In addition to degree requirements outlined below, undergraduate
and graduate students are also subject to current catalogue
regulations, policies and procedures. Examples include, but are not
limited to, the policy on the grade of incomplete, graduation with
honors and continuous enrollment for graduate students. Unlike
degree requirements, changes in regulations, policies and
procedures are immediate and supersede those in any prior
catalogue.
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. Although course work may have been completed in a
prior term, the degree will be awarded only for the term for which
all academic and administrative requirements have been fulfilled.
Application for the degree is a requirement for all graduate
degrees. Students wishing to change the degree date from that
indicated on the Degree Progress Summary Report should file a
Change of Information card with the revised degree date. The cards
are available in the Degree Progress Department in SAS 101. Degrees
are not awarded retroactively.
Discontinued Degree Programs
Students pursuing degree programs which the university discontinues
will be allowed to complete the degree within a specified time
limit. The time limit will be specified at the point of
discontinuance of the program and begins at that point. It is
determined according to the student’s progress toward degree
completion and will not exceed five years for any student.
Degree Requirements
Undergraduate degree requirements consist of grade point averages,
unit requirements, residence requirements, general education
requirements, the writing requirement, the diversity requirement,
pre-major and major requirements, and minor requirements.
Undergraduate students may elect to follow (a) the degree
requirements in the catalogue current in their first term of
enrollment after admission or readmission at USC or (b) degree
requirements in subsequent catalogues. However, undergraduate
students may not mix catalogues.
While there are no specific time limits for completing
bachelor’s degrees, over the years many departments change
their major requirements in accordance with developments in the
field and department. Occasionally, general education requirements
are changed or a degree program is discontinued.
Therefore, undergraduate students who do not complete their degrees
within six consecutive years from the beginning of the semester of
their first completed USC course work will not be allowed
automatically to continue following their pre-major, major and
minor requirements as specified above. (This time limit includes
semesters during which students are not enrolled.) The pertinent
department chair will decide what pre-major, major and minor
requirements each student must follow and communicate the decision
to the student in writing.
Students who do not complete their degrees within 10 consecutive
years from the beginning of the semester of their first completed
USC course work will not be allowed automatically to continue their
general education requirements. (This time limit includes semesters
during which students are not enrolled.) The General Education
Office will decide what general education requirements each student
must follow and communicate the decision to the student in writing.
An appeal of a department’s decision may be made to the dean
of the appropriate academic unit or the Provost’s Office for
academic units without departments. An appeal of a general
education decision may be made to the Committee on Academic
Policies and Procedures (CAPP).
Grade Point Average Requirement
A grade point average of at least C (2.0) on all baccalaureate
units attempted at USC, as well as on the combined USC-transfer
GPA, is required for undergraduate degrees. A minimum cumulative
grade point average of 2.0 in all attempted upper division courses
for the major is also required, regardless of the department in
which the courses are taken. The university will not deviate from
policies governing the calculation of the grade point average
through inclusion or exclusion of course work.
Unit Requirement
Students are required to take a minimum of 128 baccalaureate units
at the undergraduate level (of which not more than four units may
be physical education units). A student may earn a maximum of 16
units for individual instruction in music at the 201/401 levels and
comparable transfer courses. No more than 8 units of dance
technique courses (THTR 181 through THTR 189) may be applicable
toward an undergraduate degree. Of the 128 unit minimum at least 32
units must be upper division course work. Students must also
complete all upper division course work in the major at USC. The
university will not deviate from the minimum unit requirements
stated above or the additional unit-specific requirements. Some
disciplines require more than the minimum requiremenDs. Check
individual department listings for specific requirements.
Unit credit indicates the number of semester units earned in the
course; these units may or may not be applicable to the degree.
Degree credit indicates the units are applicable to the degree.
Pass/No Pass Graded Work
A maximum of 24 units of undergraduate course work taken on a
pass/no pass basis may be used toward an undergraduate degree and a
maximum of 4 of these 24 units may be applied to the general
education requirements. Use of pass/no pass course work to fulfill
major requirements must be approved in writing by the academic
department. Individual academic departments may have placed further
restrictions on whether a course taken on a pass/no pass basis can
be used to fulfill specific requirements.
