U.S. Media Studies Program At Annenberg

Qualified university students from around the world will have the opportunity to spend a semester or year studying at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The US Media Studies Program at Annenberg (USMSPA) for international, non-degree seeking students. Students admitted to this program will take a majority of their coursework in Annenberg courses focusing on communication, journalism, and/or public relations. 

A limited number of accepted students will have the opportunity to enroll in 12-16 units at USC. Participants will have full access to USC services such as: an Annenberg academic adviser to guide them through their course selection process, USC Libraries, USC Annenberg's Media Center, USC extracurricular activities, and exceptional courses.  Admitted students will be guaranteed off-campus apartments run by USC Housing.

Admission Requirements:
• Pre-approval from home university
• 3.0 University GPA or equivalent 
• Reading, writing, speaking and listening proficiency in English. USC courses require an advanced level of English. Specifically, applicants whose native language is not English: minimum score of 100 on TOEFL (with at least 20 in each section) or a 6.5 on the IELTS. Applicants who do not meet proficiency in all four English language skill sets (reading, writing, speaking, listening) will be denied admission.
• Funding requirement: Over 51% of funding must come from source other than personal funding

Application details: 
• Fall semester and year-long applications will be available in mid-January and due in March.  Spring semester applications will be available in July and due in mid-September.*
• Contents of application: personal information; passport photo; 500-word essay; documentation of English proficiency (if applicable); home university pre-approval form; official transcript from home university (hard copy); 1-page resume.
• All students, regardless of their native language, will be interviewed via Zoom as part of the application/admission process.

*Please email ascintl@usc.edu for the link to the online application and for the mailing address where you will designate your official university transcript to be sent.

Course details: 
• Students will earn a maximum of 16 USC units per semester, which is the equivalent of 4 units per course. Students will enroll in 12-16 units per semester. 
• Students are REQUIRED to take a minimum of THREE Annenberg courses (12 units). Please note that not all Annenberg courses are available to USMSPA students.  
• All course offers can be found in the Schedule of Classes on the USC website. (http://web-app.usc.edu/soc/) All course descriptions can be found in the USC Catalogue. (http://catalogue.usc.edu/)  
• Students may not pursue internships for pay or credit in the United States per U.S. immigration laws and Annenberg International Programs.

Cost of attendance and living at USC (based on 2024-2025 academic year):

• USC flat-rate tuition per semester: $34,952
• USC mandatory fees: $872
• USC student health insurance: ~$1,063 (Fall) $1,977 (Spring)
• USC housing: ~$6,135
• Books, transportation, all personal expenses: ~$5,000
TOTAL (per semester): ~$48,936

Any questions regarding the US Media Studies Program at Annenberg should be emailed to Annenberg International Programs at ascintl@usc.edu.