USC Iovine and Young Academy will offer a new, in-person Master of Science in Integrated Design, Business and Technology (MSIDBT) for students who wish to pursue advanced study in integrated innovation. The new program will translate IYA’s current online MSIDBT curriculum into a distinct, hybrid learning experience that leverages IYA’s signature challenge-based learning model (CBL). Applications will be available in Fall 2023 and the first cohort will enroll in for Fall 2024. 

Students will have the chance to utilize IYA’s cutting-edge resources, such as digital and fabrication facilities and extended reality and physical computing labs. They will continue to engage in the residential experiences that promote collaborative problem-solving and industry-facing challenges, including the on-campus residential experiences. Using business, technology, design, and communication skills and insights, IYA’s challenge-based learning approach teaches students to identify and develop integrated solutions for real-world problems. 

“The IDBT program provides the opportunity to concretely apply what has been learned in undergraduate studies to real problems that are personally-meaningful and potentially impactful for future careers,” says Imre Meszaros, assistant dean of Graduate and Professional Programs, of the initiative’s benefits. 

The in-person MSIDBT is available as a standalone degree as well as progressive degree program (PDP) for qualified USC undergraduates. Progressive degree programs allow USC undergraduates to simultaneously earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in as little as five years.

“This PDP pathway gives undergraduate students interested in challenge-driven innovation a longer runway to develop their ideas further with greater flexibility and access to the Academy’s evolving technologies and learning processes,” remarks Dean Thanassis Rikakis.

Explaining how the offering will differ from an online degree, Meszaros describes the program as a “crash course” in what undergraduate majors study over the course of four years. In addition to attracting IYA students, the program has the potential to enroll undergraduates from other USC schools. 

He shares, “The intellectual diversity of our IDBT students drawn from across the university will be a key strength of the program.”  

IYA Introduces New In-Person Master of Science in Integrated Design, Business and Technology

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