General Education Requirements
General education and writing requirements for all students are
provided in the General Education
Program. Additional specific information is included with the
information on individual majors.
Diversity Requirement
The diversity requirement must be met by all students who began
college at USC or elsewhere fall 1993 or later. It can be met by
passing any one course carrying the designation “m” for
multiculturalism. The list of courses and further details about
meeting the diversity requirement are found Diversity Course
List.
Gateway Course
A gateway course is a lower division 3-4 unit course that
introduces and showcases the minor or major curricula of an
academic field of study. It is intended to be a student’s
first exposure to a field of study.
Upper Division Major Course Work
The university requires that all undergraduate students
successfully complete at USC all the upper division courses that
are applied to their major. Substitution of a comparable upper
division course for a required one may be entered in the STARS
exception process by the departmental advisor with the support of
the department. Substitutions and waivers of USC or transfer
courses for upper division requirements for major and minor
programs are to be limited to a combination of 25 percent.
Substitution of courses with the same departmental prefix are
exempted from this limit. Lower division courses cannot be
substituted for upper division course requirements.
Minor Programs
Application for a minor must be made to the department or
professional school and an appropriate endorsement must appear on a
Change/Addition of Major or Minor Degree Objectives form.
The following guidelines apply to minor
programs:
- Minor programs are available to students matriculated in an
undergraduate degree program and must be completed
simultaneously with the major degree program.
- Minors constituted of course work from a single department
may not be earned by students majoring in that department.
- Students may take an interdepartmental minor in which their
major unit participates as long as at least four courses (at
least 16 units) required for the minor are taken outside the
major.
- Students must take at least four courses (at least 16
units) which are unique to the minor (i.e., not required to
fulfill the major, another minor or general education
requirements).
- All upper-division course work required for the minor must
be taken at USC.
- Departments at their discretion may substitute no more than
25 percent of the required units defined in the catalogue for a
given minor program. Substitution of courses with the same
departmental prefix are exempted from this limit. Lower
division courses cannot be substituted for upper division
course requirements.
- Departments at their discretion may waive no more than 4
units for minor programs with 17 to 20 units or no more than 8
units for minor programs with more than 20 units for each
student. The number of units unique to the minor after any
departmental waivers or substitutions must total at least 16
units.
- No course work required for the minor may be taken on a
Pass/No Pass basis.
- A minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA must be achieved in all
courses required for the minor. A higher minimum may be
required by the sponsoring department or unit.
- Students whose major degree programs do not include a
language requirement need not satisfy that requirement to earn
a minor from the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences or a
professional school that has a language requirement unless the
minor specifically requires the language.
- Completion of the minor program will be recorded on the
transcript.
Departmental Honors Programs
The following departments have received approval from the
university Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for their majors to
graduate with departmental honors:
Anthropology; Biochemistry (B.S.); Biological Sciences (B.A. and
B.S.); Broadcast Journalism; Business Administration; Chemistry
(B.A. and B.S.); Cinema-Television; Classics; Communication;
Comparative Literature; Economics; English; French; Gerontology;
History; International Relations; Linguistics; Mathematics (B.A.
and B.S.); Philosophy, Philosophy (Ethics, Law and Value Theory);
Political Science; Print Journalism; Psychobiology; Psychology;
Public Policy and Management; Public Relations; Religion; and
Spanish.
The minimal requirements for receiving departmental honors are that
the student:
- satisfactorily completes course work for an honors project
and
- achieves no less than a 3.5 GPA (A = 4.0) in the major at
the time of graduation. Each program, department or school will
designate what it considers the appropriate course work and
honors project.
Departmental honors are noted on academic transcripts but not on
the diploma.
Graduation with University Honors
To be eligible for undergraduate honors at graduation, a minimum
overall grade point average of 3.5 for cum laude, 3.7 for
magna cum laude and 3.9 for summa cum laude is
required. Students must meet these averages, both on residence work
attempted and on combined transferred and residence work attempted.
