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USC: THE UNMATCHED LEADER IN ONLINE GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
World-Class Education, Online
80 graduate
degree and certificate programs
and rapidly growing
7,700 students
$110 MILLION IN TOTAL ANNUAL REVENUE
USC’s Online Education Programs POINTS OF DISTINCTION
online MSW at a top-12 school1ST
online MPA at a top-10 school1ST
online gerontology degree1ST
online computer information technology program1No
4,000 partnering institutions participating in USC Rossier School of Education's online MAT program
140
USC’s Distance Education Network (DEN), at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, pioneered the path for online education.
online course offerings each semester through DEN
40 YEARS AGO
TODAY, USC HAS:
FIVE YEARS FROM NOWUSC plans to double online enrollment
online graduate engineering program
TOP RANKED
USC has been connecting remote learners with the university’s dynamic curriculum and stellar faculty since 1972—before the World Wide Web even existed. Today USC still leads in the use of digital and immersive media technologies to enable the brightest students to access the highest level of graduate instruction, no matter where they are.
The total annual revenues for USC’s online professional, graduate and continuing education programs are estimated at $110 million for 2013—a figure unprecedented for a top American research university. Indeed, a number of peer institutions are studying and attempting to duplicate USC’s online education business model, which strategically builds upon the historic role of the traditional university while incorporating the advances made possible by the digital age. USC currently offers 80 programs online to more than 7,700 graduate and executive education students, and these offerings are growing all the time.
Leadership in Online Learning
“ USC has developed an online graduate education enterprise that features academic breadth and economic viability. It is a model that expands educational access globally, while maintaining all-important standards of academic rigor and quality.” C. L. Max Nikias / USC President
Uncompromising Approach
USC’s approach to distance learning remains unique.
At the graduate level, each USC online learning program is developed to meet the specific educational requirements of the academic discipline, the high standards of the university and society’s need for advanced professionals. While all of our online courses offer convenience and flexibility, many courses also integrate virtual discussions with faculty and fellow class- mates in real time.
USC’s approach to distance learning remains unique. While our faculty have eagerly explored and experimented with graduate education models that extend our reach while maintaining the strictest standards and quality of a USC degree, the university is steadfastly committed to ensuring that the distinctive undergraduate educational experience remains centered on our physical campuses. It will be en- hanced by technology but never replaced by it.
“ USC’s online enterprise is the world’s first online education model that is both academically and financially viable.” Warren Bennis / USC University Professor and a renowned expert on
leadership, as quoted in Businessweek
A key tenet of USC’s online learning programs is maintaining the academic rigor, integrity and quality of a USC education.
▪ USC’s focus is on master’s and graduate degree programs, along with executive and continuing education. It is at these levels that top research universities have a meaningful role to play in the online education revolution.
▪ Online programs must preserve academic rigor, integrity and excellence above all other considerations. No two-tier curricular approaches are utilized, and the online courses feature the same high caliber of faculty as the classroom versions. All programs must ensure integrity in testing and learning assessment.
USC’s Online Education StrategyPRINCIPLES AND PRIORITIES
▪ Online degree programs use the same high academic standards USC has always used for admission into on-campus programs and charge the same tuition rates. Other universities are increasingly offering online courses for free, with scant concern for whether enrollees ever complete a course. Our goal, by contrast, is to ensure that the educational experience is reserved for only those students with the requisite interest and ability to meet USC’s high expectations.
▪ While partnering with outside education entities, our faculty and schools retain sole responsibility for ensuring academic quality. External organizations have helped our faculty develop and deliver state-of-the-art,
highly interactive learning experiences that have won praise from our remote students. School and university curriculum faculty committees directly assess the rigor of such programs, as they do with traditional on-campus graduate programs.
▪ USC does not offer online degrees at the undergraduate level. The years between 17 and 22, which coincide with the traditional undergraduate experience, represent a corridor of transformation, where much of a student’s identity and many of her lifelong affiliations are formed. Face-to-face intellectual and creative encounters, inside and outside the classroom, provide the greatest impact.
ImmersionEXPERIENCES IN THE PROFESSIONS, CONCENTRATED COHORTS
A FEW EXAMPLES:
For professional degrees where a field placement, a short-term residency or a hands-on practicum is either required or beneficial, USC has established innovative experiential programs and partnerships across the nation to support students in broadening their skills and knowledge.
▪ Master of Arts in Teaching online program
candidates can be placed in more than 4,000
schools within 1,500 school districts to complete
their 20 weeks of student teaching.
▪ As part of the MSW@USC program, the Master of
Social Work staff finds field internships for all students
in their local communities, all over the U.S.
▪ Students in the Master of Academic Medicine
program spend seven days together each spring,
while Master of Public Health students complete
a capstone practicum in the field.
▪ Executive Master of Health Administration
candidates participate in two weeklong in-residence
programs during which they interact with each other
and with national healthcare leaders.
▪ USC’s Geographic Information Science and
Technology (GIST) program requires students to
complete fieldwork. Candidates come to the USC
Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on
Catalina Island for a weeklong experiential program,
offered nine times during the year.
7 AMCalifornia
EDUCATION WITHOUT BORDERS, IN REAL TIME
The Global Classroom
“ Having been a national leader in distance learning (DEN@Viterbi) for the past 40 years—from television to satellite to Internet delivery—we are now reimagining the classroom itself through iPodia.” Yannis C. Yortsos / Dean, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
4 PMGermany
5 PMIsrael
8:30 PMIndia
11 PMChina
11 PMTaiwan
12 PMKorea
Ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the top ranked online programs in both graduate engineering and computer information technology, USC Viterbi enables working engineers to meet their educational goals from anywhere in the world. Launched in 1972 to support the needs of both government and industry, the Distance Education Network (DEN@Viterbi) helped pioneer the concept of distance learning. Today, DEN@Viterbi defines the vanguard of technology and educational excellence, offering more than 40 master’s degree programs as well as numerous graduate certificates and noncredit
courses for professional advancement, all taught by Viterbi’s award-winning faculty.
