Come Learn at WIRED University in a New USC Degree Program

USC Roski School of Art and Design dean Erica Muhl and WIRED editor-in-chief Scott Dadich. Lester Cohen/Getty

WIRED is going back to school, and you can come with us.

At the first-ever WIRED by Design conference on Wednesday, our editor-in-chief Scott Dadich revealed that WIRED would be realizing a longtime dream to launch a real-world degree program focused on the people and ideas at the center of our universe.

The online master’s degree in Integrated Design, Business and Technology will be offered in partnership with the University of Southern California. In other words, it’s a real credential, not just a certificate with the WIRED logo stamped on it. The program will include coursework from multiple schools across USC. It will also offer seminars and lectures developed and taught by WIRED editors, writers, and designers. You’ll even get the chance to come hang out with us during residencies at WIRED’s San Francisco HQ—our awesome new offices should be done by the time classes start in 2015.

The idea behind the degree is to combine the rigor, resources, and faculty of a first-rate academic institution with WIRED’s expertise and on-the-ground engagement with the core disciplines covered by the program. Thoughts about what a WIRED university curriculum would look like have been percolating for years, Dadich said. “Taking the best from USC and WIRED, we can teach discipline and disruption, business fundamentals, and the very latest innovation models from Silicon Valley. This is going to be thrilling,” he said.

The program will last 18 to 24 months and will include specially designed classes in conjunction with USC’s Roski School of Art and Design, the USC Marshall School of Business, and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Students will also get to connect with the industry leaders and innovative thinkers constantly circulating through the WIRED world.

“The pace of technology development requires higher education to continue to respond with programs that are flexible and adaptable, and that meet the needs of future cultural and business leaders,” said Muhl, dean of USC’s Roski School.

The unique partnership comes as organizations across the media industry rethink what it means to be a media brand. Since being named editor-in-chief in November 2012, Dadich has redoubled WIRED’s emphasis on design as an essential piece of both its editorial coverage and brand identity.

WIRED and USC are developing the program in collaboration with Qubed Education, a joint venture between higher-ed investment firm University Ventures and Condé Nast, WIRED’s parent company, as well as online degree consultancy Synergis Education.

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