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#Academic Experience

The Three Cs

Core Curriculum

The USC Marshall core curriculum offers myriad opportunities to personalize the Full-Time MBA experience while ensuring the discipline-base depth required in today’s complex business arena. With the exception of GSBA 580/PRIME offered during spring semester, students complete the required core curriculum by the end of fall semester.

Orientation

Before fall semester classes begin, MBA students participate in a mandatory one-week MBA Orientation program. Non-US citizens have a mandatory two-week Orientation program (International MBA Student Orientation, plus the MBA Orientation). During Orientation, students identify their communication and leadership styles, and develop their interpersonal and team effectiveness while collaborating with their new core classmates and study groups. The week includes classroom discussions, outdoor team building exercises and a case competition.

Foundational Courses

Divided into three terms, fall semester courses ground students in business fundamentals. By the end of the semester, students will have taken classes in accounting, corporate finance, management communication, marketing, microeconomics, operations, organizational behavior, statistics and strategy.

Elective Classes

USC Marshall offers students many opportunities to apply classroom learning to real world scenarios.

The Seminar for Applied Portfolio Management Student Investment Fund (SIF) Program is a one-year commitment consisting of two three-unit courses. In these classes students learn the theory and practice of investment management through a merging of financial analysis, portfolio management and the actual management of the Student Investment Fund. Each year interested Marshall graduate students apply to be part of the course and 16 students are selected to manage approximately $5 million in four equity and one fixed-income portfolios, each with a unique investment discipline.

Sponsored by the USC Marshall Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab (BSEL), the MBA Society and Business Fellowship Program is a highly selective, year-long opportunity for the small cadre of MBA and MBA.PM students who are seeking a business degree in order to pursue careers in poverty alleviation, including homelessness, education, and global health.

Independent Projects

Upon completion of the core curriculum, second year MBA students in good standing (minimum 3.0 GPA) may apply to complete an independent research project. The independent project option allows students to pursue research in specific areas of interest that may not be covered in other course offerings. Independent projects include Field Research in Business, Independent Research in Business, Research Practicum in Business and Consulting Project in Business. Students working on independent projects work one-on-one with their supervising faculty member to design and execute their research plan.

Elective Classes

MBA students may select as many as four elective classes during spring semester of their first year. This provides students the opportunity to take classes that they feel will prepare them to be successful in their summer internship. Students may choose to take additional elective classes during the summer in lieu of an internship.

The second-year of the MBA program is intended to be customized to suit student’s interests and career goals. The remaining required units can be earned by:

• Taking elective coursework - Marshall offers close to 100 elective courses for MBA students in any given year;
• Designing an individualized program of study that cuts across several functional areas*;
• Completing an independent study project*; and/or
• Selecting courses from other graduate schools within the university*- students may take up to nine elective units at another USC graduate school

*Available to second year MBA students who have completed all core curriculum and are in good standing (minimum 3.0 GPA)

Students are eligible to select from a wide range of graduate elective courses offered by the USC Marshall Academic Units which include:

View the University Catalogue for an overview of courses. The Marshall Graduate Elective Course Guide is a tool students can use to determine which electives align with their career path. Please note course offerings are not guaranteed and students should consult the Schedule of Classes for courses offered during any given term.

Featured Elective Courses

Negotiation and Deal Making

The purpose of this course is to understand the theory and processes of negotiation as it is practiced in a variety of settings. The course is designed to be relevant to the broad spectrum of negotiation problems that managers face. Considerable emphasis is placed on simulations, role-playing and case studies.

Strategy and Operations through CFO Lens

“The electives offered, in addition to Core, allowed me to tailor my education toward the industry and job I was looking for. Being able to do so helped me to speak with companies and interview for job positions easier. Having the knowledge gained from these classes helped me to easily transition back into the professional world.”