Business of Innovation (BS)

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Southern California

Program Overview

The BS Business of Innovation (BUIN) brings together human-centered design, technology, entrepreneurship, and business through a joint degree from the USC Iovine and Young Academy and USC Marshall School of Business. It suits students who want to turn ideas into products, ventures, and scalable solutions while developing skills in business fundamentals, interactive computing, product design, data analytics, prototyping, leadership, and innovation.

Curriculum Structure

First Year:
Students begin by developing an innovation mindset and foundational design and technology skills through subjects such as Rapid Visualization, Disruptive Innovation, and Case Studies in Innovation. They also start building their business foundation through areas such as financial accounting, managerial accounting, communication, and economics, alongside USC General Education requirements.
Second Year:
Students deepen their technical and business capabilities through courses such as Designing Interactive Data Systems, Organizational Behavior and Leadership, and Marketing Fundamentals. The curriculum also introduces students to data-driven decision-making, operations, finance, and interactive technologies, helping them connect design and technology with real business challenges.
Third Year:
The program moves further into applying innovation to organizations through Design Strategy: Problem Solving for Organizations, Introduction to Business Analytics, and Industry Practicum I: Designing and Implementing Real-World Solutions. Students can also select electives across areas such as Extended Reality, Product Innovation, Interactive Technologies and Physical Computing, Health Innovation, and Transformative AI.
Fourth Year:
Students bring their business, design, and technology capabilities together through The Garage Experience I and II, the program's two-semester senior capstone, alongside Strategic Management. The Garage Experience allows student teams to take products, systems, and services from concept and prototyping toward development and launch, while advanced electives can extend their work into AI, product innovation, extended reality, or data analytics.

Focus Areas

Human-centered design, business innovation, entrepreneurship, product design, interactive computing, prototyping, business analytics, data-driven decision-making, marketing and branding, finance, management, operations, strategic management, artificial intelligence, extended reality, physical computing, health innovation, and technology-driven venture development.

Learning Outcomes

Students develop the ability to analyze complex challenges, think across disciplines, synthesize diverse ideas, create technologies and ventures, apply business and design strategy, use interactive computing and prototyping skills, make data-informed decisions, and develop solutions for purpose-driven change. The program also develops leadership, communication, innovation, entrepreneurship, stakeholder engagement, and product-development capabilities.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The BS Business of Innovation is a joint degree offered by USC Marshall and the Iovine and Young Academy. USC Marshall is an AACSB-accredited business school, while the program itself is presented by USC as a joint interdisciplinary degree rather than as a separately identified professional accreditation.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

USC Marshall reports that its undergraduate business school was ranked No. 8 by the 2026 U.S. News & World Report and No. 8 by 2026 Poets&Quants. These are school-level undergraduate business rankings and should not be interpreted as a ranking specifically for the newer Business of Innovation degree.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Experiential learning is a central part of the Business of Innovation degree. Students work across design, technology, and business rather than studying these areas separately, with opportunities to collaborate with faculty, industry experts, mentors, advisors, and investors; the program also provides access to Iovine and Young Academy prototyping facilities and USC Marshall's entrepreneurship resources.

The curriculum includes real-world industry projects, hands-on prototyping, interactive computing, product development, entrepreneurship competitions, and a two-semester senior Garage Experience. Students can also explore technologies such as machine intelligence, extended reality, physical computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and product-design tools through their Academy electives.
Key practical opportunities include:

Industry Practicum I: Students work in teams on real-world projects, developing creative problem-solving, stakeholder relations, collaboration, project-management, and design-research skills.
The Garage Experience: The senior capstone gives students two semesters to develop go-to-market products, taking ideas through development and toward launch.
Industry and Impact Projects: Students can undertake ACAD 450 Industry and Impact Projects, connecting design strategy with practical projects.
Venture development: The annual IYA Venture Showcase gives students an opportunity to present ventures seeking to go to market or secure venture-capital relationships.
Prototyping facilities: Students have access to fabrication labs, 3D printers, laser cutters, computer graphics and AI labs, and a mixed-reality studio.
Iovine and Young Hall: Facilities include the Mixed Reality Studio, Creator Studio, Podcast Studio, metalworking and 3D-printing spaces, adaptive classrooms, and student conference rooms.
Interactive technology: Students can study Introduction to Interactive Physical Computing, Dev I, Dev II, Devices and Systems for Body Computing, Extended Reality Development, and Transformative AI.
Product-development tools: Academy electives include Modeling Products with Solidworks, 3D Tools for Product Design, Fundamentals of Product Design, Advanced iOS App Development, and digital-world construction.
Entrepreneurship resources: Students have access to the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, which provides programs, funding, coaching, and an investor network.
Industry and expert engagement: Students are immersed in collaborative environments with faculty, industry experts and mentors and can be introduced to industry advisors, investors, and specialized resources across USC.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The BS Business of Innovation is designed for students who want to build products, launch ventures, lead innovation, or help established organizations develop new technologies and business models. USC's Iovine and Young Academy identifies career outcomes including Founder, CEO, Chief Product Officer, Product Lead, and Product Manager, while also describing opportunities in technology development, business strategy, and product innovation.

Typical career directions include Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Product Officer, Product Lead, Product Manager, Innovation Strategist, Business Innovation Consultant, Entrepreneur, Product Innovation Specialist, Technology Development Specialist.

Students can strengthen their transition into professional life through:

Marshall Undergraduate Career Services: Students receive career exploration and readiness support, including one-to-one career advising, resume and interview preparation, networking guidance, recruiting support, and internship/job-search assistance.
Career Advantage Program: Eligible Marshall undergraduates can be paired with Marshall alumni or university friends for professional-development activities, mentoring, and networking; the program reports 360+ students and 130+ mentors participating each year.
Handshake: Marshall students have access to Handshake as a job and internship platform, alongside career fairs, employer information sessions, networking events, industry nights, and recruiting activities.
Employer connections: USC Marshall works with corporate partners and employers through recruiting programs, career fairs, information sessions, networking events, and internship opportunities. Business of Innovation is explicitly included among the undergraduate majors targeted by the Marshall Early Career Talent Career Fair.
Employment outcomes: USC Marshall reports that 96% of the Class of 2023 was engaged within three months of graduation, with an overall average salary of $93,247. This is Marshall-wide undergraduate data and is not specific to Business of Innovation graduates.
Industry exposure: The program connects students with industry collaborators through Industry Practicum, industry and impact projects, mentors, advisors, and investors, creating opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to professional challenges.
Long-term accreditation value: The degree is jointly delivered with USC Marshall, an AACSB-accredited business school, giving students access to an established business-school environment alongside the interdisciplinary Iovine and Young Academy.
Graduation outcomes: The Iovine and Young Academy states that its graduates enter technology development, business strategy, and product innovation positions, while many have commercialized their own startups before graduation.

Further Academic Progression:
After the B.S., students can pursue graduate-level study in areas connected to business, innovation, design, technology, entrepreneurship, analytics, or product development. USC's Iovine and Young Academy offers the M.S. in Integrated Design, Business and Technology and the M.S. in Product Innovation, while USC Marshall provides graduate pathways including the MBA and specialized master's programs.