USC Thornton blends the rigors of a traditional conservatory-style education with the intellectual ambition of a leading research university. Students thrive as artists, performers, educators, and professionals while taking classes in other schools at USC.
Thornton has three divisions – classical studies and composition, contemporary music, and research and scholarly studies. Each division is led by a vice dean – Cristian Grases (classical studies and composition), Sean Holt (contemporary music), and Rotem Gilbert (research and scholarly studies). Each division is supported by department chairs, division managers, and department coordinators.
Thornton Student Affairs
We are partners in your academic and personal success at USC. As advisors, we help you to manage your academic requirements and meet with you every semester to prepare for registration. We are your first stop to discuss difficulties you encounter and to explore options.
We will support you in achieving your goals at USC and we look forward to celebrating your successes.
Your academic advisor is assigned to you based upon your degree and major. Please review the welcome message from your academic advisor below:
Job Springer, Doctoral AdvisorAdvises all DMA, PhD, and Artist Diploma students |
Hello doctoral students. My name is Job Springer, and I am the academic advisor at the USC Thornton School of Music. From just after accepting your offer of admission and throughout your rewarding journey toward graduation, I work with those students pursuing the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Historical Musicology and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA). I also work with those select students working toward Artist Diploma certificates. As for my own journey, I earned my Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, followed by my K-8 teaching credentials from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. I also received my Master of Education (ME) degree and K-12 administrative credentials from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Here at USC, I enrolled in many doctoral classes focused on improving my understanding of academic advising, administration, international students, and other important matters within student affairs. I have spent my entire career singularly focused on understanding and serving students and educators, as I feel education is the enlightenment we all need for a bright future. My first 10 years were spent as an elementary school teacher and assistant principal in public school systems in Chicago and its surrounding area. Since my move to Los Angeles, I have worked in higher education, accumulating 18 years of experience in academic advising, administration, recruiting, and admissions at the University of Southern California. I worked at the USC Rossier School of Education from 2006 – 2013, and I have been the Doctoral Advisor at the USC Thornton School of Music ever since. This position has been incredibly rewarding for me, and the wide range of majors and interests from our doctoral students inspires me and keeps me focused.I look forward to learning more about what you hope to accomplish with your coursework within your doctoral program, and then help you reach your goals. |
Dr. Viet Bui, Director of Student AffairsAdvises MA, MM, MS, and GCRT students in Early Music, Jazz Studies, Music Industry, Screen Scoring, Studio Guitar, and Vocal Arts
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Greetings and welcome to the Thornton School! I have been advising students here since 2014, and I am excited to help support and guide you during your journey here at USC Thornton. Please be sure to review all the important information that we have prepared for you as part of Thornton Graduate Orientation. A little bit about my background- I’m thankful to have earned two degrees from the USC Rossier School of Education- my Master’s degree in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs in 2014 and my Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership in 2020. My dissertation explored the experiences of first-generation undergraduates with academic advising- so working with students through academic advising is certainly a passion of mine. I’ll be looking forward to connecting with you further and supporting you through your time here at USC Thornton. |
Nancy Wong, Senior Academic AdvisorAdvises MM and GCRT students in Classical Guitar, Keyboard Collaborative Arts, Music Teaching and Learning (including Community Music and Popular Music), Organ, and Piano
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Welcome to the USC Thornton School of Music! I look forward to supporting and guiding you during your time at USC as your academic advisor. I hope that you will thrive and have lots of fun as a Trojan just as I did when I was a student at USC. I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, and I’m a proud alumna of the Thornton School of Music, where I received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and a Master of Music Education with a K-12 teaching credential in music. I taught elementary and middle school music for seven years in Long Beach Unified School District and then returned home to USC as a staff. I was the program administrator for the Thornton Community Engagement Program for several years before becoming an advisor at the Thornton School of Music in 2014. I’m excited to get to you know you and help you reach your goals while at USC. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions, including questions about best coffee shops and places to eat in the greater Los Angeles area. See you soon! Fight On! |
Daniel Andrade, Academic AdvisorAdvises MM, MS, and GCRT students in Arts Leadership, Choral and Sacred Music, Composition, Strings, and Winds and Percussion
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Hello and welcome to USC Thornton School of Music! My name is Daniel Andrade and I am one of the Academic Advisors here at Thornton. I am excited to meet you all and have the opportunity to work with you during your journey at USC Thornton. A little bit about me is I am a Los Angeles native, received my Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from CSU Dominguez Hills and Master’s Degree in Higher Education from CSU Fullerton. I have had experience working in college access, first-year, and advising student services programs in the K12, community college, and CSU systems. I have been at USC for a short period of time, but look forward to continue learning, engaging, and supporting the Trojan community. Fight On! |
Once you have reviewed this content in this module, please return to the USC Thornton Graduate Orientation home page and review the next module.