The honors award is then determined by either the GPA for the
residence work or the GPA for the combined transferred and
residence work, whichever is lower. The university will not deviate
from policies governing the calculation of the grade point averages
required for graduation with honors through inclusion or exclusion
of course work. University honors are noted on academic transcripts
and the diploma.
Undergraduate Credit for a Graduate Course
In some cases, an undergraduate student may receive special
permission from the academic unit offering a course to enroll in
and receive undergraduate credit for a graduate course (numbered
500 and above). Such permission will not be granted unless the
student has reached junior class standing (64 units earned) with an
overall GPA of 3.0 and has a 3.0 GPA in all courses attempted in
that discipline.
Written permission from the dean of the academic unit offering the
course must be countersigned by a counselor in the Degree Progress
Department and presented to the Registration Department at the time
of registration.
Students not meeting this standard may petition to count graduate
course work for undergraduate credit. These petitions should be
initiated in the student’s academic unit prior to attempting
to enroll in the course. Such a petition requires recommendation by
the instructor of the course, the chair of the student’s
major department, the dean of the academic unit in which the
student is seeking a degree and the appropriate graduate governing
body under which the course falls. In no case will a student be
allowed to enroll in and receive credit for a graduate course if
the student’s cumulative USC GPA is below 2.0. Graduate
courses taken in transfer may not be used for undergraduate credit.
Graduate Credit for 400 and 500 Level Work Taken as an
Undergraduate
An undergraduate student who is within 12 semester units of the
bachelor’s degree and has a cumulative grade point average of
at least 3.0 may request to enroll in and reserve for graduate
credit a limited amount of work at the 400 and 500 levels during
the last semester as a senior, provided that the semester program
does not exceed 16 semester units. The request form obtained at the
Graduate School should be submitted to the Degree Progress
Department and should bear the endorsements of the chair of the
student’s major department and of the department in which the
reserved work is to be taken. The Degree Progress Department
verifies that the units being reserved are not needed to fulfill
requirements for the bachelor’s degree. The student must
present a copy of the final action to the Registration Department
at the time of enrollment.
Graduate Students
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. University degree requirements consist
of grade point averages, unit, residence and time limit
requirements. Degree requirements specific to a student’s
program of study consist of course, examination and research
requirements. University degree requirements and degree
requirements specific to the program of study are collectively
defined as degree requirements. Graduate students may elect to
follow (a) the degree requirements in the catalogue current for the
semester of their admission to the degree program or (b) degree
requirements in subsequent catalogues as long as they are
continuously enrolled (see Continuous
Enrollment). However, they may not mix catalogues. Graduate
students who discontinue their enrollment without a leave of
absence approved by the dean of the pertinent academic unit (see Leave of Absence) will be subject to the degree
requirements in effect for the semester of their readmission to the
program. Students requesting exceptions should petition the dean of
that unit.
Graduate Credit Certificate Programs
Graduate credit certificate programs must be approved by the
Graduate and Professional Studies Committee and meet the following
requirements:
- a minimum of 12 units is required; the maximum number of
units may vary;
- for certificate programs of 16 units or less, all course
work must be at the 500 level or above. For programs of more
than 16 units, no more than one-third of the total units for
the program may be at the 400 level;
- for completion, a minimum cumulative USC grade point
average of 3.0 must be achieved on all course work applied to
the certificate;
- for certificate programs of 16 units or less, all course
work must be earned at USC; for programs of more than 16 units,
not more than 25 percent of the course work may be transfer
credit.
Time Limit for Degree Completion
Students must maintain satisfactory progress toward their stated
degree objective at all times. Progress is measured from the
beginning of the first course at USC applied toward a specified
degree, and all requirements for that degree must be completed
within a specified time. 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.
The time limit for completing the master’s degree is five
years. The time limit for completing the doctoral degree is eight
years. For students who earned an applicable master’s degree
within five years prior to admission to the doctoral program, the
time limit for completing the doctoral degree is six years. An
academic department may grant an extension of up to one year at a
time for a maximum of two years.
