Curriculum
Each student builds a program of study with faculty academic advisers, drawing on earlier academic and work experience in order to achieve desired professional goals.
Residence
Students may pursue the Master of Communication Management on either a full- or part-time basis. Full-time, the degree can be finished in one year and four months (across four terms, including the summer session); part-time, all coursework can be finished in two to three years. With permission from a School of Communication committee, a maximum of 4 graduate units may be transferred from another accredited institution.
Foreign Language Requirement
There are no foreign language requirements for this degree.
Course Requirements
Thirty-two units in approved graduate-level coursework are required.
Students will take a required 4-unit research methods course in their first semester. In their second semester, students will take a required 4-unit core conceptual foundation course. During their course of study, students take 4 units from a list of approved theory-practice integration courses.
A maximum of two courses may be taken in the first semester. In the second and subsequent semesters, with approval from the director of the Master of Communication management program, students may take up to three courses.
Among the remaining courses, at least 12 units must be from Communication Management elective areas of focus. Up to 8 may be taken at USC outside the Communication Management program; these courses must be approved by the director of the Master of Communication Management program, and may be selected from a variety of disciplines, depending upon academic and career interests.
Any given course may be taken at most three times, after which the student is no longer eligible to take the course.
Additional Requirements
All master’s degree candidates in the Annenberg School of Communication are required to complete the Managing Complexity in Diverse Organizations training during their enrollment at USC. This non-credit, professional skills training is offered online by USC Annenberg every fall, spring and summer term and is designed to foster students’ ability to create, sustain and thrive within diverse work environments. Modules include: fostering connection and inclusive cultures; managing implicit biases and power; understanding the impact of technology on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA); creating representative and inclusive content; and developing habits and strategies to effect lasting change. To learn more about this training please visit our website.
This page is based on the current 2023-2024 USC Catalogue. The 2024-2025 USC Catalogue will be published in summer 2024.