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Graduate Student Policies and Procedures

The topics listed below include only a brief description a policy or procedure. To learn more, click the corresponding link.

  • Catalogue > The Graduate School
    • Academic Warning and Dismissal: A student’s overall academic performance, specific skills and aptitudes, and faculty evaluations will be considered in departmental or program decisions regarding a student’s continuation in a master’s or doctoral degree program.
  • Catalogue > Academic and University Policies > Academic Standards
    • Academic Warning and Dismissal of Graduate Students: A student’s overall academic performance, specific skills and aptitudes, and faculty evaluations will be considered in departmental or program decisions regarding a student’s continuation in a master’s or doctoral degree program.
  • Policies and Policy Governance > USC Policies > SCampus, Part C
  • Graduate School > Current Students > Student Resources > Appeal Panel Guidelines
    • Academic Dismissal Appeal Guidelines: A Graduate School Dismissal Appeal provides the final consideration of a student's dismissal from a graduate program when the dismissal has been upheld by the dean of the relevant school.
  • Catalogue > The Graduate School
    • Admission: Admission to degree or certificate programs in the Graduate School is processed through the USC Office of Graduate Admission, which receives all applications, evaluates credentials and issues notification letters. Admission to the university, under the standards of the Graduate School, is decided by the appropriate academic department or program.
    • General Requirements for Doctor of Philosophy Degree: Qualified students will be received as applicants for candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in departments and programs.
    • General Requirements for Graduate Degrees: The foundation for a master’s or doctoral degree is a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent, comparable in standard to that awarded at USC.
    • General Requirements for Master’s Degree: The Graduate School confers the master’s degree upon the satisfactory completion of a carefully planned curriculum.
    • General Requirements for Progressive Degree Programs: A progressive degree program enables a USC undergraduate to begin work on a master’s degree while completing requirements for the bachelor’s degree.
    • Theses and Dissertations: General information about the thesis and dissertation submission process.
  • Catalogue > Graduate and Professional Education > Requirements for Graduation
    • Closed Record: The academic record of a student who has completed the program of study or ceased attendance is considered closed.
    • Continuous Enrollment: Students admitted to a graduate degree objective are required to be enrolled at USC for fall and spring semesters each year until all degree requirements have been satisfactorily completed within the time limit.
    • Degree Requirements: All graduate students must meet both university degree requirements and those degree requirements specific to their program of study to receive an advanced degree.
    • Discontinued Degree Programs: Students pursuing major programs that the university discontinues will be allowed to complete them within a specified time limit.
    • Dual Degree Programs: Dual degree programs offer graduate students the opportunity to concurrently complete requirements for two degrees.
    • Enrollment Status: To be considered full time, a master’s level student must be enrolled in a minimum of 8 units of 400- and 500-level course work, and a doctoral level student must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units of 500-level and above course work.
    • Grade Point Average Requirement: An overall grade point average of at least 3.0 on all units attempted at USC while a graduate student is required for graduation, whether or not all such units are applied toward the degree. In some cases, the University Committee on Curriculum has approved different GPA requirements for professional schools.
    • Graduation Date: A student will be awarded the graduation date for the term in which degree requirements, including submission of supporting documents, have been met.
    • Leave of Absence: A student in good standing and making satisfactory progress toward a degree who must interrupt studies for compelling reasons may petition for a leave for a stated period, usually one semester.
    • Pass/No Pass Graded Work: Graduate students may elect to enroll in courses on a pass/no pass basis with department or program approval.
    • Progressive Degree Programs: The Application for Admission to a Progressive Master’s Program must be approved by the deans of the bachelor’s and the master’s degree-granting schools at USC and submitted to the Degree Progress Department.
    • Readmission: A student who leaves the university without obtaining a formal leave of absence from graduate study is not automatically readmitted. A student wishing to apply for readmission to a graduate degree program must first get the recommendation of the department chair or program director and submit an Application for Readmission to the dean of the degree program.
    • Residence Requirements: A minimum of 20 graduate units of USC course work is required for the master’s degree; 24 units for the doctoral degree.
    • Second Master’s Degree: A “second master’s degree” is any master’s degree pursued after a first master’s degree is earned at USC.
    • Substitution of Course Requirements: Individual academic programs/departments may approve substitutions and waivers within limit for their programs.
    • Time Limit for Degree Completion: The maximum time limit allowed for each degree is considerably greater than what is needed to complete all requirements. The maximum time limit allowed for each degree is considerably greater than what is needed to complete all requirements. Departments may set more stringent time limits than those specified in this section.
    • Unit Requirement: The course of study for the master’s degree must include at least 24 units in required and elective courses.
  • Catalogue > Graduate and Professional Education > Course Work Taken Elsewhere
    • Course Work Taken Elsewhere: Admitted students receive a transfer credit report showing unit and subject credit granted for graduate courses.
  • Catalogue > Graduate and Professional Education >  Financial Aid for Graduate Students
  • Financial Support Through Graduate Fellowships and Assistantships: Prospective and continuing students seeking financial support will find opportunities to fund their graduate study through individual schools and departments and through the Graduate School.
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy: To be eligible for federal financial aid, graduate and professional students are required by the U.S. Department of Education (34 CFR 668.34) to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress toward their program objectives.
  • Catalogue > Graduate and Professional Education > Graduate Degree Programs
    • Graduate Degree Programs: The basic graduate degrees are the Master of Arts, Master of Science, the Doctor of Philosophy and the professional doctoral degree. All Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees must meet the standards of scholarship and other regulations established by the Graduate School.
  • Catalogue > Academic and University Policies > Exception Procedures
    • The Graduate School: Requests for an exception to the policies and procedures governing Graduate School degree programs will be considered upon submission of a petition to the Graduate School stating the specific request, supported by adequate reasons and information.
  • Campus Support & Intervention > Students > Health and Wellness > Health Leave of Absence
    • Health Leave of Absence: The health leave process is designed to help students step away from school, focus on evidence-based care for a health concern, and return better able to navigate the rigors of their degree.
  • Graduate School > Current Students > Student Resources
    • Advisor Connect: If you have a question beyond your program or school, you can submit a message to one of our academic advising staff.
    • Problem Solving: Certain issues including Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services (RSVP), USC EEO-TIX and USC Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards are covered.
    • Students and Mentors: You and your PhD mentor share the responsibility for establishing a relationship that contributes to the successful pursuit of your graduate degree.
  • Graduate School > Fellowships
    • Prospective Students: Most PhD students at USC will receive at least one year of fellowship funding from the Graduate School.
    • Current PhD Students: The USC Graduate School provides a number of competitively awarded fellowships for students who have successfully completed the first years of their PhD program.
    • External Fellowships: The USC Graduate School provides a variety of resources to support PhD students seeking funding.
    • Master’s Students: There are also a number of opportunities for master’s students available from the USC Graduate School.
    • PhD Achievement Awards: As part of an ongoing effort to support and recognize the academic professional development of current PhD students, the Graduate School provides a PhD Achievement Award for students with exceptional academic profiles.
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Graduate School > Diversity, Inclusion & Access (DIA)
    • DIA Initiatives: The DIA initiative ensures that diversity, inclusion, and access are part of the very fabric of USC.
  • Catalogue > Academic and University Policies > Registration
    • Eligibility for Limited Status Enrollment: Students who have not yet completed a bachelor’s degree are not eligible for limited status enrollment if they have been denied admission to USC or if they have been academically disqualified or suspended from any community college, college or university.
    • Limited Status Enrollment: Limited status enrollment allows persons who have not been admitted to the university to take a limited number of courses at USC.
    • USC-UCLA Cross-Registration for Graduate Students: As part of an academic resource-sharing program, USC graduate students have an opportunity to take a portion of their program at UCLA.

