The USC DRSc program is the only doctoral program in regulatory science in the world. The program of study is designed to cultivate research, leadership and inquiry skills for advanced students in the emerging profession of global regulatory science. It is designed to produce graduates who have a particular expertise in strategic management, policy development and research assessment and who will work in senior positions in the public sector, academia and the medical products industry.

Participants in this program take a set of interdependent courses that extend from a strong core of basic regulatory science coursework and additionally focus on three main areas—global product strategy, product lifecycle strategy, and project and personnel management.

The program is designed to meet the needs of individuals who are already working full-time outside of the university in positions in which they have substantial leadership or managerial responsibilities. A typical student in the program has somewhere between 10 and 15 years of experience in the regulated product industry with several years of experience managing or directing regulatory or quality departments.