Univ of Southern California
University of Southern California
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Dual Degree

Master of Arts, Art and Curatorial Practices in the Public Sphere/Master of Planning

The Master of Arts, Art and Curatorial Practices in the Public Sphere/Master of Planning dual degree program offers an unusually rich opportunity for students interested in developing a new knowledge base to become successful professionals working in the arena of organizing art projects in urban public space, planning and community development. Los Angeles and the facilities at USC provide a unique learning laboratory to educate a more competitive professional with a better understanding of both the administration of public art and issues of urban planning.

Students must complete the following requirements in this program: 70 units, including 28 units in the Master of Arts, Art and Curatorial Practices in the Public Sphere program, 22 in policy, planning, and development, and 20 in a field of study with no more than 8 units taken from other USC programs.

Master of arts, Art and Curatorial Practices in the Public Sphere (28 units)Units
PAS 549Methodologies of Art Writing3
PAS 555abcCuratorial Practicum2-2-2
PAS 561Curatorial/Organizational Models2
PAS 571Histories of Art in the Public Sphere3
PAS 572Contemporary Art in the Public Sphere3
PAS 581Critical Conversations3
PAS 585Theorizing the Public Realm3
PAS 591Field Internship Experience1
PAS 594abMaster’s Thesis2-2

Policy, Planning, and Development (22 units)Units
PPD 500Intersectoral Leadership2
PPD 501aEconomics for Policy, Planning and Development2
PPD 524Planning Theory2
PPD 525Statistics and Arguing from Data2
PPD 526Comparative International Development2
PPD 529Legal Environment of Planning2
PPD 531LPlanning Studio4
PPD 533Planning History and Urban Form2
PPD 627*Design Skills for Urban Planners4

Note: 2-unit courses may be offered in seven-and-a-half week blocks.

*PPD 627 is the methodology course for the Preservation and Design of the Built Environment concentration. Students who choose to do a concentration other than Preservation and Design of the Built Environment need to take the respective methodology course.

Dual degree students, like all other M.Pl. students, must take a comprehensive examination and fulfill the internship requirement.

Field of Study (20 units)
No more than 8 units from outside the Roski School of Fine Arts and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The M.Pl. program requires students to declare their concentration during the fall semester prior to taking the comprehensive examination in the spring semester. Students are required to complete the gateway course and methodology course related to their concentration as part of their preparation for their comprehensive examination. The student’s concentration must contain a 4-unit methodology course, a 4-unit gateway course and 8 other units directly concerned with the subject matter of the concentration.

Capstone Projects
Students must complete a master’s thesis or final thesis project through the Roski School of Fine Arts and the M.Pl. comprehensive examination through the School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

Internship
All students must complete 400 hours of internship through the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. This internship may be partially or completely fulfilled through prior professional experience.