Are you a high school student looking to get a head start on your business skills? If so, you should enroll in USC Marshall’s online certificate course, “Building Blocks of Business: Tools for Creating a Dynamic and Sustainable Business.” This course explores various elements of business – including topics such as accounting, marketing, leadership, and finance, by looking at real businesses, and hearing from industry experts as well as USC Marshall instructors.
PROGRAM DATES
October 14, 2024
October 28, 2024
November 11, 2024
November 25, 2024
December 9, 2024
December 23, 2024
January 6, 2025
January 20, 2025
February 3, 2025
February 17, 2025
March 3, 2025
March 17, 2025
March 31, 2025
FORMAT AND COURSE LENGTH
Combined coursework of recorded lectures, readings, and assignments is approximately 20-25 -hours to be completed at the student’s own pace. Students are expected to complete the course in two to four weeks.
ELIGIBILITY
Students must be at least 14 years old or older and enrolled in a high school or secondary program.
Recent high school graduates, students taking a gap year or time off from college and are older than 18 can request an exemption to apply by emailing precollegeonline@usc.edu and include a short paragraph (no more than 200 words) stating your interest and how this program will add value to your academic or career plans.
TUITION
$1990 USD
$35 application fee
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Get excited to explore the interdisciplinary nature of business using the Business Model Canvas — a popular design and analysis tool that will help students visualize the nine major building blocks that businesses employ. In doing so, students will look at real businesses, hear from industry experts and Marshall instructors, and together reveal the secret sauce that makes businesses successful.
In the process of earning a certificate, students will engage in dynamic activities designed by an award-winning team. From immersive simulations to lively online discussions to interactive videos, the course investigates current perspectives on business.
Finally, at the culmination of the course, students will assume the role of an investor and apply their knowledge by analyzing two business models to determine which has the potential to be most profitable and why.
In addition to learning important critical thinking skills and meeting new friends along the way, students will earn a certificate of completion that can set them apart when applying for college — all of this from USC’s world-renowned Marshall School of Business.
Featured Topics
- Value Propositions and Business strategy
- Customers and Marketing
- Operations, Resources and Supply Chain
- Finance
- Accounting
- Data analytics
Learning Outcomes
Though the course has many learning goals, they can be summarized simply by saying that at its completion, students will have a strong understanding of how different disciplines such as communications, accounting, strategy, leadership, marketing, data analytics, and finance work together to create and sustain successful businesses.
Following the completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Evaluate and target a business’s customers
- Identify resources and processes needed to drive growth
- Measure a business’ success
- Analyze a business’s desirability, feasibility, and viability
Format and Course Length
Each cohort of students will engage with business simulations, active learning modules, and video content. Students will emerge with applied knowledge in the professional business world.
Combined coursework of recorded lectures, readings, and assignments is approximately 20-25 -hours to be completed at the student’s own pace. Students are expected to complete the course in two to four weeks.
FEATURED FACULTY
Professor Michael Paranal, CPA is a lawyer admitted to practice in New York and California. He is also admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in England and Wales. He worked as a capital markets attorney for Latham & Watkins in London, UK, and In 2015 was awarded the Robert Bosch Fellowship in Accounting and Securities Regulation. He joined the European Central Bank as the only non-EU citizen working in the Financial Law Division during the time of the European Debt Crisis. Professor Paranal is an alumnus of the USC MBT Program. He also earned his JD MBA at the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School of Business, as well as a Post-Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Oxford. He is currently part of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s Tax Transaction Advisory Group.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. Applicants who submit a completed application can expect an admission decision within 3 – 5 business days.
- Include basic contact information from you and your parent(s) or guardian.
- Tell us why you want to take the course and a little about yourself through a short-answer essay.
- Share a piece of writing, video or social media content that reveals something about yourself (optional).
- Submit the $35 application fee.
- Students must be at least 14 years old or older and enrolled in a high school or secondary program.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
In addition to the requirements listed above, international applicants are expected to be proficient in English. International students who successfully complete an online course will receive a digital Certificate of Completion and by request a USC Pre-College Program transcript at no additional cost.
PROGRAM START DATE AND APPLICATION DEADLINES
| PROGRAM START DATES | APPLICATION & TUITION DEADLINE |
|---|---|
| Monday, October 14, 2024 | Wednesday, October 9, 2024 |
| Monday, October 28, 2024 | Wednesday, October 23, 2024 |
| Monday, November 11, 2024 | Wednesday, November 6, 2024 |
| Monday, November 25, 2024 | Wednesday, November 20, 2024 |
| Monday, December 9, 2024 | Wednesday, December 4, 2024 |
| Monday, December 23, 2024 | Wednesday, December 18, 2024 |
| Monday, January 6, 2025 | Friday, December 20, 2024 |
| Monday, January 20, 2025 | Wednesday, January 15, 2025 |
| Monday, February 3, 2025 | Wednesday, January 29, 2025 |
| Monday, February 17, 2025 | Wednesday, February 12, 2025 |
| Monday, March 3, 2025 | Wednesday, February 26, 2025 |
| Monday, March 17, 2025 | Wednesday, March 12, 2025 |
| Monday, March 31, 2025 | Wednesday, March 26, 2025 |
CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS
Application fees are nonrefundable. All course cancellations requests must be made in writing to precollegeonline@usc.edu. Any tuition paid to the university will be refunded, not including fees, if requested no more than three (3) days past the course start date. Requests to drop the course more than three (3) days after the start date will not be eligible for a refund.
The university will not refund tuition for Pre-College Online Exploration courses for students who are removed from the program due to a violation of our Letter of Understanding for Online Participation and our Student Code of Conduct.