- About
About USC Gould
USC Gould is a top-ranked law school with a 120-year history and reputation for academic excellence. We are located on the beautiful 228-acre USC University Park Campus, just south of downtown Los Angeles.
- Academics
Academics
Learn about our interdisciplinary curriculum, experiential learning opportunities and specialized areas.
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- Admissions
Admissions
USC Gould helps prepare you for a stellar legal career. You can pursue a JD degree, one of our numerous graduate and international offerings, or an online degree or certificate.
- Students
Students
Participate in an unparalleled learning experience with diversity of people and thought. Get involved in the law school community and participate in activities that enhance your studies.
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- Careers
Careers
We work closely with students, graduates and employers to support successful career goals and outcomes. Our overall placement rate is consistently strong, with 94 percent of our JD class employed within 10 months after graduation.
- Faculty
Faculty
Our faculty is distinguished for its scholarship, as well as for its commitment to teaching. Our 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio creates an intimate and collegial learning environment.
- Alumni and Giving
- Admissions

Overview
USC Gould School of Law
- DEGREES
- CERTIFICATES
- + AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
- ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
- BUSINESS LAW
- MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND TECHNOLOGY LAW
- PUBLIC INTEREST LAW
- + EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
- UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
- CORPORATE AND CUSTOM EDUCATION
- + NON-DEGREE PROGRAMS
- ACADEMIC CALENDAR
- COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
- BAR ADMISSIONS
Our Media, Entertainment and Technology Law areas of concentration offer you an exceptional opportunity to acquire the diverse skills and knowledge required to practice law in media and technology markets. The curriculum follows a distinctive practice-oriented approach that exposes you to the legal problem-solving skills and business concepts that lawyers apply every day to achieve client objectives.
We give equal weight to transactional and litigation practice areas and we emphasize active learning through skills workshops. Our courses are taught by prominent research faculty and experienced practitioners who have held some of the highest positions in law and business. For instance, our business planning courses are taught by a former CEO of a major Hollywood studio, our Intellectual Property Litigation Workshop is taught by the head of the intellectual property department at a major international law firm, and our Technology Transactions Workshop is taught by a former partner at a Silicon Valley law firm.
We prepare our students for practice through simulation and skills courses that require you to apply legal and business concepts to tackle deal-making and dispute-resolution scenarios in content and technology markets.
Both JD and LLM students in the Media, Entertainment and Technology Law areas of focus have the opportunity to enroll in courses at the renowned USC School of Cinematic Arts and/or the USC Marshall School of Business. In addition, JD students may pursue a dual MBA degree. Other dual JD degrees available include communications management, economics, business taxation and pharmacy.
Earn a Certificate
By completing 21 or more units of specified coursework each, you may complement your JD degree with a Media and Entertainment Law certificate and/or a Technology and Entrepreneurship Law certificate. Along with your JD, you may also earn a Business Law certificate with 24 or more units, a Public Interest Law certificate with 20 or more units, and/or an Alternative Dispute Resolution certificate with 12 units. Some courses count toward multiple certificates.
By completing 12 or more units of coursework each, you may complement your LLM degree with a Media and Entertainment Law certificate, a Technology and Entrepreneurship Law certificate, a Business Law certificate and/or an Alternative Dispute Resolution certificate. Some courses count toward multiple certificates.
Obtain Practical Experience
Our Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic and Small Business Clinic give JD students the opportunity to handle real-life cases, working directly with clients. You might represent an online music business, a budding filmmaker, a 3D printing designer or a game designer.
In addition, USC Gould JD students may enroll in externships at some of the world's leading film studios, networks and other firms in the Southern California innovation ecosystem. For student testimonials on their externship experiences, see Students and Alumni.
Our student-run USC Entertainment Law Spotlight gives JD students the opportunity to gain exposure by publishing practice-oriented pieces on cutting-edge legal issues while earning course credit.
Learn Best Practices
The Media, Entertainment and Technology Law areas of focus offer a series of speakers and events throughout the year, including hosting leading judges, business executives and legal practitioners through the USC Entertainment Law and Business Institute and the USC Intellectual Property Institute. On February 22, 2018, the Media, Entertainment and Technology Law Program co-hosted, together with the USC Center for Transnational Law and Business, a symposium on "Reforming Patent Reform" that included presentations from IP policy specialists in academia, government and industry. Our keynote speaker was Mr. Andrei Iancu, Director of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. See Past Conferences
Active student organizations in art law, entertainment law, entrepreneurship and venture capital law, music law, and intellectual property and technology law provide students with opportunities to interface with prominent practitioners. For instance, the Entertainment Law Society travels to the Sundance Film Festival to meet with filmmakers and observe the inner workings of one of the most influential outlets for new entertainment deals.
RECENT NEWS

USC Gould Law Library showcases ‘rejuvenating power of music’
June 2, 2023
Performances feature LA Philharmonic concertmaster, saxophone quartet

‘The Best Beloved Thing is Justice’
June 1, 2023
New book by Gould alum Lisa Kloppenberg celebrates life of Judge and former Dean Dorothy W. Nelson

USC Gould Title IX trailblazer works to put more women in leadership roles
May 30, 2023
"If we can continue moving forward, the future is very bright," says Associate Dean Nickey Woods