Mobile App Development

Design and program innovative and standards-compliant applications for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. Learn how to design mobile interfaces, use libraries to build apps that have the proper look and feel, and handle user input.

Learn about:

Skills and Careers
Requirements
Course Plan
Resources

Skills

Android development
iOS development
UI design
Mobile app ideation

Careers

Mobile Developer
UX Designer
Interaction Designer

Requirements

All minors at USC need 16 units that only meet minor requirements and do not meet any other major, minor, or GE requirement.
All courses completed for your minor or specialization must be completed for a letter grade.
You must earn a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA in the courses completed for your minor or specialization.

Minor (18 units)

Core requirements (6 units):

ITP-115 “Programming in Python” (2 units)
or ITP-116 "Accelerated Programming in Python" (2 units)
ITP-265 “Object-Oriented Programming” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-115 or ITP-116]

Complete One of the Following (4 units):

ITP-341 “Android App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]
ITP-342 “iOS App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]

Electives (8 units):

ITP-303 “Full-Stack Web Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]
ITP-310 “Design for User Experience” (4 units)
ITP-341 “Android App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]
ITP-342 “iOS App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]
ITP-344 “Advanced iOS App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-342]
ITP-345 “Advanced Android App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-341]
ITP-368 “Cross Platform App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]
ITP-382 “Mobile Game Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]

Substitutions:

The following courses are also pre-approved electives for the minor. If you enroll in one of the following courses, please email our academic advisors so that they can update your STARS report. Substitution courses are not automatically applied to your minor requirements, so you will need to ask our academic advisors to make the change for you.

ITP-216 "Applied Python" (2 units) [prerequisite: ITP-115 or ITP-116]

Specialization (10 units)

Core requirements (6 units):

ITP-115 “Programming in Python” (2 units)
or ITP-116 "Accelerated Python for Programmers" (2 units)
ITP-265 “Object-Oriented Programming” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-115 or ITP-116]

Complete One of The Following (4 units):

ITP-341 “Android App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]
ITP-342 “iOS App Development” (4 units) [prerequisite: ITP-265 or CSCI-103]

Frequently Asked Questions:

If you've taken CSCI-102 or ITP-165:

ITP-115/116 will be waived, and you will be able to register for ITP-265 immediately.

If you've taken CSCI-103 or EE-155

ITP-115 will be waived, and ITP-265 will be substituted with CSCI-103/EE-155. If CSCI-103/EE-155 is currently counting for another major or minor, you will need to take an additional Computer Programing elective for this minor (16 units must be uniquely counting towards your Computer Programming minor).

If you've taken CSCI-104 or EE-355

ITP-115 will be waived, and ITP-265 will be substituted with CSCI-104/EE-355. If CSCI-104/EE-355 is currently counting for another major or minor, you will need to take an additional Computer Programing elective for this minor (16 units must be uniquely counting towards your Computer Programming minor).
Depending on how you did in CSCI-104, we may recommend taking ITP-365 or we may recommend you take an additional elective in place of ITP-365. Please reach out to itpadvising@usc.edu for additional info on this.

If you've taken a non-USC course, which is already substituting for CSCI-102/103/104

Transfer courses that are already counting in place of CSCI-102/103/104 may count in place of ITP-115/265/365 respectively.

If you passed the CSCI-102/103 challenge exam

You can have ITP-115/ITP-265 waived. Please reach out to itpadvising@usc.edu for more information.

If you are self-taught, or took a course at another university that is not appearing on your STARS report:

We may be able to waive a course depending on your knowledge.

To waive a course in this minor, you will need to:

Find the syllabus to the course that you have taken outside of USC.
Email the syllabus along with a paragraph description of why you believe this course should allow you to be waived out of the ITP course (if there is no syllabus, please submit a detailed explanation of your programming experience/knowledge).
Your request will be reviewed by ITP faculty.
Once a determination has been made, you will be notified via email.

If you are approved to have one or more courses waived, please keep in mind that you will need to take extra elective(s) and will need 18 total units to complete the minor.

Course Plan

Use the chart below to plan your course schedule to complete your minor. Pay careful attention to prerequisites. Make sure you consult with your major advisor about how best to incorporate the requirements for your minor with your major and general education requirements.

Please contact our academic advisors with questions about course sequencing, departmental clearance and course substitutions.

Semester 1

ITP-115: "Programming in Python" (2 units)

Start writing programs in the Python language, an easy-to-read programming language used for web applications, data analysis, and scientific research. You'll learn to think like a programmer to solve problems, control flow, and implement graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to create simple programs.

ITP-116: "Accelerated Programming in Python" (2 units)

The course is intended to teach the fundamental concepts of the Python programming language to those students who already have experience with a previous programming language.

Semester 2

Semester 3

Semester 4

"A minor in Mobile Application Development helped me find my career interests, learn practical mobile app development skills, and understand how to create apps that provide great user experience."

-Zihan Zhu, Computer Science

Class of 2021

What our students and alumni say

Next steps

How can I add this program?

Apply online

Current USC students can use our online application to declare a minor or specialization. Your application will be processed within 4 to 9 business days, and you will be notified at your official USC email address of your admission to the program of your choice.

Complete your application >

Contact us with questions

If you have a question about the program, you're welcome to write to us or schedule an advisement appointment. We can help you navigate our program requirements and resources and refer you to other offices as needed.

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