The Master of Science (MS) degree is awarded for demonstrated competence in the anatomical sciences. This is a 12-month program that begins with intensive training in human gross anatomy in the summer term. Students must complete a minimum of 32 units of graduate-level courses (500 or higher) beyond the baccalaureate degree and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Core Courses

Students complete 24 units of core courses in the anatomical sciences.

• IAS 501a Human Gross Anatomy Units: 3
• IAS 501b Human Gross Anatomy Units: 4
• IAS 504L Human Skeletal Anatomy Units: 3
• IAS 511aL Microscopic Anatomy Units: 3
• IAS 511bL Microscopic Anatomy Units: 3
• IAS 521 Neuroanatomy Units: 3
• IAS 550 Cell and Neurobiology Seminar Units: 1
• IAS 580 Teaching in the Anatomical Sciences Units: 1
• IAS 581 Teaching in the Anatomical Sciences: Practicum Units: 3

Elective Courses

Students complete 8 units of electives, which may be chosen from the list below or pursued in other USC departments with approval from the IAS MS Program Director.

• IAS 502L Advanced Regional Anatomy I Units: 2
• IAS 503L Advanced Regional Anatomy II Units: 2
• IAS 572 Medical Physiology I Units: 4
• IAS 573 Medical Physiology II Units: 4
• IAS 590 Directed Research Units: 1, 2, 3
• IAS 599 Special Topics Units: 2, 3, 4

Goals of the program are to train students in preparation for:

1. 1. Teaching positions in the core anatomical sciences (gross anatomy, histology, neuroanatomy). Instructors in the anatomical sciences contribute to teaching at medical and dental schools, in allied health programs (nursing, physical and occupational therapy, physician assistants, dental hygiene), and in pre-health undergraduate majors at colleges and universities. In recent years, the number of faculty trained to teach in these subject areas has steadily decreased. As a result, finding qualified individuals capable to teach in the anatomical sciences increasingly has become problematic. The IAS master’s program in human anatomical sciences is advantageously poised to address this problem.
   2. Research positions and further doctoral training in functional and evolutionary morphology. While the anatomical sciences are among the oldest (and most fundamental) of the biological and medical sciences, the modern incarnation of morphology is a relatively young and fast-moving field of endeavor. Modern areas of focus in morphology include: mapping the anatomical biodiversity of the planet; understanding the relationships between form (e.g., skeleton) and function (i.e., locomotion; mastication) in living animals; reconstructing the behavior, performance and life history of extinct organisms; elucidating the origin of major groups of animals (including our own branch of the evolutionary tree); and investigating the fundamental properties of biomaterials (e.g., bone). The movement towards quantitative methods in the anatomical sciences and integration of new disciplines to morphology research also has made this field of endeavor more translational. For example, synthetic material design, robotics, aeronautics, cinema, graphic arts, conservation biology and other fields now make consistent use of the data generated by morphologists.