About the University of Southern California

The University of Southern California (USC) is one of the world's leading private research universities. Established in 1880, it is also one of the oldest. With a strong tradition of integrating liberal and professional education, USC fosters a vibrant culture of public service and encourages students to cross academic as well as geographic boundaries in their pursuit of knowledge.

With 17 graduate and professional schools, offering more than 340 masters, certificate, doctoral and professional degree programs, the number of graduate and professional students exceeded the number of undergraduates in 2009-10 (17,000 undergrads, 18,000 graduate and professional).

The relationship between the individual student and the individual faculty member is the hallmark of a USC education. Other strengths of a USC education include a commitment to breadth with depth, and a faculty of gifted professors and active contributors to what is taught, thought, and practiced throughout the world through research and scholarship.

USC and the MPA program have used the city of Los Angeles as a living laboratory. Because of its size, diversity, demographics, and location, Los Angeles confronts contemporary society's most pressing issues. Students and faculty alike benefit from the resources, facilities, and support of a great education community. The real-world applications can be leveraged throughout communities across the globe.

Graduate students at USC are key members of the university's community of scholars, contributing diverse viewpoints and fresh insights that are poised to make their mark on the theories, systems, inventions, public policy, and creative work of the 21st century.