial discovery process, e.g., translation; the regulatory framework; the processes involved in management of private and public capital to develop growing markets, and the economics, business, and law terminologies important in navigation of the commercialization process. 

Program Summary

The certificate program in TEBS is for students who wish to expand career options in the biotechnology or biomedical sciences industry, adding to their existing advanced graduate degree training.

Students in the program will gain an understanding of

• The role of scientific discovery in the development of new therapies
• The process of moving inventions from a university to a commercial entity and finally to the marketplace
• The regulatory environment that impacts novel therapies
• Investment in new discoveries, and the sources of capital needed to commercialize new treatments
• The legal processes that govern biomedical invention and translation to commercialization

The program is ideal for postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and clinician scientist scholars who

• Aspire toward an academic career with a strong translational component
• Seek to become entrepreneurs
• Seek a career in a start-up company in the life sciences
• Aspire towards a career in small to large pharma or biotech companies.

Or, for professionals in management, investment, regulatory affairs or law in the biotechnology industry with a strong background in the biomedical sciences and who wish to get a deeper understanding of the commercialization process and how it links to scientific discoveries.

Admission

Admissions requirements include a strong graduate preparation in biological sciences. Examples of this include appointment as a postdoctoral fellow with a PhD degree in a relevant topic, appointment as a clinician scientist as a faculty, resident or fellow with relevant basic science preparation, and/or acquisition of relevant course work in the PhD program consistent commensurate with that required for advancement to candidacy. 

Applicants must also supply a statement of purpose and two letters of recommendation from evaluators qualified to assess their potential for graduate level course work. Please visit the program Website for additional information on admission and application procedures.

Advisement

The program requires that students meet with an academic adviser of the program each semester prior to registration.

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 14 units of course work from the TEBS curriculum is required for the completion of certificate program.

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Graduate students intending to complete a certificate in Translation Studies must be admitted to a USC graduate or professional program. While undertaking course work for an MA, PhD or other graduate degree, students may earn a certificate in Translation Studies, which confirms advanced competence in inter-linguistic and cross-cultural communication.

To earn the certificate, students must take four courses (minimum of 12 units). Of these, two are required: the theory and philosophy of translation (COLT 510), and the workshop in literary translation that will serve as the capstone experience (COLT 519). In addition, students will choose two elective courses under the rubric of linguistic, literary and cultural traditions. Electives must focus fully or partially on translation and may be taken in any department, including comparative literature.  Possible electives include COLT 511, COLT 512, or any graduate course from any departments or programs. Electives need to be approved by the director of the certificate.

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Keck School of Medicine of USC

Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower

1450 Biggy St. NRT 2508

Los Angeles, CA 90089-9601
Email: msalomon@usc.edu
Program Director: Matthew P. Salomon, MS, PhD

keck.usc.edu/translational-biomedical-informatics

Program Summary

The Department of Cancer Biology offeRS a Master of Science (MS) degree in Translational Biomedical Informatics. The program is focused on training students who have strong backgrounds in laboratory-based biomedical and life sciences who seek to develop the bioinformatic skills necessary to analyze large-scale “omics” data in the study of human health and disease. A central focus of the program is the application and analysis of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and other high-throughput molecular assays in the context of biomedical, clinical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical research. Students in the program will gain experience in the analysis and interpretation of large-scale biological datasets, with a particular emphasis being placed on insuring students develop a strong foundation of fundamental skills and competencies that will allow them to be adaptable as new technologies emerge and the field evolves.

Admission

Applicants should have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA 3.0. Applicants should have two semesters/three quarters of General Biology; two semesters/two quarters of General Chemistry, and one semester/one quarter of Statistics.

Applicants must supply a statement of purpose and three letters of recommendation from evaluators qualified to assess their potential for graduate work. Please visit program website for additional information on admission and application procedures.

Advisement

The program recommends that students meet with an academic adviser of the program each semester prior to registration.

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 28 units of graduate level course work is required for graduation.