The Director of Graduate and Professional Programs will be notified
of these extensions. In unusual cases, a student’s committee
and the department chair may petition the Director of Graduate and
Professional Programs for further extensions.
Students who have exceeded the time limit for completing their
degree program will not be permitted any further registrations. If
granted an extension of time, the dean of the degree-conferring
unit will permit registration for the specified period of
extension. Approved leaves of absence (up to a total of two years
or four semesters) are not counted in the time allowed for
completion of degree requirements.
The time limits apply unless otherwise designated by the faculty
and previously approved by the Graduate and Professional Studies
Committee for a particular degree program.
Dual Degree Programs
Dual degree programs offer graduate students the opportunity to
complete concurrently requirements for two degrees. Students
enrolled in dual degree programs must complete all requirements for
the dual degree program and then will be awarded both diplomas at
the same time. The academic units which offer these programs
frequently adjust the requirements for each degree to take into
account the correlations between required course work. Students who
have completed all the requirements for one of the degree programs
and who decide to withdraw from the dual degree program may receive
the appropriate single diploma. Students who have withdrawn from
the dual degree program to receive the appropriate single diploma
and later decide to complete the second degree must apply for
admission, be admitted and then fulfill all requirements for the
second degree. Detailed information regarding dual degree programs
is listed in the appropriate school section.
Grade Point Average Requirement
A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in a course to receive
graduate credit. Work graded C- or below is not acceptable for
subject or unit credit toward any master’s or doctoral
program. A grade point average of at least 3.0 on all units
attempted at USC toward a graduate degree is required for
graduation. In addition, a grade point average of at least 3.0 on
all graduate work attempted at USC, whether or not all such units
are applied toward the degree, is required. In some cases, the
Graduate and Professional Studies Committee has approved different
GPA requirements for professional schools. The university will not
deviate from policies governing the calculation of the grade point
average through inclusion or exclusion of course work.
Unit Requirement
The minimum number of units required for a master’s degree is
24, at least 20 of which must be completed at USC. The minimum
number of units for a doctoral degree is 60, at least 24 of which
(exclusive of Doctoral Dissertation 794) must be completed at USC.
In addition, at least one-half of the total number of units applied
toward a graduate degree must be completed at USC. The minimum
number of units for a doctoral degree with Advanced Standing upon
entrance is 36. No exceptions are allowed.
A department or school which has a graduate program approved by the
university requiring a higher minimum may not waive that
requirement. The unit requirement for a dual degree program is
established at the time the program is approved by the university
and may not be waived.
Regardless of the number of units required for a graduate degree,
at least two-thirds of the units applied toward the degree
(including transfer work and not including 594 or 794) must be at
the 500 level or higher. Students with Advanced Standing in
docüoral programs may not apply additional 400-level course work
toward that degree. Individual exceptions will not be allowed. Some
degree programs, where designated by the faculty and approved by
the Graduate and Professional Studies Committee, permit a higher
maximum number of 400-level units.
Unit credit indicates the number of semester units earned in the
course; these units may or may not be applicable to the degree.
Degree credit indicates the units are applicable to the degree.
Residence Requirements
A minimum of 20 graduate units at USC is required for the
master’s degree; 24 units for the doctoral degree.
Residence for a graduate degree program at USC is a period of
intensive study completed on the University Park campus, the Health
Sciences campus and/or at one of the approved off-campus study
centers. Each degree-conferring unit may establish a school
residence policy. School residence requirements as presented in the
USC Catalogue are
approved by the Graduate and Professional Studies Committee and are
to be interpreted consistent with university policies on continuous
enrollment, leaves of absence, transfer of credit and time limits
for completion of graduate degrees. Individual exceptions must be
approved by the Vice Provost for Academic Programs.
Pass/No Pass Graded Work
Graduate students may elect to enroll in courses on a pass/no pass
basis with department approval. Course work taken on a pass/no pass
basis cannot be applied toward a graduate degree. If a student
later requires the course for a degree program (because of a change
in degree objective or a decision to obtain an additional degree),
the degree-granting unit can decide to allow subject credit for the
course and require a substitute course for the unit credit.
