Business Research (MS)

The Master of Science in Business Research is an alternative available only to Marshall PhD students.

Admission

Marshall does not accept applications for admission to this program. A student admitted to the Marshall PhD program may later request conversion or be invited by the faculty to complete the master’s degree in lieu of the PhD. Requests for conversion are subject to approval by the Marshall vice dean who oversees the PhD program.

For more information, contact the PhD program office for a referral to the MSBR adviser.

Program Requirements

The degree requires a minimum of 30 graduate units for all candidates.

Upon admission to the PhD program, the student works with a faculty adviser who oversees the selection of course work, taking into account the student’s prior academic preparation. The curriculum requires completion of PhD program core courses focusing on research methods and theory in an area of specialization. Methods course work completed at USC must include at least one course in microeconomics or behavioral science, one course in statistics and one course in research design. Additional courses are drawn from the Marshall School of Business and other participating departments including economics, psychology, mathematics, sociology, engineering, communication and others.

No courses numbered lower than 500 may be applied in this program. All courses applied to the degree must be letter-graded and completed in residence at USC. No transfer units or graduate units from a degree previously completed at USC can be applied to the MS in Business Research.