Requirements & Resources
Program Requirements
All USC Ph.D. students admitted to the Diploma in Innovation program will be required to register in GRSC 791a and b: Directed Study leading to the Diploma in Innovation. Registration in these courses is free for USC Ph.D. students. 791a will meet every two weeks in the fall semester and 791b will meet every two weeks in the spring semester. Outside of class the faculty mentor will monitor the team’s progress and help the team set realistic and achievable goals. At the end of GRSC 791b the team will present their work to a committee of faculty which will determine if the project qualifies the USC Ph.D. student(s) involved to receive the USC Diploma in Innovation. Receipt of the Diploma in Innovation is separate from receipt of an innovation grant and is judged on the overall quality of the product each team produces upon completion of the program.
Innovation Resources
Throughout the program team members will participate in a series of seminars focused on various topics related to innovation such as creative thinking, the process of innovation, methods of collaboration, marketing, intellectual property law, social entrepreneurship, and other issues that may be of use to teams as they pursue their projects. These seminars will fit within the larger culture of innovation at USC working with partners in innovation including the Stevens Institute for Innovation, the Annenberg Innovation Lab and HTE@USC to support groundbreaking thinking and scholarship across the University.
There are many academic and institutional resources at USC that are dedicated to the pursuit of innovative scholarship. Team members may wish to seek the support and advice of one or more USC centers and organizations devoted to furthering innovation, some of which are listed on the Innovation @ USC page.