General Information
NFT Maps: 11,12 & 40
Mailing Address: University Park Campus
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Location: University Park, b/w Figueroa St,
Exposition Park, Vermont Ave & Jefferson Blvd
Phone: 213-740-2311
Website: www.usc.edu
Overview
The University of Southern California opened its doors with 53 students in 1880, when the city of Los Angeles was still in its frontier, beta version. Four years later, three of the original 53—one woman, two men—became the first class to graduate from the private school. Enrollment has since jumped to more than 33,000, and the school now straddles two main campuses.
The University Park Campus, home to USC’s College of Letters, Arts & Sciences and 15 professional schools, is located three miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Seven miles from the University Park Campus, the 50-acre Health Sciences Campus houses the medical and pharmaceutical schools, as well as programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and nursing. A shuttle bus runs between the two campuses approximately every hour throughout the week.
USC’s film school boasts an impressive pedigree. Its founding faculty included Douglas Fairbanks and D. W. Griffith, and it has churned out equally famous alumni, including George Lucas and Robert Zemeckis. USC rejected filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s application (oops!); he has since sucked up his pride and now sits on the USC Board of Trustees. At least one USC alumnus has been nominated for an Academy Award every year since 1973. Talk about hegemony.
Tuition
For the 2013-14 academic year, annual undergraduate tuition and fees will, based on 12-18 units for two semesters, total in excess of $45K. Add in room, board, books, supplies, transportation, and the rest, and your education will approach $62K per year.
Parking
Parking on campus costs $7. There are also a smattering of one-hour metered parking spaces available, and a couple of lots inside campus offer two-hour parking for $4. Four-hour and two-hour metered parking is available on Figueroa Street and Jefferson Boulevard. $3- to $5-a-day lots are available Monday through Friday across the street from the campus on Figueroa Street (next to the Sizzler restaurant) and on Jefferson Boulevard (next to the Shrine Auditorium). Parking rates for these lots may vary for special events. Daily rates for parking are $5 in the Parking Center and $8 in all other structures/lots; hourly parking spots are also up for grabs right in front of the Vermont Avenue Parking Plaza (aka PSA).
Culture on Campus
USC hosts a plethora of academic and arts events, from concerts and theater performances to exhibits and public lectures. Many events are inexpensive (if not free) and can be found on the USC website at www.usc.edu/calendar. Throughout the academic year, USC’s prestigious Thornton School of Music, USC Fisher Gallery, and the KUSC classical radio station are among the many campus cultural institutions that stage full schedules of arts-related events. For a schedule of performances by the Thornton’s symphony, chamber orchestra, wind ensemble, and choir, check out www.usc.edu/music. The USC orchestra also performs regularly at Disney Hall, home of the LA Philharmonic. (Frank Gehry, the architect of the famous performance hall, was a USC man himself!)
Sports
USC’s top-ten nationally ranked teams include men’s water polo, women’s water polo, women’s swimming, and women’s golf. The USC Trojan football team was the back-to-back 2003 and 2004 National Championship winner and played for the 2005 National Championship, but to the cheer of a particular Westwood rival, lost to the Texas Longhorns at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, despite having two Heisman trophy winners—Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart—on board. For up-to-date information, scores, and schedules, check out the official athletics website at www.usctrojans.com. For tickets, call 213-740-4672.
Department Contact Information
Admissions .......... 213-740-1111
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences .......... 213-740-2531
Leventhal School of Accounting .......... 213-740-4838
School of Architecture .......... 213-740-2723
Marshall School of Business .......... 213-740-6422
School of Cinematic Arts .......... 213-740-2804
Annenberg School for Communication .......... 213-740-6180
School of Dentistry .......... 213-740-2800
Rossier School of Education .......... 213-740-0224
Viterbi School of Engineering .......... 213-740-4530
School of Fine Arts .......... 213-740-2787
Leonard Davis School of Gerontology .......... 213-740-6060
Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy .......... 323-442-2850
Department of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy .......... 332-442-2900
The Law School .......... 213-740-7331
Keck School of Medicine .......... 323-442-1900
Thornton School of Music .......... 213-740-6935
School of Pharmacy .......... 323-442-1369
School of Policy, Planning & Development .......... 213-740-6842
School of Social Work .......... 213-740-2711
School of Theatre .......... 213-821-2744