Individual departments may have placed further restrictions on
whether a course taken on a pass/no pass basis can be used to
fulfill specific requirements.
All students should consult their academic advisors before
enrolling in any course on a pass/no pass basis.
Waiver and Substitution of Course Requirements
Students admitted to graduate degree objectives are expected to
complete the degree requirements listed in the USC Catalogue.
maximum of one-half of the stated degree course requirements
(exclusive of 594 Master’s Thesis and 794 Doctoral
Dissertation) may be approved for waiver or substitution by other
USC course work, directed research, or transfer course work. Waiver
or substitution of course requirements does not reduce the minimum
number of units required for the degree. Departments establishing a
lower maximum may waive their own policy by approval of the dean of
the degree-conferring unit. Approval from the department chair for
substitution or waiver of course requirements within the
established maxima is recorded in the student exception process by
the academic department. Approval in excess of the maxima requires,
in addition, the permission of the dean of the degree-conferring
unit.
Second Masters Degree
A “second master’s degree” is any master’s degree
pursued after a first master’s degree is earned at USC or
another university. The maximum number of units which may be
applied toward the second master’s degree for course work
taken from the first master’s degree is: four units toward
degree programs requiring 24-32 units; eight units toward programs
requiring 33-40 units; 12 units toward programs requiring 41 or
more units. Second master’s degrees are not allowed in the
same program of study for students who earned their first
master’s degree at USC.
For students who earned their first master’s degree at
another institution, no course work may be repeated from the first
program of study and no units from the first program of study may
be counted toward the second master’s degree. Program
exceptions require approval of the Graduate and Professional
Studies Committee and are listed in the departmental sections of
this catalogue. No individual exceptions are allowed.
Full-time Study
To be considered full time, a graduate student must be enrolled in
a minimum of eight units of 500-level or 12 units of 400- and
500-level course work. In order to make normal progress toward the
conclusion of course work for a graduate degree, most students will
be enrolled for 12 units; 16 units will constitute a maximum load.
Students wishing to carry more than 16 units must have the prior
permission of the degree-conferring unit; such permission will be
granted only in exceptional circumstances.
A student who has completed all course work for the
master’s degree will be considered full time when properly
enrolled in either 594 Master’s Thesis or GRSC 810 Studies
for Master’s Examination.
A student who has completed all course work for the doctoral
degree (except dissertation registrations) will be considered full
time during the semester in which the doctoral qualifying
examination is being prepared for, provided the Request to Take the
Qualifying Examination has been submitted and approved for that
semester and the student is enrolled in the course GRSC 800 Studies
for the Qualifying Examination. Doctoral students who have been
advanced to candidacy, that is, who have completed all course work
and have passed the qualifying examination, will be considered full
time when properly enrolled in 794 Doctoral Dissertation.
International students on student visas must be enrolled as
full-time students as determined by the Office for International
Services and the department advisor. Such students are not eligible
to be considered students without formal registration and are in
violation of immigration laws when not properly enrolled. Any
international student having questions about his or her
registration should consult the Office for International Services.
Continuous Enrollment
Students are considered to be pursuing advanced degrees only when
they are formally enrolled. 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. Graduate students
who fail to register are no longer considered to be enrolled in a
graduate degree program. After an unauthorized absence, formal
readmission is required. Students who have been granted a leave of
absence do not need to apply for readmission following the approved
leave. Where appropriate to the design of a given academic program,
the faculty of the program may obtain the permission of the
Graduate and Professional Studies Committee for a different
definition of continuous enrollment.
A master’s candidate who is writing a thesis and has
completed all course work for the degree must enroll each fall and
spring semester in the appropriate thesis registration until the
thesis has been approved. A doctoral candidate who has passed the
qualifying examination must enroll each fall and spring semester in
794 Doctoral Dissertation until the dissertation has been approved.
Exceptions to continuous enrollment are subject to policies
governing leaves of absence and readmission.
Leave of Absence
Interruptions of enrollment can cause problems in the continuity of
course work within a student’s graduate program and,
therefore, leaves of absence are generally discouraged.
