The following courses are open to all USC students as electives or as part of a music minor. While many electives don’t require musical experience, special departmental clearance is required for classes that include a “D” in their 5-digit section number.
We also encourage you to explore our General Education (GE) courses, which will fulfill GE-A, GE-G, and/or GE-H requirements for USC undergraduates.
For more information, contact the Thornton Student Affairs office: TMC 200 • Phone: (213) 740-4721 • thornton.studentaffairs@usc.edu
Please note: This list is not comprehensive; contact Thornton Student Affairs for more course offerings. Many of these courses are not available for credit for music majors.
Music History and Culture
| MUJZ 588 Special Studies* | 2 units |
| MUSC 102gw World Music | 4 units |
| MUSC 115gp Western Music as Sounding History | 4 units |
| MUSC 200gw The Broadway Musical: Reflections of American Diversity | 4 units |
| MUSC 210g Electronic Music and Dance Culture | 4 units |
| MUSC 250gw The Music of Black Americans | 4 units |
| MUSC 320gw Hip Hop Music and Culture | 4 units |
| MUSC 373g Writing About Popular Music | 4 units |
| MUSC 422 The Beatles: Their Music and Their Times | 4 units |
| MUSC 423 Classic Rock: Popular Music of the Sixties and Seventies | 2 units |
| MUSC 424 Iconic Figures of Popular Music | 2 units |
| MUSC 460 Film Music: History and Function from 1930 to the Present | 4 units |
| MUSC 465 Music, Television and American Culture | 4 units |
| MUSC 499 Special Topics** | 4 units |
*Restricted to graduate students.
**New topics are offered semi-regularly. Check the Schedule of Classes for offerings for particular semesters.
Instrumental and Vocal Classes
| MPPM 120 Popular Music Performance | 2 units |
| MPGU 120abcd Beginning Pop/Rock Guitar | 2 units |
| MPGU 121 Intensive Beginning Pop/Rock Guitar | 4 units |
| MPGU 125 Beginning Fingerstyle/Chord Guitar | 2 units |
| MPGU 126 Easy Fingerstyle Beatles | 2 units |
| MPPM 240 Drumming Proficiency for the Popular Musician | 2 units |
| MPPM 340 Intermediate Drumming Proficiency for the Popular Musician | 2 units |
| MPKS 150abcd Beginning Piano | 2 units |
| MPST 163 Beginning Harp | 2 units |
| MUJZ 150x Beginning Jazz Improvisation | 2 units |
| MUJZ 218a Afro-Latin Percussion Instruments | 2 units |
| MUJZ 450 Intermediate Jazz Improvisation | 2 units |
| MPVA 141, 241 Class Voice | 2 units |
Ensembles
Ensembles at the 300 level are for undergraduates; those at the 500 level are for graduates. Entry to other, more advanced ensembles may be available based on an audition.
| MUEN 305/505 Vocal Jazz Ensemble | 1 unit |
| MUEN 307/507 University Chorus | 1 unit |
| MUEN 308/508 USC Apollo Chorus | 1 unit |
| MUEN 310/510 University Concert Choir | 1 unit |
| MUEN 311/511 USC Oriana Choir | 1 unit |
| MUEN 312/512 USC Chamber Singers | 1 unit |
| MUEN 322 Trojan Marching Band | 1 unit |
| MUEN 332/532 Jazz Chamber Music | 1 unit |
| MUEN 324 University Band | 1 unit |
| MUEN 326/526 Guitar Ensemble | 1 unit |
| MUEN 327/527 Chamber Music for Strings | 1 unit |
| MUEN 329/529 Jazz Ensemble | 1 unit |
Music Industry, Music Technology and Arts Leadership
| ARTL 499 Special Topics | 2 units |
| ARTL 500 Arts Leadership and Entrepreneurship* | 2 units |
| ARTL 501 Executive Leadership in the Arts* | 2 units |
| ARTL 502 Issues in the Arts and the Contemporary World* | 2 units |
| ARTL 503 Arts Organizations: Innovation and New Models* | 2 units |
| ARTL 504 Arts and Community: Current Practice & New Visions* | 2 units |
| MTEC 245 Introduction to MIDI Sequencing | 1 unit |
| MTEC 246 Introduction to Audio Recording and Editing | 1 unit |
| MTEC 248 Introduction to Music Notation | 1 unit |
| MTEC 275 Fundamentals of Audio Engineering | 4 units |
| MTEC 277x Introduction to Music Technology | 4 units |
| MTEC 443 Desktop Music Production | 2 units |
| MTEC 444 Non-Linear MIDI Sequencing | 2 units |
| MTEC 446ab Computer Assisted Recording and Editing | 2 units |
| MTEC 474ab Electronic Synthesizer Techniques | 2-2 units |
| MTEC 477 Remote Recording Techniques | 2 units |
| MTEC 499 Special Topics** | 2 units | MTEC 575 Music Technology and Production* | 4 units |
| MUIN 272x Basics of the Music Industry | 4 units | MUIN 370 Music Publishing and Licensing | 2 units |
| MUIN 372x The Business and Legal Aspects of the Music Industry | 4 units |
| MUIN 410 Marketing, Branding and Strategic Alliances in Music | 2 units |
| MUIN 420 DIY Music Marketing | 2 units |
| MUIN 425 Live Music Production and Promotion | 4 units |
| MUIN 430 Artist Management and Development | 4 units |
| MUIN 443 The Business of Music for Visual Media | 4 units |
| MUIN 497 Current Topics, Case Studies and Analysis** | 2 units |
| MUIN 499 Special Topics** | 2 units |
| MUIN 570 The Music Industry* | 4 units |
*Restricted to graduate students.
**New topics are offered semi-regularly. Check the Schedule of Classes for offerings for particular semesters.
Songwriting and Composition
| MUCO 101x Fundamentals of Music Theory | 2 units |
| MUCO 130abx Basics of Music Theory | 3-3 units |
| MUCO 221abx Composition for Non-Majors I | 2-2 units |
| MUCO 321 Composition for Non-Majors II | 1-2 units |
| MUSC 255 Songwriting I | 2 units |
| MUSC 355 Songwriting II | 2 units |
| MUSC 455 Songwriting III | 2 units |
Private Lessons
Private lessons are generally available in all instruments in classical, jazz, or popular music styles. Contact Thornton Student Affairs for the class number. These classes are at the 300 level.
Click here for information about private lessons in classical piano, strings, and voice. To request D-clearance to enroll in Individual Instruction, please click here.