The USC Annenberg School for Communication was founded in 1971 with generous support from the late Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg. Its strategic location in Los Angeles on the University Park Campus at the University of Southern California enables it to foster dynamic synergies and multidisciplinary approaches to the study of communication through unparalleled access to the nation's and the world's entertainment, media and technology industries. In 1994, two of USC's related academic departments – Communication Arts & Sciences and Journalism – merged with the Annenberg School.

Today, with 75 full-time faculty members, nearly 1,900 undergraduate and graduate students and dozens of research and public interest projects and programs, USC Annenberg has become a center for discussion among scholars and professionals in communication, public policy, media and education. Multidisciplinary and international in scope, but focused and practical in application, USC Annenberg scholars, both students and faculty, are defining communication, journalism and public relations for the 21st century and beyond.