Welcome to University of Southern California

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Welcome! / International Plaza at USC

Tour stop audio transcript

Welcome to the University of Southern California! Minutes from Downtown LA, USC's International Plaza is the heart of the University Park Campus, providing student services and gathering spaces across two structures.

- The Ronald Tutor Campus Center houses our Alumni Association, meeting spaces for student organizations, the First Generation Plus Success Center, quick-service eateries, and the Admission Center, where visitors meet for on-campus tours.

- The Gwynn Wilson Student Union is home to the Career Center, the USC Sustainability Hub, and Student Equity and Inclusion Centers such as the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs and other spaces for historically marginalized students.

If this is your first visit, here are some tips to help you get started:

- Click on the forward-facing arrow to start walking ahead or select the "Next" button to jump to the next destination.

- If you already know where you want to go, simply select that location from the list on the sidebar or click directly on the map below.

- Remember that you can explore each destination in more detail by clicking on the interactive icons included throughout each location.

Michelson Hall

Tour stop audio transcript

The largest academic building on the University Park Campus, Michelson Hall houses the Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, which has laid the foundation for collaboration between the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. This 190,000-square-foot research facility includes state-of-the-art flexible and open-shared laboratories, as well as interactive collaboration areas and seminar rooms with movable walls. It's also home to the Bridge Institute, which synthesizes specialized knowledge across a range of fields to achieve radical progress in improving the human condition. It also supports the Bridge Undergraduate Research Science Program (BUGS) for USC students and BUGS Jr. for high school students in the Los Angeles area.

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Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Tour stop audio transcript

The Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Center for International and Public Affairs is the meeting place for several social sciences classes within the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, which currently offers more than 160 undergraduate majors and minors. Students of International Relations and Political Science frequent The Center's Library for International and Public Affairs. Dornsife's humanities and natural sciences courses meet primarily in Mudd Hall and SGM, respectively.

Viterbi School of Engineering

Tour stop audio transcript

On the southwest side of campus, you will find Ronald Tutor Hall and many other buildings associated with the Viterbi School of Engineering. In addition to housing state-of-the-art classrooms and research facilities, Tutor Hall fosters community through the spacious Baum Family Student Center lounge and a popular café. Viterbi offers more than 30 undergraduate major options across 10 disciplines. Popular resources for Viterbi students include the Viterbi Academic Resource Center (VARC) and the Center for Engineering Diversity. Opening in 2024, the Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall will focus on advancing computer science's role in improving society by way of artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and more.

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Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation

Tour stop audio transcript

Iovine and Young Hall opened in 2019 to maximize collaboration and the unrestricted flow of ideas for students in the Academy's Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation program. This specialized program provides in-depth learning in four areas: the arts and design; engineering and computer science; business and venture management; and communication. Among the many resources in the building are a multimedia lab for photo, video, audio and motion capture; a fabrication lab for metal, wood, plastics and electronics; a rapid prototyping lab, including extensive 3D printing and laser-cutting options; and a second-floor outdoor lounge with views of Exposition Park and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

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Marshall School of Business

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Fertitta Hall is the newest building for undergraduate students in the Marshall School of Business. Fertitta comprises 20 classrooms, 50 state-of-the-art breakout rooms, a lounge, a café and outdoor seating. Marshall's prestigious faculty, its location in Los Angeles, and USC's access to an active alumni network make this program one of the leading business schools in the nation. Fertitta Hall is also home to the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, which provides top students, alumni, faculty, and staff entrepreneurs the resources to do more, faster. First-year undergraduate applicants to Marshall can pursue majors in Business Administration, Accounting, Artificial Intelligence for Business, Business of Cinematic Arts, Real Estate Development and Finance, or the World Bachelor in Business program.

