The Progressive Degree Program (PDP) allows USC undergraduate students to accelerate the completion of a USC Master’s degree. For full details about PDP requirements and Financial Aid Eligibility, visit USC’s Progressive Degree Program website.

If you have any questions, feel free to email the PDP advisor, Susan Vaswani (sath@usc.edu).

View this recording of the PDP Info Session for more information about the program requirements, eligibility requirements, application process, etc. Note: The speaker incorrectly said “one-third of 31 units would be 21” when they meant to say “two-thirds of 31 units would be 21″ like the slide shows.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Minimum Cumulative USC GPA of 3.5
  • Math 407, Math 408, and Math 425a completed by the time of application
  • Can finish undergraduate degree requirements in 3 years, or 3.5 years if applicant has two majors or a minor
  • At least 64 total units of undergraduate college course work, excluding any AP, IB or transfer units earned prior to graduation from high school

Students must meet the requirements listed above to be eligible to apply for this PDP. Please note that meeting these standards does not guarantee admission.

Degree Requirements

Students are required to complete a minimum  of 31 units of course work. Out of the 31 units, a maximum of 10 units can be changed to undergraduate credit. To graduate, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in the graduate credit applied to the PDP. The 31 units consists of:

Required Core Courses (6 courses, 18 units)

Mathematics and Mathematical Finance
COURSE COURSE TITLE UNITS
MATH530a Stochastic Calculus and Mathematical Finance
3
MATH530b Stochastic Calculus and Mathematical Finance
3
MATH 512* Financial Informatics and Simulation
3
MATH 590 Directed Research
1
*MATH 512 should be taken after MATH 530a as it requires knowledge from this course
Financial Economics and Econometrics:
ECON 515 Time Series Analysis
4
ECON 577 Foundations of Financial Economics
4

Elective Courses (4 courses, 13-14 units)

Select one elective from each category. The 4th elective can be chosen from any of the three categories, or can be another course in the FBE, ECON, or MATH department, subject to the approval of the program directors.
COURSE COURSE TITLE UNITS
Computational and Empirical Finance (must take 1 course from this category)*:
FBE 551 Quantitative Investing
3
FBE 555* Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
3
FBE 559 Managements of Financial Risk
3
* FBE 555 Highly Recommended
Statistics or Numerical/Optimization/Other Methods (Must take at least 1 course from either topic)
Statistics
MATH541a Introduction to Mathematical Statistics
3
MATH541b Introduction to Mathematical Statistics
3
MATH 547 Mathematical Foundations of Statistical Learning Theory
3
MATH 550 Statistical Consulting & Data Analysis
3
PM 511a Data Analysis
4
PM 511b Data Analysis
4
Numerical/Optimization/Other Methods
MATH 501 Numerical Analysis and Computation
3
MATH502a Numerical Analysis
3
MATH 502b Numerical Analysis
MATH 548 Machine Learning in Quantitative Finance
3
MATH 585 Mathematical Theory of Optimal Control
3
Financial Economics (Must take at least 1 course)
ECON 504 Game Theory with Economic and Financial Applications
4
ECON 508 Neurofinance
4
ECON 514 Empirical Finance
4
ECON 555 Topics in Asset Pricing Theory
4
ECON 570 Big Data Econometrics
4
ECON 652 Economics of Financial Markets II
4
ECON 659 Economics of Financial Markets I
4

Students are required to satisfy a summative experience for degree completion. This will be in the form of registration in one unit of Math 590 Directed Research with a final summative report at the end of the term. Topics of research will be determined by the Program Director. For students who obtain an internship, Math 590 can be replaced with Math 596 if approved by the program directors.

Sample Course Plans

The following course plans below provide examples of how to complete the PDP in 3-4 semesters. Your actual course plan may differ depending on your remaining undergraduate degree requirements and how many graduate courses you can include in your schedule per semester.

We do not recommend taking more than 2-3 graduate-level courses in one semester.

  • Fall Semester #1

    Math 530a (only offered in Fall) – 3 units
    Econ 577 – 3 units
    FBE Elective- 3 units

    Total Units: 9

    Spring Semester #2

    Math 530b (only offered in Spring) – 3 units
    Econ elective – 4 units
    Math Elective – 4 units
    Total Units: 11

    Fall Semester #3

    Econ 515  – 4 units
    Math 512 – 3 units
    ECON, FBE, or Math Elective – 3 units
    Math 590 – 1 unit
    Total Units: 11

  • Spring Semester 1

    Math Elective – 3 units
    FBE Elective – 3 units
    Econ 577 – 4 units
    Total Units: 10

    Fall Semester 2

    Math 530a (only offered in fall) – 3 units
    Math 512 – 3 units
    ECON, FBE, or Math Elective – 3 units
    Total Units: 9

    Spring: Third Semester

    Math 530b (only offered in spring) – 3 units
    Econ 515 – 4 units
    Econ Elective – 4 units
    Math 590 – 1 unit
    Total Units: 12

     

Steps to Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

  1. Fill out the PDP application form with your remaining undergraduate degree requirements and PDP requirements. Courses that fulfill your undergraduate degree requirements should have an X or check mark for “UG” = undergraduate credit. Courses that fulfill your PDP degree requirements should have an X or check mark for “GR” = graduate credit. A course cannot be marked for both UG and GR credit.
  2. Send the completed form to the PDP advisor and undergraduate advisor(s) for review. If no corrections need to be made to the PDP course plan, advisors will sign the form. If corrections need to be made, advisors will discuss changes with you via email or during a scheduled meeting.
  3. Ask professors to send a letter of recommendation to the PDP advisor. Two letters of recommendation from professors are required for applicants with a cumulative GPA below 3.5. One letter of recommendation is required for applicants with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
  4. Once all application materials are submitted, you will receive admission results within 2 weeks.