Immersive education
Maymester Programs: Career Exploration
The USC Annenberg Regional Maymester programs provide undergraduate students from across USC Annenberg disciplines — communication, journalism, and public relations — with high-level exposure to the media, entertainment and tech industries of San Francisco and New York City. The programs successfully launched in 2015 with visits to top media companies from the fields of journalism, sports, nonprofit, entertainment and more.
The program begins with study and preparation in Los Angeles and then approximately two weeks of supervised meetings, presentations, immersive experiences, and dialogue with senior representatives from a diverse array of prominent companies in each city.
The goal of the program is to expose students to unique learning environments of these major centers of industry, and to provide an integrated immersive learning experience. By participating, USC Annenberg students see the inner workings of organizations and industries from a unique vantage point, and also learn from their hosts, senior executives, and professionals in the field.
Sports Maymester
The USC Annenberg Los Angeles Sports Maymester program provides undergraduate and graduate students from across USC Annenberg disciplines — communication, journalism, advertising, and public relations — a high-level view of the convergence and disruption taking place in the sports media and business industries. With 11 professional sports teams, the second-biggest media market in the country, and a vibrant recreational athletics and fitness culture, Los Angeles is one of the great sports capitals of the world.
In an intense, one-week, one-credit course students explore the vast array of professional opportunities in sports and sports media industries here in Los Angeles. Students are introduced to a range of professional environments, functions, activities and challenges related to the growth of sports business and sports media. In site visits and meetings with industry professionals, students examine the distinct culture, dynamics, and operations of a variety of businesses in the field, from the perspective of those involved with branding, advertising, and multimedia content creation, as well as with athlete representation, professional sports events production and management of professional teams.
Through the unique lens of USC Annenberg’s Maymester program, a sports partnership will enhance students’ understanding of the array of career possibilities in sports and sports media.
M{2e} @ Work Maymester
In this unique experiential educational opportunity, students visit a variety of companies and businesses at the forefront of Los Angeles’ unrivaled media, entertainment, and technology hub. Through courses, research, and collaboration with firms at the vanguard of this new wave of disruption and consolidation, students receive an immersive view of industrial transformation that inspires them to innovate and lead.
Students in this program have the opportunity to directly engage in small group settings with key industry players from across the spectrum of companies that are vying for audience attention — and redefining intellectual property rights and monetization — in this fully interactive arena.
During a week-long slate of sessions, students learn from senior executives who are shaping the all-purpose and bespoke digital sectors that they will soon enter. The program also provides an opportunity for executives to meet and engage with USC Annenberg students through evening dinners and networking activities.