Graduate Education at USC 1. The University 2. Being a faculty member 3. Being a student

USC is a large institution Students: ~16,000 undergraduates ~14,000 graduate / professional school students Faculty: ~2,900 full-time faculty ~1,400 part-time faculty

Academic Units: USC College of Letters, Art and Sciences 17 Professional Schools (e.g. Law, Business, Engineering) The Graduate School

Graduate and Professional Education at USC Approximately 14,000 students seeking post-baccalaureate degrees 2,600 professional degree students (Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy) 2,600 professional degree students (Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy) 7,300 Master’s degree students 7,300 Master’s degree students 2,900 Ph.D. students 2,900 Ph.D. students 900 other doctoral students (Ed.D, DPT, DMA, DPA, etc.) 900 other doctoral students (Ed.D, DPT, DMA, DPA, etc.)

USC Ph.D. Programs Business 1 Business 1 Cinema-TV 1 Cinema-TV 1 Communication 1 Communication 1 Dentistry 2 Dentistry 2 Education 2 (1) Education 2 (1) Engineering 12 Engineering 12 Gerontology 1 Gerontology 1 IHP 3 IHP 3 College 37 (29) College 37 (29) Medicine 10 Medicine 10 Music 1 Music 1 Pharmacy 3 Pharmacy 3 PPD 2 PPD 2 Social Work 1 Social Work 1 TOTAL77 (68)

USC College - Graduate Education Students   1,100 full-time graduate students   conducting research leading to a Ph.D. in 21-degree programs   programs across a spectrum of disciplines, including natural, physical and social sciences, and the humanities   ~40% of USC doctoral students are enrolled in the College Faculty >450 faculty teach in 26 academic departments

Importance of Ph.D. Education Prepares scientists, engineers and social scientists to lead the nation’s research and development Prepares scientists, engineers and social scientists to lead the nation’s research and development Educates scholars in the arts and humanities who preserve and enlarge our understanding of human values, creativity and culture Educates scholars in the arts and humanities who preserve and enlarge our understanding of human values, creativity and culture Develops scholars in all fields who become faculties of the nation’s colleges and universities Develops scholars in all fields who become faculties of the nation’s colleges and universities

The Graduate Education Initiative Focus on Ph.D. Programs Focus on Ph.D. Programs Goal: increased quality and prestige of selected programs Goal: increased quality and prestige of selected programs - Assess strengths and weaknesses - Selective investment in high-priority programs - Competitive levels of support - Fellowships and assistantships - Goal of $100 million endowment - Immediate “virtual endowment”

Making a Ph.D. Program Great: Alignment of Goals and Resources World-Class Faculty World-Class Faculty - Current Faculty - Faculty Recruitment - Cross-School Collaboration State-of-the-Art Infrastructure State-of-the-Art Infrastructure - Space - Equipment - Libraries - Instructional Technology The Best and Brightest Students The Best and Brightest Students - active recruitment, student by student - competitive levels of financial support - scholarship and professional development - quality of life

It’s Still About People

Graduate Education - from the Graduate Education - from the faculty perspective faculty perspective 1. Mentor and educate bright, motivated people 2. Build a learning environment 3. Learn as much - or more - from students

Graduate Education - from the student perspective student perspective 1. To learn from and train with some of the world’s top scholars 2. Develop new skills and capabilities 3. Learn from your student colleagues

Earning a graduate degree What does it take? Initiative, creativity and persistence Initiative, creativity and persistence Individual performance in the completion of original research

Why USC? World class research World class research Exciting, creative institution in Los Angeles Pacific Rim Global connections