University of Southern California
Academics
How strong are the academics at University of Southern California?
Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.
Class Sizes
Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.
USC has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.
Honors Programs
University of Southern California has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.
Learn more about honors options on USC's website.
Outcomes
It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at University of Southern California:
Majors
Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are University of Southern California's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:
The Full List
- Real Estate Development 95
- Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology 65
- Architecture 14
- American/United States Studies/Civilization 4
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 4
- African-American/Black Studies 3
- East Asian Studies 2
- Area Studies, Other 2
- Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 2
- Near and Middle Eastern Studies 1
- Asian-American Studies 1
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General 68
- Neuroscience 64
- Biochemistry 29
- Computational Biology 18
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other 16
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Other 15
- Biophysics 2
- Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other 2
- Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology 1
- Biotechnology 1
- Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography 1
- Management Science 1221
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric 260
- Journalism 89
- Public Relations/Image Management 75
- Computer Science 305
- Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation 36
- Informatics 12
- Mechanical Engineering 101
- Industrial Engineering 71
- Electrical and Computer Engineering 59
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General 55
- Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 52
- Chemical Engineering 41
- Computer Engineering, General 34
- Structural Engineering 16
- Civil Engineering, General 11
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering 6
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 6
- Water Resources Engineering 1
- Engineering-Related Fields, Other 29
- Creative Writing 39
- English Language and Literature, General 15
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 16
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 16
- French Language and Literature 12
- Spanish Language and Literature 9
- Linguistics 6
- Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other 6
- Comparative Literature 3
- Italian Language and Literature 2
- Russian Language and Literature 1
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
- Behavioral Aspects of Health 66
- International Public Health/International Health 43
- Occupational Therapy/Therapist 10
- HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS 5
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 5
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 5
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 1
- History, Other 45
- History, General 27
- Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism 21
- Computational and Applied Mathematics 70
- Financial Mathematics 53
- Mathematics, General 13
- Human Biology 235
- Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 47
- Cognitive Science, General 43
- Gerontology 19
- International/Globalization Studies 8
- Environmental Science 27
- Environmental Studies 17
- Philosophy, Other 53
- Philosophy 13
- Religion/Religious Studies 4
- Physics, General 17
- Chemistry, General 13
- Astronomy 4
- Psychology, General 173
- Public Policy Analysis, General 41
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 159
- International Relations and Affairs 132
- Political Science and Government, General 109
- Sociology, General 61
- Geographic Information Science and Cartography 18
- Social Sciences, General 16
- Political Economy 14
- Urban Studies/Affairs 14
- Anthropology, General 8
- Archeology 8
- Cinematography and Film/Video Production 93
- Music Management 79
- Film/Cinema/Media Studies 73
- Acting 48
- Design and Visual Communications, General 47
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 46
- Digital Arts 36
- Fine/Studio Arts, General 26
- Playwriting and Screenwriting 25
- Game and Interactive Media Design 19
- Dance, General 18
- Art/Art Studies, General 14
- Music Performance, General 14
- Jazz/Jazz Studies 14
- Art History, Criticism and Conservation 13
- Musical Theatre 11
- Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology 9
- Music, General 6
- Voice and Opera 6
- Stringed Instruments 6
- Music, Other 6
- Music Theory and Composition 5
- Keyboard Instruments 5
- Visual and Performing Arts, General 3
- Percussion Instruments 3
- Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other 2
- Brass Instruments 2
- Woodwind Instruments 2
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