Discovery Scholar Distinction

A complete application will include a final project and a letter of recommendation.

Utilize the School Coordinators tab for specific questions about project criteria for each individual USC School. For general questions about the USC Discovery Scholar distinction, contact Academic Honors and Fellowships at ahfstaff@usc.edu.

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Final Project Requirements

Review the 2024-2025 Capstone Requirements for each USC School

For additional guidance on the Capstone Project criteria:

• Discovery Scholar School Coordinators organize the school committee for internal application review. Coordinators should only be contacted to clarify written school-specific criteria if needed. This step is not mandatory.
• For feedback on content or structure of Capstone Project, applicants should contact faculty mentor(s) within their discipline or the USC Writing Center.

If you are applying for the Global and Discovery Scholar distinction, you must submit a completely different capstone project for each application to earn both distinctions and/or prize nominations. If you submit the same project for Discovery and Global, your school will certify you for just one of the distinctions based on which program criteria (if any) best first your submitted work. In addition, you may be considered for each distinction’s Prize Competition; however, no student can be awarded more than one prize.

Group Projects: Applicants may submit a project that a group collaborated on, but it must also include a significant individual work component. Individuals are selected for the Prize awards based on their contribution to and beyond the group project.

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Letter of Recommendation

• Whenever possible, letter should come from the faculty member who has supervised or mentored the student on the project. Applicants should discuss intent to submit an application and request a letter as early as possible.
• Letter should provide context for student’s work relative to the: student’s overall achievement and performance in the program; scope and quality of their contribution to submitted project; merit of the project relative to quality of work typically presented at the undergraduate level and the highest standards of the discipline; and value and implications of the project in the field of study and beyond.

Applicants will also be asked to submit a current resume or C.V. as part of the application.

Discovery School Coordinators

After reading the criteria and requirements, applicants should contact the School Coordinator directly for more detailed information on format, content, and other specifics. Discovery Scholars School Coordinators are listed below for each USC School.

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Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Suzanne Alcantara, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs & Director of Career Development | suzannea@usc.edu

Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Amanda Speights, Associate Professor & Academic Advisor | amanda.speights@chan.usc.edu

Davis School of Gerontology
Maria Henke, Associate Dean | mhenke@usc.edu
Tara Mastro, Instructional Assistant Professor of Gerontology | mastro@usc.edu

Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Lynn Tamayo, Special Project Manager | tamayo@usc.edu

Gould Undergraduate Programs
Alma Gonzalez, Assistant Director of Student Engagement | agonzalez@law.usc.edu

Iovine and Young Academy
Adrian Coson, Academic Advisor for Undergraduate Programs |  coson@usc.edu

Kaufman School of Dance
Kyle Beasley, Admission and Student Services Officer | kylebeas@usc.edu

Keck School of Medicine
Dinh Nguyen, Student Services Advisor | dinhn@usc.edu
Heather Wipfli, Associate Professor for KSOM DPPHS and Dornsife POIR, Director for KSOM Undergraduate Health Promotion and Global Health Degree Programs and Director for GRIT Lab | hwipfli@usc.edu

Marshall School of Business and Leventhal School of Accounting
Patrick Cates, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs | pcates@marshall.usc.edu

Price School of Public Policy
Josephine Le, Program Administrator | kpn@usc.edu

Roski School of Art and Design
Antonio Bartolome, Student Services Director | anbartol@usc.edu

Thornton School of Music
Phillip M. Placenti, Associate Dean, Admission and Student Affairs | placenti@usc.edu

USC School of Architecture
Jen Park, Assistant Dean of Student Services | jenpark@usc.edu
Lauren Matchison, Interim Director of Undergraduate Programs and Professor of Practice | lmatchis@usc.edu

USC School of Cinematic Arts
Marcus Anderson, Director of Student Affairs | manderson@usc.edu

USC School of Dramatic Arts
Sergio Ramirez, Associate Dean of Student Services | seramire@usc.edu

USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Randa Issa, PhD, Academic Program Manager – Undergraduate Programs | rissa@usc.edu

Viterbi School of Engineering
Nora Sandoval, Executive Director, Student Engagement Programs  | norasand@usc.edu

Apply for Discovery Scholars

Graduating seniors must apply during the spring semester of their final academic year in order to graduate with the distinction. May and August graduates apply in their final spring semester. December graduates apply after graduation.

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Prize Competition Application

Application Open: Mid-October

Deadline: February 2, 2025

First Round Notifications: Late February

Applicants nominated for prize consideration will be given a brief window of time to update their submitted materials before their project is forwarded to the university Prize Review Panel. Please note that the committees will not evaluate your final project based on its level of completion, but rather on how well it reflects a proven track record of research or creative accomplishments and shows significant promise for future research or creative endeavors.

Second Round Notifications (Prize Competition): Late March

Discovery Scholar Application

Distinction & Prize Competition deadline is February 2, 2025.

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After submitting an application, students should closely review emails from Academic Honors and Fellowships for notifications regarding status of distinction, follow-up for prize nominations, and instructions for receiving a medallion at the beginning of May.

Prize winners must demonstrate evidence of enrollment in a graduate program (within or outside the U.S.); or submit a proposal for a creative project that advances their career. Prize funding must be utilized within 5 years of graduating from USC. More information on the Scholar Distinction landing page.

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For General Questions

Email ahfstaff@usc.edu and view our 2022 Scholar Distinctions Info Session for general eligibility or application process questions

About Discovery Scholars

Our aim is to bolster academic achievement among our talented students, while nurturing the intellectual breadth and flexibility our students will need in this rapidly changing century.

C.L. Max Nikias

The Discovery Scholar distinction honors students who excel in the classroom while demonstrating the ability to create exceptional new scholarship or artistic works. Like sailors on an unexplored sea, Discovery Scholars blaze new paths, rather than simply following the course charted by others.

Each year hundreds of undergraduate students at USC conduct original research in the humanities, the physical and life sciences, the social sciences, and the professions. Other students create outstanding original works of art, architectural designs, and musical compositions, or achieve high standards in artistic performance.

To recognize students who excel in the classroom and display the ability to create exceptional new scholarship or artistic works, the University has established the USC Discovery Scholars distinction.

Students have the opportunity to earn the Discovery Scholar distinction in every major concentration offered at the University. The objective is to honor creativity wherever it is found, in fields ranging from biochemistry to art history, from mechanical engineering to theater, and from political science to cinematic arts. All USC undergraduates are encouraged to pursue this honor.