Graduate Certificate in Technology Commercialization

Non-USC Students

For early registration:
- February 1 for fall semester
- September 1 for spring semester
- January 1 for summer term

Final Deadline for non-USC students:
- May 15 for fall semester (April 1 for international students)
- November 1 for spring semester (October 1 for international students)
- March 15 for summer term (February 15 for international students)

International applicants (who are not enrolled in another program at USC) who wish to come to the U.S. to complete this program only must complete the full program in no more than two semesters

Current USC Students
Application deadlines are rolling for current USC students.

We suggest students apply for the term in which they will take their first course for the certificate program. If you’ve already completed units toward the certificate program as part of your MBA or MS degree, you may apply to the next available term. Be sure to carefully read “Combining your current USC program with the graduate certificate” if you are nearing graduation from your primary USC degree.

Each September, applications for the following Spring, Summer and Fall terms are launched. If you don’t see the term for which you wish to apply, try back in September.

A complete application includes the following:

- Completed on-line application

- Responses to several short-answer questions

- Resume

- An essay of no more than 500 words explaining why you want a Graduate Certificate in Technology Commercialization

- A nonrefundable application fee (waived for current USC students, USC staff, and USC alumni)

- One official transcript from the registrar of each college or university attended. If all college or postgraduate work has not been completed, transcripts must be sent again when work in progress is completed and the degree is posted. Transcripts written in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified English translation. Transcripts submitted with prior applications to USC may be on file, in which case they will not need to be resubmitted.

To ensure adequate time to receive an admission decision, it is important to send completed application materials well in advance of the semester for which the applicant wishes to register.

Students must provide proof of proficiency in English if they did not spend four years completing a bachelor's degree at a college or university in the United States, Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Applicants must provide scores for the official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL; Educational Testing Service's TOEFL school code for USC is 4852), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Pearson Test of English (PTE).

To avoid delays in application processing, applicants registering for the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE exams should specify in advance that scores will be sent to the Marshall School. Applicants may also upload copies of TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores with the application, but these unofficial copies are a supplement to, not a substitute for, the official scores provided by the testing services. An official score report must be forwarded to USC by the testing agency. TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years.

For additional information, visit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) at TOEFL, International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at IELTS and Pearson Test of English (PTE) at PTE.

For International students who did not complete a four-year bachelor's degree at an American, British, Canadian or Australian college or university, proof of proficiency in English is required for admission. We accept the following test scores, as long as they are not more than 2 years old:

- The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a score of at least 600 on the paper-based test, 250 on the computer-based version, or 100 on the Internet-based examination with no less than 20 on each of the four test components.

- The PTE (Pearson Test of English - Academic) with a minimum score of 70

- The IELTS with a score of 7, with no less than 6 on each band score.

Applications to the Graduate Certificate are submitted on-line via gradadm.usc.edu/apply/. International applicants should also consult the instructions for international students published in the USC Graduate Admissions web site.

Note: Satisfaction of minimum conditions for application does not guarantee admission. In their review of applications, the admissions committee members consider the applicant's completed academic work, evidence of potential business leadership, motivation, work experience, and competitiveness within the current applicant pool.

REQUIRED COURSES (6 UNITS)

BAEP-556 Technology Feasibility (3 Fa)
BAEP-557 Technology Commercialization (3 Sp)

ELECTIVE COURSES (6 UNITS)

BAEP-553 Cases in New Venture Management (3 FaSpSu)
BAEP-554 Venture Initiation (3 Sp)
BAEP-555 Founders Dilemmas: Anticipate and Avoid Startup Pitfalls (3 Sp)
BAEP-559 Investing in New Ventures (3 FaSp)
BAEP-561 Entrepreneurship in Innovative Industries: Life Sciences (1.5 Sp)
BAEP 562 Entrepreneurship in eCommerce (1.5 Sp)
BAEP-563 Corporate Entrepreneurship (3 Fa)
BAEP 575 Entrepreneurship in the Media and Entertainment Industry (1.5 Sp)
ISE-515 Engineering Project Management (3 FaSpSu)
ISE-555 Invention and Technology Development (3 Sp)
ISE-585 Strategic Management of Technology (3 Sp)
MOR-561 Strategies in High-Tech Businesses (not currently offered)
MOR-564 Strategic Innovation: Creating New Markets, Business Models and Growth (3 Sp)

Applying TCCM courses to other degree programs

For current USC graduate students, courses credited to the Graduate Certificate in Technology Commercialization may be completed in conjunction with course work required for the program in which the student is already enrolled. Applicability of TC courses to the student's primary degree program is determined by the student's home department. For USC alumni, courses completed in conjunction with the individual's prior degree may not be credited toward the certificate. An appropriate substitution for one of the three required courses may be allowed, subject to approval and documentation by by the program director prior to enrollment in the substitute course. Alumni who have applied more than one of the required courses to a prior degree will not be able to complete the certificate program.

Note to MBA students

The following policy potentially impacts the application of ISE courses to the TCCM certificate.

Nine-unit Limit

Students earning the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree are expected to complete their graduate electives within the Marshall School of Business by taking courses that begin with prefixes ACCT, BAEP, BUCO, FBE, GSBA, IOM, MKT, and MOR. Unless the student is completing a dual degree program, up to nine units of graduate-level course work may be completed at USC outside the Marshall School of Business for elective credit, providing the courses chosen are listed in the Marshall Elective Course Guide (ECG). A student may take courses published in the ECG without petitioning, but the total number of ECG-listed non-business units completed without prior permission may not exceed nine (9) units. A student who wishes to have either (a) more than 9 non-Marshall units or (b) a non-Marshall course that is not listed in the ECG applied to the MBA must request permission and receive approval to do so prior to taking the course. A request for an exception must be submitted via petition (Marshall General Petition Form) to the student's MBA program office.