USC Bovard College

What USC Bovard College does

USC Bovard College is a constituent college of the University of Southern California, founded in 2016 to deliver fully online professional graduate education to working professionals. The college offers seven master's degree programs: MS in Human Resource Management, MS in Project Management, Master of Management in Library and Information Science, MS in Applied Analytics (launching Spring 2026), MS in Emergency Management, MS in Hospitality & Tourism, and MS in Criminal Justice. Programs range from 24 to 36 units and can be completed in one or two years, with three annual start terms (fall, spring, summer). The college is named after Emma Bovard, one of USC's first students in 1880 and an early advocate for equal access to education.

The college operates a proprietary online learning platform purpose-built for professional education, supporting live sessions, multimedia content, peer-to-peer engagement, and mobile access. Faculty are described as expert practitioners, and curriculum is developed in partnership with top industry experts and advisory committees. The MMLIS program holds American Library Association accreditation (Conditional status, comprehensive review Fall 2027), and the MSPM program holds Project Management Institute Authorized Training Partner status, allowing courses to count as PDUs toward PMP certification.

The business model is tuition-based revenue from individual consumers (working professionals) through a direct-to-consumer and sales-assisted GTM motion, supplemented by a $105 application fee. Distribution is exclusively online with no physical campus attendance required, and admissions advisors provide guidance by phone and email. The college targets professionals seeking career advancement, with segments spanning HR, project management, library science, analytics, emergency management, hospitality, and criminal justice. Tuition rates are not publicly disclosed, requiring prospective students to contact admissions. Programs are not available in approximately 11 US jurisdictions, including Arkansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Puerto Rico.

Name

USC Bovard College

Legal name

University of Southern California Bovard College

Website

https://bovardcollege.usc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

USC Bovard College is the online professional graduate school of the University of Southern California, offering seven master's degree programs in HR, project management, library science, analytics, emergency management, hospitality, and criminal justice to working professionals pursuing career advancement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Graduate Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Fully Online Universities (Online-First, Degree-Granting) (EDAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Graduate Schools (Master’s & Doctoral Programs) (EDAHALAD)

Keywords

• Online graduate education
• Professional master's programs
• Human resource management
• Applied analytics programs
• Project management degrees

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Graduate Tuition: Revenue generated from tuition fees for seven online Master of Science/Management degree programs (MSHRM, MSPM, MMLIS, MSAA, MSEM, MSHT, MSCJ). Programs require 24-36 units of coursework with flexible 1-year or 2-year completion tracks.
2. Application Fees: One-time application fee of $105 per applicant submitted with the graduate admissions application. Fee waiver eligibility information is available on the USC Graduate Admission page.
3. Financial Aid Services: Tuition and financial aid offerings for students including information sessions about funding options for graduate education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

USC Bovard College offers seven fully online master's degree programs—MS in Human Resource Management, MS in Project Management, Master of Management in Library and Information Science, MS in Applied Analytics, MS in Emergency Management, MS in Hospitality & Tourism, and MS in Criminal Justice—delivered through a proprietary online learning platform. Programs range from 24 to 36 units, available in flexible 1-year or 2-year completion tracks with three annual start terms (fall, spring, summer), targeting working professionals seeking career advancement.

Product overview

USC Bovard College is an online graduate education institution offering seven distinct master's degree programs: MS in Human Resource Management (MSHRM), MS in Project Management (MSPM), Master of Management in Library and Information Science (MMLIS), MS in Applied Analytics (MSAA), MS in Emergency Management (MSEM), MS in Hospitality & Tourism (MSHT), and MS in Criminal Justice (MSCJ). Programs range from 24-36 units and can be completed in 1 or 2 years. The MSAA program, launched Spring 2026, is notably built entirely with AI at its core. All programs share a common platform of online delivery with live sessions, industry-expert faculty, and applied curriculum designed for working professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MS in Human Resource Management (MSHRM) A 24-unit online graduate program designed to prepare working HR professionals for leadership roles in human resources, emphasizing strategic HR management, talent acquisition, employee relations, and HR analytics. Available in 1-year or 2-year completion tracks with three annual start terms.
• MS in Project Management (MSPM)
• Master of Management in Library and Information Science (MMLIS)
• MS in Applied Analytics (MSAA) A 24-unit online graduate program built with AI at its core, preparing professionals for analytics and AI leadership roles covering machine learning, deep learning, generative AI, predictive modeling, optimization, simulation, and business analytics strategy.
• MS in Emergency Management (MSEM)
• MS in Hospitality & Tourism (MSHT)
• MS in Criminal Justice (MSCJ)

Quantifiable outcome

• HR Managers median salary in 2024: $140,030
• +4 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Library Association (ALA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MMLIS program is accredited by the ALA Committee on Accreditation, with conditional accreditation status. The ALA provides standards and review processes ensuring the program meets professional library science education requirements. Next comprehensive review scheduled for Fall 2027.
• Project Management Institute (PMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSC Bovard College is an PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP), meeting rigorous quality and effectiveness standards as defined by PMI. MSPM courses qualify as PDUs and education contact hours for PMP certification and other PMI credentials.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DeVry University: For-profit institution offering career-focused undergraduate and graduate programs, including selected online degrees. Comparable as a broad online professional education competitor, though with stronger presence in undergraduate/career-tech than graduate verticals.
• University of Maryland Global Campus: Large public university system dedicated to online education of working adults, including graduate programs. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the online professional graduate space with state-school pricing position.

Direct peers

• Purdue University Global: Online-focused university offering graduate and professional programs with working-adult targeting. Directly comparable as an online-first graduate education provider, albeit with public-university cost positioning versus Bovard's premium.
• Walden University: Online-only university offering professional graduate degrees across multiple verticals (HR, project management, criminal justice, public administration). Directly comparable on online-only delivery, working-professional focus, and vertical-by-vertical program portfolio.
• Southern New Hampshire University: One of the largest online universities in the U.S., with extensive graduate and professional programs delivered online to working adults. Directly comparable on online delivery, target persona (working professionals), and broad program mix.
• Capella University: Online-focused university with graduate programs in business, analytics, and public service. Closely comparable as a direct competitor in online professional master's programs for working adults.
• NYU School of Professional Studies: Brand-name private university division offering online graduate programs in analytics, HR, project management, and more. Closely comparable on brand-name positioning, professional verticals, and online graduate delivery model.
• Western Governors University: A large, fully-online non-profit university serving working adults with competency-based undergraduate and graduate programs. Directly comparable to Bovard's online-first, multi-program model targeting career advancers, though WGU operates at much larger scale and lower tuition.
• Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies: Brand-name R1 university offering graduate professional programs (including analytics, project management, HR) with strong online and hybrid delivery. Closely comparable on the brand-name+R1+professional-graduate formula Bovard occupies.

Emerging players

• Columbia University (School of Professional Studies / SIPA): Brand-name Ivy-league institution offering select online graduate programs. Comparable on the premium-brand+online formula, though Columbia's online graduate footprint is narrower than Bovard's seven-program portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USC_MSPM
• Facebookfacebook.com/MSPMatUSC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usc-ms-in-project-management

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about USC Bovard College