A Progressive Degree is a highly individualized program that allows USC undergraduate students to begin work on a master’s degree while completing the requirements for the bachelor’s degree. Pursuing a progressive degree can deepen your education and prepare you for a career in as little as two semesters. Progressive Degree students can begin graduate-level courses during their senior year and complete an undergraduate and master’s degree in five years. Students may also waive eligible courses in the master’s degree program to further reduce time-to-degree and overall cost.

MAPP Program Course Plan

PDP Eligibility

  • Units Required
  • When to apply
  • Degree Conditions
  • Course Requirement

Units Required

Applicants to the progressive degree program may apply once they have at least 64 units of undergraduate coursework completed, excluding AP, IB, or transfer units earned prior to graduation from high school.

MAPP requires all applicants to have completed a minimum of 25 units of upper-division courses.

When to apply

MAPP only admits PDP students for the fall term. The application cycle for fall 2026 begins in September 2025.

Degree Conditions

Progressive degree students are classified as undergraduate students until they attain one of the following conditions, whichever comes first: Up to and including the semester they completed 144 units AND Their first bachelor’s degree is conferred; OR They receive a research or teaching assistant award

Course Requirement

Prospective progressive degree students should have completed a statistics course, Writing 340,  and have completed a minimum of 25 upper-division credits before applying.

Admission Requirement

MAPP accepts admissions only for the fall semester. Applicants are encouraged to plan accordingly, as there are no spring or summer intake periods.

Fall 2025 deadline is April 15, 2026.

Application Requirement

Before applying, prospective PDP students must:

  1. Meet with your undergraduate advisor to review Degree Progress and USC PDP eligibility.
  2. Request an advising appointment with a MAPP admissions counselor.
  3. Meet with a MAPP admissions counselor to discuss eligibility and next steps.

If approved to move forward with the application process, the following items are required:

  1. USC PDP Application, completed and signed by all required parties.
  2. Three letters of recommendation (at least one must be from a USC professor).
  3. Professional resume.
  4. Personal statement addressing the following:
    1. How do your background, experiences, and interests lead you to apply psychology in organizations for the benefit of consumers or employees?
    2. Why do you believe the USC MAPP program will help you achieve your career goals?

Approval

Admission requires approval from the program/department chair and the dean of the student’s undergraduate major, and by the program/department chair and the dean of the master’s degree program at USC. The completed application form must show all signatures required for approval.

Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. All applicants to MAPP’s Progressive Degree Program are evaluated through the same comprehensive review process as our traditional graduate applicant pool.

MAPP PDP Requirements

MAPP PDP is a hybrid program, where students may be required to take some courses in person or online. Students must have completed all the following requirements to begin the application process:

Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. All applicants to MAPP’s Progressive Degree Program are evaluated through the same comprehensive review process as our traditional graduate applicant pool.

GPA

An undergraduate’s GPA must be 3.4 or higher to be considered

Advising Appointment

Prospective students must meet with the MAPP admissions counsellor before applying to this program.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required

Unit Requirement

34 units are required to graduate. Up to 2 courses (8 units) may be waived at the discretion of the program director.