A student in good standing and making satisfactory progress toward
a degree who must interrupt studies for compelling reasons (e.g.,
approved study abroad, sustained ill health) may petition for a
leave for a stated period, usually not to exceed one year. Students
who find it necessary to be excused from registration must request
a leave of absence by the last day to drop or add courses. A leave
must be approved by the dean of the degree-conferring unit. During
the period of leave a student is not entitled to assistance from
the faculty or use of university facilities. If granted, the leave
is recorded on the student’s transcript and the period of
leave is not counted in the time allowed for the completion of
degree requirements. Within the degree time limit a maximum of four
semesters may be allowed for leaves of absence. A student who does
not return to enrolled status at the end of an approved period of
leave is no longer considered to be pursuing an advanced degree.
Students who fail to apply for a leave of absence or for whom a
leave has been denied (or has expired) are subject to policies
governing continuous enrollment and readmission.
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 submit an Application for Readmission
to the Graduate School by the first day of classes for the term in
which resumption of graduate studies is sought. The recommendation
of the department and the approval of the dean of the
degree-conferring unit, based on the academic merits of the
student’s request, are required. If readmitted, the student
will be subject to all of the current requirements for the degree
in effect at the time of readmission. Individual exceptions require
the approval of the dean of the degree-conferring unit.
Comprehensive and Qualifying Examinations
In graduate degree programs that require a comprehensive
examination and for all doctoral qualifying examinations, a student
who fails the examination may be permitted, at the discretion of
the faculty, to take it a second time. For time limits on retaking
the examinations, consult the individual school’s policy.
Requests for exception must be approved by the department chair.
A student may not take the comprehensive or qualifying examination
more than twice and must be appropriately enrolled at USC during
the semester in which any such examination is taken or retaken. A
student who fails the comprehensive or qualifying examination a
second time may not continue in the degree program after the end of
the semester in which the second examination was taken. No
exceptions are allowed.
Application for Graduate Degrees
Application for the degree is required for all graduate degrees.
Application for the master’s degree should be made in the
student’s academic unit in the semester preceding the one in
which the student hopes to graduate and prior to enrolling in 594a.
Application for the Ph.D. should be made when the student has
passed the qualifying exam and been admitted to candidacy. The
student must contact his or her academic advisor at the appropriate
time and have the application submitted online or sent to the
Graduate School, if required. When the application is received by
Degree Progress, a degree summary report will be prepared and
mailed to the student. The degree cannot be conferred if no
application has been submitted.
Theses and Dissertations
Submission of Theses and Dissertations
At the time of submission, all required documentation and paperwork
is to accompany the thesis or dissertation, along with a verified
submittal check list (signed by the staff advisor in the
student’s department and by the student). An abstract
submittal form, signed by the committee chair (verifying that the
student’s thesis or dissertation abstract has met the
guidelines and has received approval for content) must accompany
the student’s abstract and thesis or dissertation, as well.
The final typed thesis or dissertation must be accepted by the
Graduate School within a period of not more than six months after
the student’s committee has signed the Approval of Thesis or
Dissertation for Final Typing. Late submission of the document will
require certification by the committee chair and will be subject to
a $100 late fee for each six months thereafter.
Thesis or Dissertation Signature Page
A signature page, to be bound with the thesis or dissertation, must
be signed by each member of the thesis or dissertation committee,
submitted to the degree-conferring unit for the date and the
signature of the dean of the degree-conferring unit, and then
presented with the final typed thesis or dissertation and other
required documentation to the Graduate School.
Acceptance by the University
The university must accept all theses and dissertations in an
approved, final typed form before graduation can be conferred. The
candidate’s committee, before submission to the Graduate
School, must have approved all documents. After complying with the
submission process described at length above, the student will
remain in contact with the Graduate School, leaving a telephone
number or email address where he or she can be contacted should the
need arise. If students are from 1ut-of-town, out-of-state or
out-of-the-country, they must arrange for a local contact person
who will be responsible for all phases of the process if they
cannot do so themselves. This is mandatory or the manuscript will
not be accepted by the Graduate School.
