Professional Fellowships
The University of Southern California believes that no qualified student should be denied the opportunity to pursue a quality education. Each year, the School of Policy, Planning, and Development (SPPD) awards scholarships to master’s students. At the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento, we are pleased to offer Professional Fellowships to students of exceptional professional promise to pursue a graduate degree at SPPD.

The Professional Fellowships are funded through the endowments from or created in the name of Sutter Health, Wellness Foundation, Sterling Franklin, and Ross Clayton. Other contributions to the school designated for Northern California students may also be received from time to time. The number of awards granted each year varies depending on the availability of these funds. Students receiving another scholarship from USC or SPPD are not eligible for the Professional Fellowship.

Fellowships are awarded at the discretion of the Professional Fellowship Committee and recognize:

• Professional working experience- relevance, success, number of years
• Special contributions to the professional field in which the student works in Northern California
• Special contributions to the community through volunteer work
• Recognition of the student’s potential as expressed in letters of recommendation submitted for admission
• The student’s goals, ambitions and commitments to the field as expressed in the Statement of Purpose submitted for admission
• Need as evaluated by the USC Financial Aid Office

APPLICATION PROCESS

Scholarship awards are made at the time of admission and will continue throughout the program, provided that:

• Student maintains a B+ average (3.3 GPA) or higher after the completion of twenty units of coursework at USC.
• Student takes a meaningful portion of their coursework at the USC State Capital Center
• The award is used towards a degree program in SPPD

The Professional Fellowship Application must be completed by the July 1 deadline. Students must also apply for admission to the MHA or MPA degrees by July 1. To expedite this process, please submit your official undergraduate transcripts to the admissions office by June 1 or earlier. Only admitted students will be considered for the Professional Fellowship.

» Click here to download Professional Fellowship application (PDF)