The Viterbi School continues to innovate through iPodia™, its patented educational system promoting peer-to-peer interactions across disciplinary, institutional, physical and cultural boundaries. Using immersive videoconferencing, students from select engineering schools around the world create a “classroom without borders” that meets in real time to focus on solving problems in a global context. Partners in iPodia’s network already include: • Peking University • The Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology • National Taiwan University • The Indian Institute of Technology • The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology • Germany’s RWTH Aachen University
More schools are joining the network in places like
Brazil, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.
EDUCATION WITHOUT BORDERS, IN REAL TIME
Ranked among the top 20 graduate schools of education by U.S. News and World Report, the USC Rossier School of Education features the nation’s fastest-growing online teacher preparation program. USC Rossier combines face-to-face class sessions, self-paced coursework and field-based teaching assignments to foster a truly collaborative and engaging online learning experience for teachers across the country and around the world.
The need for more and better-qualified teachers has never been greater. USC Rossier’s online programs further the school’s mission of improving learning in urban schools locally, nationally and globally by increasing the number of well-prepared teachers and giving them the support they need to succeed.
In addition to providing intimate, interactive instruction, the school pairs students with K-12 classrooms wherever they live. From their first day in the program, these students gain direct teaching experience in local classrooms. They film their teaching experiences and then review the videos with their classmates and instructor online. Even after they graduate, our alumni continue to be connected with USC Rossier and with each other through the USC network.
Transforming Teaching
“ Gone are the days when students need to crisscross a college campus to receive the highest quality education. Online technology is at the precipice of providing unprecedented, widespread access to quality higher education.” Karen Simms Gallagher / Dean, USC Rossier School of Education
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and SciencesMaster of Science in Geographic Information Science and Technology Master of Science in Applied Psychology
Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science and Technology
USC Marshall School of BusinessMaster of Business Taxation
Master of Management in Library and Information Science
Master of Science in Global Supply Chain Management
USC Annenberg School for Communication and JournalismMaster of Communication Management
Ostrow School of Dentistry of USCMaster of Science in Geriatric Dentistry
Master of Science in Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine
USC Rossier School of EducationMaster of Arts in Teaching
Master of Arts in Teaching—Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Master of Education in Advanced Instruction
Master of Education in School Leadership Global Executive Doctorate of Education
USC’s Online Degree Programs USC PLANS TO DOUBLE ONLINE ENROLLMENT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS
USC Viterbi School of EngineeringMaster of Science in Aerospace and Mechanical EngineeringAerospace Engineering
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics)
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (Dynamics and Control)
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering (Energy Conversion)
Mechanical Engineering (Nuclear Power)
Product Development Engineering
Master of Science in Astronautical EngineeringGraduate Certificate in Astronautical Engineering
Master of Science in Biomedical EngineeringBiomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering (Medical Imaging and Imaging Informatics)
Medical Device and Diagnostic Imaging
Master of Science in Chemical, Materials and Petroleum Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Materials EngineeringPetroleum Engineering
Petroleum Engineering (Geoscience Technologies)
Petroleum Engineering (Smart Oilfield Technologies)
Graduate Certificate in Smart Oilfield Technologies
Master of Science in Civil and Environmental EngineeringCivil Engineering (Construction Engineering)
Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering)
Civil Engineering (Transportation Systems)
Civil Engineering (Water and Waste Management)
Construction Management
Environmental Engineering
Master of Science in Computer ScienceComputer Science
Computer Science (Computer Security)
Computer Science (Multimedia and Creative Technologies)
Computer Science (Software Engineering)
Graduate Certificate in Software Architecture
Master of Science in Electrical EngineeringComputer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering (Computer Networks)
Electrical Engineering (Electric Power)
Electrical Engineering (Multimedia and Creative Technologies)
Electrical Engineering (Telecommunications)
Electrical Engineering (VLSI Design)
Master of Science in Financial Engineering
Master of Science in Green Technologies
Master of Science in Industrial and Systems EngineeringEngineering Management
Health Systems Management Engineering
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Operations Research Engineering
Systems Architecting and Engineering
Product Development Engineering
Graduate Certificate in Network Centric Systems
Graduate Certificate in Systems Architecting and Engineering
USC Davis School of GerontologyMaster of Aging Services Management
Master of Arts in Gerontology
Master of Long Term Care Administration
Master of Science in Gerontology
Graduate Certificate in Gerontology
Keck School of Medicine of USCMaster of Academic Medicine Master of Public Health
USC School of PharmacyMaster in Regulatory Science
Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research Design and Management
Graduate Certificate in Food Safety
Graduate Certificate in Patient and Product Safety
Graduate Certificate in Preclinical Drug Development
Graduate Certificate in Regulatory and Clinical Affairs
USC Price School of Public PolicyMaster of Public Administration
Executive Master of Health Administration
USC School of Social WorkMaster of Social Work Plus specialized programs in Community Organization, Planning and Administration; Families and Children; Health; Mental Health; Military Social Work and Veteran Services; School Settings; and Social Work and Business in a Global Society
All USC schools will offer graduate degree or professional certificate online courses within the next five years.
“ Our online degree programs are thriving. They are held to USC’s highest standards. We think of them as part of our programs, not a separate set of online programs.” Elizabeth Garrett / USC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
For more information about USC’s online education programs, please contact us at: phone: 213.821.5699 | email: [email protected] | web: online.usc.edu
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