USC
University of Southern California
black horizontal bar for print styles

Master's Degree Programs

Master of Science

The Master of Science in Business Administration (M.S.) is designed to provide those who have already completed an M.B.A. with an opportunity to pursue further study in an area of specialization. The degree is available only to those holding M.B.A. degrees from American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited institutions. It may be completed on either a full- or part-time basis. Classes applicable to the degree are offered during both daytime and evening hours.

Admission

Successful applicants should have earned a GPA of 3.4 or greater in their M.B.A. course work.

Applicants currently enrolled in M.B.A. programs at USC must submit a letter of recommendation from their respective program office along with a modified version of the application package required for the full-time M.B.A. program.

Applicants who completed the M.B.A. at an institution other than USC must submit all application documentation required for the full-time M.B.A. program.

For admission information contact the Marshall M.B.A. Admission Office in Popovich (JKP) Hall, room 308; (213) 740-7846; Fax (213) 749-8520; www.marshall.usc.edu. Apply online at www.marshall.usc.edu/admissions.

Program Structure and Unit Requirements

Once the applicant has selected an area of specialization, he or she selects a faculty advisor from among the faculty of the Marshall School of Business.

Together the student and the faculty advisor determine which courses the student must complete. An evaluation of work previously completed determines if prior work needs updating to prepare for new course work. If it is determined that preliminary courses are needed, the number of units needed to complete the master of science degree will increase. The student’s program is then documented on an official program of study and filed with the M.S.B.A. program advisor.

Completion of the master of science degree requires a minimum of 26 graduate units for all candidates -- up to 24 units of course work in the area of specialization and a minimum of 2 units of Directed Research.

None of the GSBA prefixed classes required for completion of a Marshall M.B.A. program may be applied toward the Master of Science in Business Administration unless they are required to update prior work and are added to the 26-unit total.

No more than two courses or 8 units may be taken in graduate course work outside the Marshall School of Business.

Because the Master of Science degree program leads to greater specialization, a minimum of two units of Directed Research must be included in the proposed program. The Directed Research project is intended to provide a capstone experience culminating in a research report in the area of specialization. The research will be conducted under the direction of an individual faculty member from the department in which the area of specialization is taken.