Trojans visit with U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (in plaid jacket), whose district includes USC’s University Park Campus, in her office on Capitol Hill. (Photo/Courtesy of Kamlager-Dove’s office)
USC Capital Campus offers new summer opportunities for students across the university
The USC in D.C. Summer Program is designed to allow students to take classes in the nation’s capital while holding down an internship.
USC students have a new opportunity to spend the summer in the nation’s capital.
The USC in D.C. Summer Program, launching this year, will offer academic and professional development opportunities at the USC Capital Campus for students across all fields of study. Applications are open through April 15.
The USC in D.C. Summer Program offerings are designed to encourage career readiness and augment summer internship placements. Course offerings include two curated, policy-focused general education classes: Writing 340, which fulfills students’ upper-level writing requirement, and History 210, which fulfills two general education categories.
Led by expert faculty, the courses will use D.C. as an extension of the classroom, leveraging unparalleled access to subject matter experts and global decision-makers.
USC in D.C. Summer Program: Blend of education, professional development
“This summer, the Capital Campus is excited to offer a unique blend of educational and professional development opportunities to students, bridging their USC experience from coast to coast,” USC Capital Campus Executive Director Elyse Levine said. “Summer course offerings go hand in hand with student internships, which enrich and shape students’ academic and career trajectories.”
Also new this summer is the innovative Summer Dialogue Institute. Building upon USC President Beong-Soo Kim’s Open Dialogue Project, this immersive professional development program is designed to help students develop and practice essential leadership, communication and critical-thinking skills. In addition to taking bespoke classes developed exclusively for the program, students will hear from guest speakers, participate in site visits across D.C. and engage with working professionals. At the conclusion of the program, students will have a polished policy paper that can be leveraged for future internship, education and employment opportunities.
The course offerings are designed to encourage students to pursue internships while studying in D.C. The USC Capital Campus has resources to assist students in identifying internships that align with their academic and career goals.
“Interning in D.C. completely reshaped how I view public service and policymaking,” USC student Jack Murphy said. “My summer internship in D.C. helped me find my passion for tech policy and gave me the clarity and confidence to pursue a career in the field after graduation.”
Housing, scholarships available for USC in D.C. Summer Program
To ease the cross-country transition, dedicated housing and scholarships are available to program participants. While in D.C., students will live in fully furnished, move-in-ready, centrally located apartments. Students enrolled in a summer program at the Capital Campus are also eligible for the Epstein Family D.C. Student Experience Scholarship, which awards up to $10,000 per student to help defray program expenses.
The new summer program expands upon the Capital Campus’ USC in D.C. First Semester in D.C. Program and USC in D.C. Spring Semester Program, which launched earlier in the current academic year. With this addition, the Capital Campus will offer year-round course instruction to USC students.
The D.C. summer offerings also coincide with a number of reimagined USC summer session options in Los Angeles, providing students the opportunity to take in-demand courses, expand into new areas of study and even complete their degree work ahead of schedule.