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Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Tour stop audio transcript

As the newest addition to the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the 88,000-square-foot Wallis Annenberg Hall is a mash-up of tradition and technological innovation. Students and staff in the Journalism, Communication, and Public Relations and Advertising programs enjoy access to Annenberg Hall's converged media center and classrooms for multimedia content creation, in addition to its café and numerous meeting areas. From the main entrance you can see the three-story media wall and gathering space for studying, events, and keeping up with breaking news. The building's exterior is a blend of Romanesque and neo-Gothic elements.

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USC School of Cinematic Arts

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USC alumnus George Lucas spearheaded the construction of these state-of-the-art facilities for the School of Cinematic Arts, which include classrooms, sound stages, post-production facilities, editing labs, screening rooms and administrative spaces. Cinema students have enough resources available to them to produce a feature-length film without ever having to leave campus. The School of Cinematic Arts offers undergraduate, master's degree and doctoral programs in seven academic divisions that span film, TV, interactive media, games, and critical studies. Inside, you'll also find one of the USC community's quick-service coffee shops.

Queens Courtyard

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Queens Courtyard is central to three of USC's six arts schools. The School of Dramatic Arts' Bing Theater seats 550, making it the largest of the school's four theatre performance spaces. The Thornton School of Music's Ramo Hall and The Music Complex house classrooms and sound-proof practice rooms for students in its conservatory-style teaching programs, which produce more than 500 concerts every year. The School of Cinematic Arts' Norris Theater hosts the popular Theatrical Film Symposium course and provides free, on-campus film screenings for all USC students. Norris Theater is equipped with a THX sound system, which was developed by USC faculty member and Academy Award-winner Tomlinson Holman.

Roski School of Art and Design and USC School of Architecture

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Harris Hall at the Roski School of Art and Design serves students pursuing a flexible Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art, an intensive Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Fine Arts, or Design. In addition to challenging themselves in a rigorous academic program, students at Roski have interned at a wide variety of companies and institutions including ABC, Sony Pictures and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Located in Watt Hall, the School of Architecture offers four- and five-year programs and is the oldest of its kind in Southern California. Its distinguished alumni include Pritzker Prize winners Thom Mayne and Frank Gehry, as well as renowned African American architect Paul Williams.

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Exposition Boulevard and Los Angeles

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On football gamedays, you can find USC students making the traditional walk down Trousdale Parkway to USC's southern edge at Exposition Boulevard, where they continue on to Exposition Park to cheer on the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Expo Park is also home to the Natural History Museum, the California African American Museum, the California Science Center, and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which is set to open in 2025, to name a few. In recent years, Exposition Boulevard has been a true gateway to the city of Los Angeles, thanks to the Metro E Line connecting USC students to Downtown LA, the beaches, Hollywood, and the culturally rich neighborhoods of the region.

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Housing and Dining

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USC offers three types of residential housing: residence halls, suites and apartments. Several Living Learning Communities, which bring together students with similar backgrounds and interests, are also available: Latinx, Women in Science & Engineering, Somerville Place, APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) Leadership, Rainbow LGBTQ+, and Sustainable Living. Roommates can be randomly assigned or requested.

Campus dining includes many quick-service restaurants and three large dining halls specializing in different types of cuisine. Everybody's Kitchen is known for its comfort food, while Parkside International Residential Café provides a more global selection. Located in the USC Village, McCarthy Dining Hall features stunning Collegiate Gothic architecture and includes the university's first Flexitarian Station and plant-based station. Various meal plans are available to support all eating preferences.

Leavey Library and McCarthy Quad

Tour stop audio transcript

One of USC's 23 libraries, Leavey offers computers, printing stations and soundproof rooms to facilitate study and research. During certain times of the year, Leavey Library remains open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to accommodate every student's busy schedule.

McCarthy Quad serves as the hub of student life, especially for first-year students. Surrounding the Quad are several of USC's residence halls. Nearly all first-year students are housed in residential colleges with faculty in residence. Each Wednesday throughout the school year, the Quad hosts a bustling farmers market, where students, staff and visitors can find fresh produce, in addition to a variety of locally sourced foods.