All theses and dissertations, once properly submitted, are read in
the order in which they are received. Candidates should contact the
Graduate School when considering deadlines. At the time of
submission, all manuscripts should be formatted and edited
according to a recommended style manual and strict adherence to the
Regulations for Format and Presentation of Theses and
Dissertations, available from the Graduate School, Grace Ford
Salvatori Hall, 315, or from the Graduate School homepage. The
university thesis editor reviews the final typed copy for
conformance to university regulations, which takes precedence over
all other style formats and issues. The editor does not function as
a proofreader or copy editor. The final version of the thesis or
dissertation must comply with university guidelines, which prepare
the manuscript both for microfilming and publication at Bell and
Howell (University Microfilms International), as well as binding
and archiving in the university library. All manuscripts that have
not been proofread and do not conform to university regulations
will automatically be returned to the student or the
student’s department for compliance.
If the candidate’s manuscript requires corrections, the
student must make arrangements for that manuscript and correction
sheet to be returned to them (or come to the Graduate School to
pick it up). The student must maintain contact with the Graduate
School throughout the entire process to ensure completion. When a
student resubmits his or her manuscript for a second review, those
manuscripts are also reviewed by the thesis editor in the order in
which they are received. No more than two reviews will be granted
in a semester or summer period, and when time constraints prevail
at each deadline, the number of reads possible will depend upon the
availability of the thesis editor. Therefore, all students must
allow adequate time to make any and all corrections, and these
corrections must be approved by the thesis editor before a thesis
or dissertation will be accepted by the university for graduation.
Schedule of Deadlines
The Graduate School provides a schedule of specific dates for
completing the various requirements to qualify the student for the
master’s or Ph.D. degree at commencement in May or to receive
the degree in August or December. Despite the date of submission, a
student must complete all corrections to the manuscript as
specified by the thesis editor, as well as all verification of
documentation and necessary paperwork before the degree can be
conferred. Not until all the requirements of the entire process are
completed will the thesis or dissertation be approved by the editor
and the triple cards forwarded to Degree Progress (where the degree
will then be verified and finally posted). Deadlines are strictly
enforced. No exceptions will be made. Thus, a student may not
always graduate in the semester in which he or she first submits
the thesis or dissertation. Upon completion of all requirements,
the official USC transcript will serve as evidence of the degree
until the diploma is received.
Copies Required
For the first submission of either a thesis or dissertation, only
one clean, typed, photocopy on regular white paper is required.
That copy must observe margin and page number specifications, along
with other guidelines, which are outlined in Regulations for
Format and Presentation of Theses and Dissertations. Each time
corrections are requested and made, the student will continue to
resubmit an entire clean white, typed photocopy to the thesis
editor. No partial pages will be accepted. Once the thesis or
dissertation has been approved by the thesis editor, an additional
copy on non-erasable, 20-pound cotton fiber paper will be submitted
for cataloging, binding and archiving by the University Library.
The photocopy will be sent to Bell and Howell (UMI) for
microfilming. Candidates need to check with their committees to
determine the requirements for any additional copies. The
university does not provide these copies.
Publication and Microfilming
All theses and dissertations submitted and approved are microfilmed
and each candidate must sign a UMI form, available from the
Graduate School, authorizing microfilming of the document. The
dissertation is publicized by means of the printed abstract, which
appears in Master’s Abstracts International or
Dissertation Abstracts International, with worldwide
circulation. Theses and dissertations can be copyrighted for a fee
of $45 made payable in a money order to UMI. Please request
copyright at the time of submission if desired.
Thesis/Dissertation Fees
All master’s and doctoral candidates must pay a fee as part
of the final requirements for the degree. The doctoral
candidate’s fee, currently $113, includes microfilming and
binding the dissertation and publication of the dissertation in
Dissertation Abstracts International. Master’s
candidates currently pay a fee of $50 for microfilming and binding
the thesis and publication of the abstract in Master’s
Abstracts International. Both fees are paid at the
Cashier’s Office, King Hall, prior to submitting the
manuscript to the Graduate School.
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