Today, roughly 4,800 persons from around the world are enrolled in accredited USC online master's degree programs that span nine different USC schools. Altogether, USC's online education programs reach 5,500 remote students through graduate-level degree programs and executive and continuing education programs. USC faculty have embraced the potential of online graduate education and have
eagerly explored and experimented with models that can engage learners and spark powerful
ideas, fresh insights, and new knowledge. As we continue to implement our economically viable
online education model that was developed a few years ago, we expect to double our enrollment
and degree offerings within the next five years.
The "online degree programs" will use USC's normal admissions standards and charge
regular tuition rates. Other universities are increasingly offering online courses for free, with
scant concern for whether enrollees ever complete a course. Our goal, by contrast, is to ensure
that the educational experience is reserved for only those students with the requisite interest and
ability to meet our faculty's high expectations. Every remote student seeking to pursue a degree
program must meet the regular admissions criteria of the USC School offering the diploma. In
addition, there shall be a careful monitoring of student progress.
USC will not offer online degrees at the undergraduate level. This university does
not intend to join the growing ranks of institutions that seek to franchise undergraduate education
through the Internet or through smaller satellite campuses abroad. The years between 17 and 22,
which coincide with the traditional undergraduate experience, represent a corridor of
transformation, one in which much of a student's identity and many of her lifelong affiliations
are formed. Face-to-face intellectual and creative encounters, inside and outside the classroom,
create the greatest impact. This immersive, undergraduate approach is performed best on a broad
and comprehensive research university campus such as ours, where knowledge is continually
created, tested, and challenged within a dynamic residential community. Technology will
enhance, but not replace, the traditional campus undergraduate educational experience.
USC Rossier's Master of Arts inTeaching online program, which received the 2011 International Award for Innovative Practices in Higher Education in Washington, D. C., successfully places some 90 percent of its graduates inmeaningful employment positions or advanced study. Spouses of military service-members areexpressing gratitude for the ability to pursue quality graduate education in social work despitethe prospect of frequent relocation.
About 200 persons have signed up for the special health insurance program we established last year for remote students. Online and hybrid program students are creating their own USC student organizations, affiliating with on-campus organizations, and even trying out for the Trojan Marching Band. In addition, hundreds of online students and their families now proudly participate in our spring commencement ceremonies.They are becoming, in all respects, full and valued members of the Trojan Family.
If you are interested in these programs, contact the university. or look on line at www.usc.edu
