The Progressive Degree Program (PDP) enables USC undergraduate students to apply undergraduate coursework toward the completion of a USC master’s degree. Pursuing a progressive degree can deepen your education and further prepare you for future career in as little as one additional year.
To register for an informational session, please visit our events page.
For more information, and application guidelines, please visit the Progressive Degree Program website.
Important Application Dates
| Fall 2025 | Fall 2026 | |
| Consideration for Scholarships | January 10 | January 9 |
| Priority Deadline | February 14 | February 13 |
| Final Deadline | May 14 | May 13 |
New students are admitted in the fall semester only. Applications that are submitted after the final deadline will be accepted, but will not be reviewed until the next admissions cycle.
Students are responsible for working with their undergraduate advisors in order to initiate the PDP application, and consult a Narrative Medicine graduate advisor to complete the graduate portion of the proposed course plan. When filling out a course plan, note that some of our courses are only offered in the fall or spring and that MDED 501 must be taken in the fall before MDED 502.
In addition to completing the Progressive Degree Program application, students must submit the following supplemental materials to the Narrative Medicine Program:
Application Components
| Personal Statement | Personal aims and interests in the Narrative Medicine program. (750 words max) |
| Evidence of promise | A written work, scholarly paper, portfolio of art, course syllabus. |
| Letters of Recommendation | Two letters are required |
Evidence of Promise
This requirement may be fulfilled by submitting a writing sample in one of the following categories:
- A scholarly paper (published or unpublished), article, or book chapter related to the applicant’s profession that is individually authored and pertains to narrative medicine, health humanities, or related fields. Include a preface explaining why you chose your work as evidence of promise.
- A creative written work that pertains to narrative medicine, health humanities, art and medicine, or related fields. This may be fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry (Ex. A short story, poetry, a first-person essay or memoir.) Please include a brief explanation of how your work exemplifies your interest in narrative medicine.
- Literary analysis of any text that demonstrates close reading and/or application of critical theory to analyze a literary text. This writing sample does not need to pertain to medicine or the health humanities.
- A syllabus for a course the applicant has taught in narrative medicine or a related field, including an essay of no more than 1000 words describing and critiquing the course and its relationship to narrative medicine, health humanities, or art and medicine
- A portfolio of art, a film, or images of a performance piece, with an accompanying essay of no more than 1000 words explaining the relationship between the applicant’s work and narrative medicine, health humanities, or related fields
Please read through the FAQs before you begin crafting your application. If you do not have any writing samples that fit these criteria, you may contact nmed@usc.edu for a writing prompt.
- Recommendation from USC Instructors or Professors familiar with your work
- Recommenders may email letters directly to uscnarrativemedicine@usc.edu
When your application is complete, send all materials as a PDF with LAST NAME_FIRST NAME to uscnarrativemedicine@usc.edu