 

  • Schedule of Classes > General Registration Information > Enrollment/Registration
    • Enrollment Status: Enrollment status is assigned by the Registrar’s office based upon several criteria that include number of registered units, exceptional courses, graduate assistantships and the class level of the program that the student is pursuing.
    • Pass/No Pass Option: USC allows students to decide the grade option for any course up until the 20 percent mark of the session in which the course is offered

 

  • Schedule of Classes > General Registration Information > Graduate Students
    • Continuing Registration Requirement: Graduate students who have not yet met all requirements for admission may be admitted with continuing registration requirements.
    • Thesis 594: Master’s candidates who are writing a thesis and have completed all course work for the degree are to be registered in Thesis 594 each fall and spring semester.
    • Dissertation 794: Doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy (i.e., after passing the qualifying examination), and are completing a dissertation, are to be registered in Dissertation 794 each fall and spring semester, for a minimum of two semesters.
    • GRSC 800 Series: The GRSC 800 series is a mandatory non-credit registration for graduate students who have completed all course work and are not otherwise registered while taking the master’s comprehensive or the doctoral qualifying examination.

 

  • Schedule of Classes > General Registration Information > University Policies
    • Leave of Absence: A student in good standing and making satisfactory progress toward a degree who must interrupt studies for compelling reasons may petition for a leave for a stated period, usually one semester.
  • Student Travel Abroad — For graduate students who will travel abroad, view USC Policies for destination restrictions and crisis management

 

View policy

  • Graduate School > Current Students > Guidelines, Forms & Requests
    • TA/RA/AL Handbook: The handbook has been prepared for teaching assistants, research assistants, and graduate assistant lecturers, for the faculty who work with them, and for staff departmental advisors.
  • Graduate School > Current Students > Guidelines, Forms & Requests
    • Stipend Memo: Minimum Total Stipends for Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants and Graduate Assistant Lecturers.
  • Graduate School > Thesis Center Submission Information
    • Main Page: Information about the thesis and dissertation submission process.
    • Submission Deadlines: Checklist and Manuscript deadlines dates for Fall, Spring and Summer terms.
    • Early Submission Option Deadline: Students will be exempt from the requirement to register for 594 or 794 in a given semester if they have met the continuous enrollment requirement, completed all required checklist items, and submitted the manuscript to the Graduate School Thesis Center.
    • Guidelines for Submission: A step-by-step guideline prior to the defense of the manuscript.
    • Guidelines For Format and Presentation: Each graduate program that requires a dissertation or thesis has adopted a style used by scholarly publications in the field. The student and advisor are responsible for ensuring that this style is used consistently throughout the manuscript.
    • Required Documents: Appointment/Change of Committee forms for Master’s and Doctoral students, and a link to the Survey of Earned Doctorates (PhD only).
  • Graduate School > Current Students > Guidelines, Forms & Requests
  • Catalogue > The Graduate School > Theses and Dissertations