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Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower

1450 Biggy Street, NRT 2508
Los Angeles, CA 90089-9601
(323) 865-1591
Fax: (323) 442-2490
Email: dtg@usc.edu

Program Director: Tirzah Petta, PhD

keck.usc.edu/cancer-biology/

Keck School of Medicine Department of Cancer Biology offers a Graduate Certificate in Translational Biotechnology. This program combines a unique curriculum and distinctive practical training that exposes students to biotechnology and its applications in translating genomic and molecular insights into developing novel therapies and precision medicine. Drawing strength from the Keck School of Medicine faculty’s education, research, and practice expertise, this program educates students on approaches used in the academic research, biotechnology and medical sciences industries.

Program Summary

The certificate program in Translational Biotechnology is for students or professionals who wish to expand career options in the biotechnology or biomedical sciences industry, but do not wish to pursue a canonical track graduate degree.

Students in this program will augment their current background with additional knowledge of:

• the science of human diseases and their interventions
• the role of biotechnology in developing new therapies and precision medicine
• the scope of issues and decisions faced by collaborating basic and clinical researchers in the bench-to-bedside process
• the regulatory framework that impacts the use of new interventions
• the private and public capital that develop the growing biotechnology and biomedical markets.

The program is ideal for

• Professionals in management, investment, regulatory affairs or law in the biotechnology industry, to extend their knowledge of the science behind this industry, enabling them to make better decisions regarding this rapidly developing technology.
• Current graduate students, to learn translational biotechnology in addition to their own field of concentration.
• Students with a moderate biology background, to extend their course work in biotechnology and therapeutic discovery and development.
• Students interested in doctoral programs or professional degree programs, to build a strong foundation in biotechnology prior to applying to their top programs of study.

Admission

Admission requirements include a minimum GPA of 3.0 and an undergraduate major in biological sciences, or at least six bioscience courses in the molecular, cellular, genetics and biochemistry topics.

Applicants must also supply a statement of purpose and three letters of recommendation from evaluators qualified to assess their potential for graduate-level course work. Please visit the program Website for additional information on admission and application procedures.

Advisement

The program requires that students meet with an academic adviser of the program each semester prior to registration.

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 14 units of course work from Translational Biotechnology curriculum is required for completion of certificate program.

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Keck School of Medicine of USC

Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower

1450 Biggy St. NRT 2508

Los Angeles, CA 90089-9601
(323) 442-3237
Email: tirzah.petta@usc.edu

keck.usc.edu/cancer-biology/
Program Director: Tirzah Petta, PhD

Keck School of Medicine Department of Cancer Biology offers a Master of Science (MS) degree in Translational Biotechnology. This program combines a unique curriculum and distinctive practical training that exposes students to biotechnology and its applications in translating genomic and molecular insights into developing novel therapies and precision medicine. Drawing strength from the Keck School of Medicine faculty’s education, research, and practice expertise, this program educates students on approaches used in the academic research, biotechnology and medical sciences industries.

Program Summary

Students in this program will gain an understanding of:

• the science of human diseases and their interventions
• the role of biotechnology in developing new therapies and precision medicine
• the scope of issues and decisions faced by collaborating basic and clinical researchers in the bench-to-bedside process
• the regulatory framework that impacts the use of new interventions
• the private and public capital that develop the growing biotechnology and biomedical markets.

The program is ideal for those who are passionate about biomedical sciences and would like a career in biotechnology beyond laboratory research.

• Students with a moderate biology background have the opportunity to extend their course work in biotechnology and biological sciences and continue in these fields.
• Students interested in doctoral programs or professional degree programs, such as medical school and law school, will build a strong foundation in biotechnology prior to applying to their top programs of study.

Admission

Admission requirements include a minimum GPA of 3.0 and an undergraduate major in biological sciences, or at least six bioscience courses in the molecular, cellular, genetics and biochemistry topics.

Applicants must supply a statement of purpose and three letters of recommendation from evaluators qualified to assess their potential for graduate work. Please visit program website for additional information on admission and application procedures.

Advisement

The program requires that students meet with an academic adviser of the program each semester prior to registration.

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 28 units of graduate level course work is required for graduation.

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All resident JD, LLM and MCL students will be eligible for this certificate.

To earn a Transnational Law and Business Certificate, students must complete at least 12 units of the mandatory and elective courses outlined in the curriculum.