Major Mondays: Iovine and Young Academy (IYA)
Major: The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation prepares students to “invent the future” with a one-of-a-kind curriculum. IYA students learn at the intersection of human-centered design, technology, business, and communication. The program continually collaborates with industry partners that allow students to become strategists who solve real-world problems within companies. The program is cohort-based and allows for collaboration and peer-to-peer learning. Students applying as first-year and transfer students must list this major as a first choice on the Common Application.
Overview: Throughout their academic time, students have regular access to new and legendary makers, creators, and doers. The Academy’s signature Impact and Industry Labs offer students opportunities to work on real-world challenges with renowned for-profit and non-profit companies. Student teams collaborate with faculty and industry mentors to research, design, and develop solutions to problems facing individual organizations, entire industries, and society as a whole. Successful applicants will possess many of the following attributes: creative ability, original ideas, clear facility for multi- or cross-disciplinary thinking and problem-solving, demonstrated successful teamwork, apply good practices for leadership, an aptitude for storytelling, narrative and visual and verbal communication, and an interest in new models for business or enterprise, including in the realms of entrepreneurship, and social entrepreneurship.
Student Endeavors & Notable Research: IYA students harness the power to adapt to the ever-growing changes in society, making their work important and impactful.
Earlier this year, 11 early-stage ventures stood before a panel of esteemed panelists and a live audience to pitch their original business ideas. The Iovine and Young Academy’s first-annual IYA Venture Showcase allowed student companies to present their products, services, and technologies to industry leaders for funding and a lightning round of feedback. The event highlighted the cutting-edge concepts born at IYA and demonstrated the unique intersectionality of technology, design, and business driven by purpose, community, and collaboration.
Max Orozco (MS ‘20) has dedicated himself to studying the brain, working in laboratories throughout California and penning different academic papers on brain development for much of his professional career. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, is a non-invasive scan that creates detailed images of your body’s internal organs and skeletal structures. The procedure can be scary for some children, so to help stop this problem, Max developed a virtual reality tool that simulates the sights and sounds of a real MRI exam. This way, kids will know what to expect before their MRI appointment, including how much movement is allowed during a scan. For more information on Orozco’s research, check out the IYA article “Graduate Student Uses VR To Erase Kids’ Fear of MRIs.”
Alumni/Faculty: Academy startups have gained over $120 million in development funding and acquisition payouts with IYA’s Career Edge. Most recently, a product designed and developed exclusively by Academy students, the Mira “Prism” Augmented Reality Headset, received the prestigious 2018 Red Dot Product Design Award and was recently selected to partner with Universal Creative on Super Nintendo World’s “Super Mario Kart” AR experience. Multiple Academy startups have been selected to participate in Y Combinator and were named by Forbes as the leading accelerator in the world.
Jean-Michel Arnoult: An Entrepreneur-in-Residence and investor, Arnoult advises students on fundraising, operations, and growth strategies during the preliminary stages of their companies. He is also the CEO and Founder of Crowdfunder.
Application Process: In order to apply to IYA, applicants must select the “Regular Decision” timeline in the Common Application and select “IYA: Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation B.S.” as their first-choice major. Note that the Academy is not an option as a second-choice major. Students that apply to this program are considered for merit-based scholarships. In addition to the Common Application, applicants must also submit a SlideRoom Portfolio by the December 1st deadline.
There are two parts to the SlideRoom portfolio; applicants must submit the required 1min pitch video or 1 min project narration. In addition to submitting the 1-minute video of their choosing, students can submit up to 5 submissions for their creative portfolio. For more details on the IYA portfolio process, visit the IYA Admission page.
Want to Learn More?
Take a virtual tour of Iovine and Young Hall to check out their maker spaces.
Hear the story of the Academy from students and faculty and learn more about the amazing faculty and alumni.
Read IYA’s The Pulse to stay current on what their students produce.
IYA also offers six innovative minors: Health Innovation, Designing Products, Disruptive Innovation, Designing for Live Experiences, Designing for Digital Experiences, and Extended Reality Design and Development.
Written by: James Ezell, Assistant Director of Admissions - USC Iovine and Young Academy