From day one of freshman year to graduation, Academy students can plan for a successful and dynamic career. The Academy’s rigorous curricular and co-curricular programs are uniquely designed to drive student outcomes by preparing our students to adapt quickly to rapidly changing work landscapes, think boldly as an individual while working on intersectional projects across dynamic student teams, and take command of their future. 

Throughout their academic career, Academy students have access to tools and resources such as professional development workshops led by industry experts; intern, alumni, and founder panels; individualized career coaching; and a powerful professional network of partners, recruiters, and employers.

What’s more, our motto at USC is “once a Trojan, always a Trojan.” As a member of the Trojan Family, Academy students will leverage throughout their careers their strong and immediate connection to nearly half a million Trojan alumni across the world.

90% of Academy graduates have jobs within 6 months of graduation.

Our commitment to supporting our students’ professional and career development is exemplified by the breadth and depth of programs and opportunities at the Academy, including: 

Professional development workshops that focus on: resume and cover letter design and content; pitching, networking and interview skills; designing a Linkedin portfolio and other digital tools for self-marketing, and more 

Academy exclusive on campus and virtual recruiting and company information sessions with select industry partners

Industry speaker series and networking events 

Access to curated internship opportunities through Handshake

Free access to courses on LinkedIn Learning 

Additional resources available through the USC Career Center  

AT&T - Technology Development Program, Strategic Planning Department

ATLASSIAN - Associate Product Manager, Engineering

CASE Agency,  Director of Shopify Strategy

DISNEY STREAMING SERVICES - UX Researcher

EBAY MOTORS - Influencer Marketing Manager

EY - Innovation and Experience Design Consultant 

GOOGLE - Associate Product Marketing Manager

HBO MAX - Senior Product Manager, Video Experience

JUST PLAY, LLC - Licensing and Brand Strategy Associate           

MIRA LABS - Associate Product Marketing Manager

MIT MEDIA LAB -  AI Curriculum/Software Designer

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES - Senior Training Designer

USC IMMERSIVE MEDIA LAB - Lead AR Engineer

This is the USC Iovine and Young Academy’s “student-led” Career Insight Podcast Channel. Hosted and edited by students, the IYAP Podcast Channel is where students interview industry professionals to learn about their incredible contributions as creatives working sectors spanning gaming, tech, media and entertainment, venture capital, and more.

As innovators who are well prepared for an ever-changing global landscape, Academy students are capturing highly competitive internships, fellowships and full-time positions at a roster of companies that includes Google, Apple, Intel, adidas, Adobe, Facebook, Oculus, Spotify, IDEO, Dreamworks, Sony, Imagine Entertainment, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Ernst and Young, Hulu, NVIDIA, DEKA Research Labs, and Verizon.   

The Academy strongly encourages internships that allow students to apply their skills in high-test work environments and expand their professional networks. The wide-ranging, integrative nature of the Academy's curriculum, along with its focus on providing regular professionalizing experiences, prepares its students for internships and careers in a variety of industries and fields. Along with more traditional areas, Academy students are particularly competitive as applicants for the vast number of emerging ‘hybrid’ positions that both require special intersectional expertise and represent the jobs of tomorrow. 

Students can access professional leads through Handshake, a comprehensive online database that connects Academy students with potential employers. Handshake offers a platform where students can cultivate job leads, and get direct and exclusive access to opportunities specifically curated for Academy students. 

Five Academy seniors comprise Woven, who was one of seven finalists chosen to pitch at the SharkNinja Innovation Challenge Finale. The team took home the Grand Prize: $25,000 and enhanced support from SharkNinja experts.

Team Woven Wins Grand Prize

SharkNinja Innovation Challenge 2026

Read more about Ryan and CoolDrip's design

Academy graduate student Ryan Zhang was awarded the globally recognized Red Dot Design Award for his project: CoolDrip.

Ryan Zhang

2025 Red Dot Design Concept Award

The Origin Weekend: IMPACT was a 5-day Google X startup launch sprint where students form teams, build an MVP, and pitch for $5k in prizes. Over 300 USC students teamed up to build a solution tackling a problem in one of the 5 problem prompts.

Academy Student Team Wins 1st Place

MASEEH Center Hackathon

Academy students often compete for prizes, awards, and grants outside of the USC Iovine and Young Academy. They participate in hackathons, pitch their student-led ventures at a high level, and compete for some of the most prestigious prizes in design, business, and innovation across the country. Here are some of the most recent accomplishments of Academy students:

Student Awards & Recognition

As of Fall 2020, Academy startups had garnered more than $120 million in development funding and acquisition payouts. A product designed and developed exclusively by Academy students, the Mira “Prism” Augmented Reality Headset, received the prestigious 2018 Red Dot Product Design Award and was recently selected to partner with Universal Creative on Super Nintendo World’s Super Mario Kart AR experience. Multiple Academy startups have been selected to take part in Y Combinator, named by Forbes as the leading accelerator in the world. One, Project Wren, was featured in TechCrunch, Fast Company and Forbes for its unique mission to offset individual carbon footprints. A second, Demeanor, Co., was acquired in 2019 by the digital experience platform NTWRK. 

Academy founders have regular, in-class and project-based access to faculty mentors, as well as the parade of industry visitors to classes and speaker series. Additionally, students have access to master Makers, Artists, Designers, Technologists, and Entrepreneurs through the Academy’s X-in-Residence Program. 

We provide a unique learning experience that prepares students to think critically, create, and innovate across industries at the intersection of technology, design and business.

Career Edge

The Academy Difference