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Doheny Memorial Library and Alumni Park

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As the oldest research library on the USC campus, Doheny Memorial Library comprises nine separate floors and has served as an intellectual center and cultural treasure for generations of students, faculty and staff since it opened in 1932. Included in Doheny are the Cinematic Arts Library, East Asian Library, Music Library and Special Collections. Doheny also boasts impressive architectural features such as marble pillars and a study room known as the Los Angeles Times Reference Room. Students, staff and visitors can find indoor and outdoor seating areas and a peaceful place for study or conversation in Doheny's quaint coffee shop, LiteraTea. Doheny Library overlooks Alumni Park, which hosts many special events throughout the year, including Convocation and Commencement.

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Trojan Athletics

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The offices for Trojan Athletics coaches and administration can be found in Heritage Hall, which boasts a beautiful display of USC's seven Heisman Trophies, numerous national championship awards, and other prestigious athletic accolades. Other facilities for student athletes include McKay Center, McAlister Field, Galen Center, football practice fields and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where home football games are played. The nearby Allyson Felix Field, named for USC Olympian Allyson Felix, is home to the men's and women's track and field teams, in addition to providing a playing field for a wide array of club and intramural sports. The five obelisks in the northeast corner of Allyson Felix Field celebrate USC's strong Olympic tradition.

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Recreation Centers and Gyms

Tour stop audio transcript

The Lyon Recreation Center serves as the main hub for Recreational Sports, supporting departmental operations and housing many of the staff offices. Located adjacent to the Uytengsu Aquatics Center, the Lyon Center is one of two campus gyms and offers a wide array of programming and services, various specialized fitness areas, indoor athletic courts, and an assorted collection of cardio and strength equipment. The nearby Engemann Student Health Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, provides a broad array of physical and mental health services.

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Alumni House

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Upon USC's founding in 1880, the Alumni House (California Historical Landmark #536) stood as the university's first and only building, accommodating 53 students and 10 faculty members. Since 1880, the Alumni House has been moved four times. It served as headquarters for the Alumni Association from 1976 until 2010, when the Association moved to the Tutor Campus Center. Supporting more than 100 affiliated alumni organizations, including regional, alumnae, generational, affinity, and school-based groups and industry networks, the Alumni Association comprises more than 450,000 Trojans worldwide. Today, the Alumni House is home to a collection of annual USC yearbooks.

Trousdale Parkway

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On a typical day at USC, Trousdale Parkway is bustling with activity. As the main thoroughfare on campus, Trousdale has become a center of student activity and the location of key events such as the Undergraduate Research Symposium, the Involvement Fair, and the Internship Fair, to name just a few. There are roughly 1,000 recognized student organizations at USC, such as Troy Camp, one of USC's oldest clubs, which serves K-12 students in the LA area. There are also two large, all-university career fairs a year, during which current students can search for internships and full-time employment opportunities.

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Bovard Auditorium

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The second oldest concert hall in Los Angeles, Bovard Auditorium seats nearly 1,250 people. Throughout the year, the auditorium hosts special events, speakers and performances through our Visions and Voices arts and humanities series. Past participants have included authors Isabel Allende and David Sedaris, the Diavolo dance company, and the world's most acclaimed tap dancer, Savion Glover. Additionally, John Williams once conducted a performance of several film scores in this auditorium. Bovard also houses the offices of the university president, provost and other members of the senior administration.

Tommy Trojan

Tour stop audio transcript

Originally called the Trojan Shrine, this statue was installed in 1930 to commemorate USC's 50th anniversary. Tommy Trojan is a true symbol of USC—on the statue's pedestal are the five ideal attributes of a Trojan: faithful, scholarly, skillful, courageous and ambitious. These traits distinguish USC graduates in Los Angeles and around the globe. Tommy Trojan is the central gathering place for many informal and formal events, from weekday concerts to the annual "Tommy Watch" each football season, during which the Trojan Knights stand guard around this campus symbol. We hope to see you posing with Tommy soon!

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