Product Management Graduate Certificate

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The Graduate Certificate in Product Management supports USC graduate students in expanding their knowledge of Product Management through skills, theory and practice.

The certificate is interdisciplinary, drawing on and integrating courses from various departments within the Marshall School of Business and the Viterbi School of Engineering.

The required courses help students gain a deeper understanding of Product Management and provide essential live project experience that is key to finding employment in the field.

Electives are designed to cover three key areas essential for success in the field of Product Management: Leadership/Stakeholder Management, Advanced Product Sense/ Product Discovery, and Functions skills including Data Analytics, Coding, and UX Design.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must satisfy the standard Marshall graduate admission requirements. A few years of work experience is preferred, but not required.

Application Procedure

Prospective applicants may apply for admission to the program in the fall, spring, or summer.

For information regarding how to apply, visit students.marshall.usc.edu/graduate-certificate-admissions-usc-students.

Degree Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Product Management requires 12 units that include required course work and electives. The program may be completed on a full-time or part-time basis.

Required Courses

MKT 530 New Product Development Units: 3
MOR 530 Strategic Leadership in Product Management Units: 3
MOR 531 Applied Product Management Units: 3
Note: Students with prior product management experience may petition to replace MOR 531 with an elective.

Electives - Select from the following to total at least 12 units.

BAEP 552 Venture Feasibility Units: 3 or
BAEP 556 Technology Feasibility Units: 3
BAEP 554 Venture Initiation Units: 3
BAEP 555 Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipate and Avoid Startup Pitfalls Units: 3
BAEP 557 Technology Commercialization Units: 3
DSO 531 Digital Foundations for Business Innovation Units: 1.5
DSO 545 Statistical Computing and Data Visualization Units: 1.5, 3
DSO 547 Spreadsheet Modeling for Business Insights Units: 3
DSO 551 Digital Transformation in the Global Enterprise Units: 3
DSO 552 SQL Databases for Business Analysts Units: 1.5, 3
DSO 556 Business Models for Digital Platforms Units: 3
DSO 559 Introduction to Python for Business Analytics Units: 3
DSO 569 Deep Learning for Business Applications Units: 1.5 *
DSO 574 Using Big Data: Challenges and Opportunities Units: 3
DSO 580 Project Management Units: 3 or
ISE 515 Engineering Project Management Units: 4
ISE 506 Lean Operations Units: 4
ISE 527 Quality Management for Engineers Units: 4
ISE 545 Technology Development and Implementation Units: 3
MKT 543 Market Demand and Sales Forecasting Units: 3 *
MKT 551 From Strategy to Execution: User Experience (UX) and Design Units: 3
MKT 556 Digital Marketing Strategy Units: 3 *
MKT 566 Decision Making Using Marketing Analytics Units: 3
MKT 567 Marketing Metrics for Business Decisions Units: 3
MOR 558 Technology Strategy in the Age of AI Units: 3 or
ISE 585 Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation Units: 4
MOR 562 Strategic Choice and Valuation Analysis Units: 3
MOR 567 Interpersonal Influence and Power Units: 3
MOR 569 Negotiation and Deal-Making Units: 3
MOR 570 Leading Effective Teams Units: 3 or
ISE 544 Leading and Managing Engineering Teams Units: 4
* Requires a prerequisite not included in the curriculum of this program.

Notes:

For current USC graduate students, courses credited to the Graduate Certificate in Product Management may be completed in conjunction with course work required for the program in which the student is already enrolled. Applicability of these courses to the student’s primary degree program is determined by the student’s home department. Current MBA students may apply all 12 units of the graduate certificate program to their MBA degree.

For USC alumni, courses completed in conjunction with the individual’s prior degree may not be credited toward the certificate. Appropriate substitutions for required courses will be determined and documented by the program director.

Successful completion of the program is documented on the student’s transcript and acknowledged with a certificate (diploma) awarded by the university.

For additional information, visit marshall.usc.edu/PDMT.

Return to: USC Marshall School of Business