Marshall School of Business
Master’s Degree and Graduate Certificate Programs
Graduate Certificate in Management Studies
The Graduate Certificate in Management Studies is designed to provide those who have already completed the equivalent of the first year of a traditional two-year MBA with an opportunity to pursue further study in an area of specialization currently available to Marshall graduate students.
Completion of the Graduate Certificate in Management Studies requires a minimum of 12 graduate units for all candidates — usually four, 3-unit courses.
The certificate may be completed on either a full- or part-time basis. Classes applicable to the certificate are offered during both daytime and evening hours.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit the Graduate Certificate in Management Studies Website at marshall.usc.edu/gcms for more information about this very flexible curriculum. Applicants interested in accounting or taxation should consider applying for admission to the Master of Accounting or the Master of Business Taxation program offered by the USC Leventhal School of Accounting. Information about the areas of concentration offered to Marshall graduate students is available at marshall.usc.edu/ecg.
Admission Requirements
Applicants may apply for admission to begin the program in the summer term or the fall or spring semesters. Application deadlines vary by semester, citizenship and registration goals. Details are available under the Calendar tab at marshall.usc.edu/gcms.
The equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree is required for admission. Additionally, applicants must have completed the equivalent of the first year of a traditional two-year MBA accredited by the AACSB, EQUIS, ACBSP, AOCTE. IACBE or AMBA. Successful applicants should have earned a GPA of 3.3 or greater in their graduate business course work and scored at least as well as an average Marshall MBA student on the GMAT.
Application Procedure
Submit an online application through the Marshall School of Business Admissions Website (app.applyyourself.com/?id=USC-MBA). International applicants are advised to see the instructions for international students published in the USC Graduate Admissions Application (usc.edu/admission/graduate/international/application.html).
For additional information, visit marshall.usc.edu/gcms.
Program Structure and Unit Requirements
Applicants are urged to consider areas of specialization available to Marshall graduate students published at marshall.usc.edu/ecg. The applicant is asked to identify areas of interest as part of the application process, but is free to choose course work from the full range of graduate electives offered by Marshall.
An evaluation of work previously completed determines if specific content areas are missing. If it is determined that preliminary courses are needed, the number of units needed to complete the Graduate Certificate in Management Studies certificate will increase.
Completion of the Graduate Certificate in Management Studies certificate requires a minimum of 12 graduate units for all candidates.
None of the GSBA-prefixed classes required for completion of a Marshall MBA program may be applied toward the certificate unless they are required to update prior work and are added to the 12-unit total.
No courses numbered lower than 500 may be included in this program. All courses applied toward the certificate must be taken within the Marshall School of Business. Acceptable course prefixes include ACCT, BAEP, BUCO, FBE, GSBA, IOM or DSO, MKT and MOR.
Successful completion of the program is acknowledged by a certificate awarded by the university.