Consumer Behavior Minor

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Return to: USC Marshall School of Business

Consumer behavior studies inform decision makers in the business, government and non-profit sectors on how consumer decisions, preferences, activities and other behaviors are influenced by factors such as culture, subculture, demographics, sensation, thinking, conscious and unconscious information processing, knowledge organization, beliefs, interpersonal communication, learning from experience and values. This is an interdisciplinary field, drawing on such disciplines as marketing, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, linguistics, ethnic studies, gender studies, geography, history, cognitive science and communications to understand the experiences of contemporary consumers across the world.

To enroll in this minor, students must have completed a minimum of 32 units of college-level courses and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75.

Requirements

This minor requires 18-20 units.

MKT 450 Consumer Behavior and Marketing Units: 4
PSYC 100Lg Introduction to Psychology Units: 4

Complete at least 10 units consisting of at least three courses from the list below subject to the following constraints:

A minimum of 18 units (including MKT 450 and PSYC 100 ) must be unique to the minor (i.e., not be countable toward requirements for the major). This does not include any prerequisites for courses listed.
At least 16 units of all courses taken for the minor are not offered by the student’s major department. For Business Administration and Accounting majors, courses with prefixes of BUAD and MKT are considered to be offered by the student’s major department.
No more than two of the courses chosen from the list below may be offered by the same department.
At least one of the courses chosen below has a prefix other than COMM, MKT and BUAD.
Courses taken at institutions other than USC (i.e., International Exchange programs and transfer credits) cannot substitute for any of the minor requirements.

Comparative Literature

Communication

COMM 302 Persuasion Units: 4
COMM 340 The Cultures of New Media Units: 4 *
COMM 384 Interpreting Popular Culture Units: 4
COMM 396 Fashion, Media and Culture Units: 4 **

Computer Science

CSCI 109 Introduction to Computer Science Units: 2
CSCI 110 Introduction to Digital Logic Units: 3
CSCI 270 Introduction to Algorithms and Theory of Computing Units: 4 *
CSCI 360 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Units: 4 *

Economics

ECON 340 Economics of Less Developed Countries Units: 4 *
ECON 346 Economics of Transition and Development: China Units: 4 *
ECON 405 Neuroeconomics Units: 4 *
ECON 415 Behavioral Economics Units: 4 *
ECON 420 Experimental Economics Units: 4 *
ECON 432 Economics of Happiness Units: 4 *

English

ENGL 392 Visual and Popular Culture Units: 4

History

HIST 380 American Popular Culture Units: 4

Marketing

MKT 385x Marketing of Creative Disruption and Innovation Units: 4
MKT 402 Research Skills for Marketing Insights Units: 4 *
MKT 405 Advertising and Promotion Management Units: 4 *
MKT 410 Professional Selling Units: 4 *
MKT 465 Global Marketing Management Units: 4 *

Policy, Planning, and Development

PPD 245g The Urban Context for Policy and Planning Units: 4

Psychology

PSYC 240gx Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning in Health Care Units: 4
PSYC 355 Social Psychology Units: 4 *
PSYC 422 Human Judgment and Decision Making Units: 4 *
PSYC 451 Formation and Change of Attitudes Units: 4 * **
PSYC 454 Social Cognition Units: 4 * **
PSYC 456 Conservation Psychology Units: 4 *

Sociology

SOCI 155gm Immigrant America Units: 4
SOCI 210g Science, Technology, and Social Conflict Units: 4
SOCI 242g Sociology, Demography, and Health Units: 4
SOCI 305m Sociology of Childhood Units: 4
SOCI 331 Cities Units: 4 **

Total requirements: at least five courses: 18-20 units

Notes:

^* Prerequisites required

** Courses not offered regularly

(Prerequisites will not be waived for upper-division courses; students must complete the prerequisite courses needed in addition to the courses for this minor.)