The University of Southern California (USC) Rossier School of Education is a part of the USC private university system. It is one of the leading centers for urban graduate education in the world. It strives to change urban education by educating and developing leaders in education who are committed to implementing change at the local, national, and global levels. It seeks innovative, effective, and fair solutions to challenging issues in the education field through collaborative action research and beneficial partnerships. It is also committed to providing students with a rich learning environment and international study and research opportunities. The school takes prides in its diverse learning community with students from all over the county and world. U.S. News and World Report ranks Rossier School of Education among the top 20 for graduate schools of education.

Rossier School of Education offers comprehensive graduate programs in education as the Master degree, Ed. D degree, and Ph.D. degree levels. It also offers professional development opportunities. The school is committed to providing innovative academic programs and incorporating current technologies to give students an array of learning options to succeed. It offers an array of programs that prepare students to begin or advance in educational careers such as teachers, counselors, scholars, and leaders.

Rossier School of Education offers distant learning opportunities through its virtual online campus to meet the needs of busy students with other obligations. Highly qualified and experienced faculty who are current and former educators and education leaders teach the courses and provide insight for future education professionals. The virtual online environment features live online class sessions where students interact with instructors and classmates in real-time and face-to-face through video communication. Students are able to upload videos of their work and discuss them with their instructors. The virtual campus is also set up similar to a social networking site and students are able to chat with fellow students, post and comment on their profiles, form study groups, and join communities.

The Master of Arts in Teaching program (MAT@USC) is offer entirely online and it was developed around honest communication on how to integrate theory successfully with practical experiences. It offers an innovative curriculum that incorporates a rich, challenging and interactive online learning environment. The program includes school-based field experiences that student complete in their local area. The MAT@USC program offers two distinct tracks of study for current teachers and aspiring educators. Each program concentration uses a forward-thinking method to deal with the challenges of today’s classrooms and how excellent teachers are required to ensure a diverse school environment, seek innovative learning approaches, and offer personalized student experiences. The MAT@USC program is one of the fastest growing programs for teacher preparation and enables students to pursue teaching practicum requirements at more than 700 school districts and 1,400 individual schools around the nation. It is one of the only graduate online programs from a leading research university.

The University of Southern California Rossier School of Education traces its history back to the 1890s when education courses began at USC. In 1909 the Department of Education was founded and in 1918 the School of Education. The school changes its name to Rossier School of Education in 1998 after alumni Barbara J. and Roger W. Rossier donated $20 million to the school, which was the largest donation to any school of education in the world.