General Requirements for the Master's Degree
Course Requirements
The master's degree in the Graduate School is conferred upon the satisfactory completion of a carefully planned curriculum. A comprehensive examination may replace a thesis in certain departments. A student must enroll in GRSC 810 during the semester in which the comprehensive examination is to be taken if not otherwise enrolled. Consult the appropriate departmental section of this catalogue for specific course requirements.
See Course Work Taken Elsewhere for the maximum number of units of transferred course work that may be applied toward a master's degree. Except in formally designated dual degree programs, this same policy regulates the number of credits that may be applied toward a master's degree from an advanced degree previously completed at USC.
Guidance Committee
The student's program of study and thesis and/or comprehensive examination are under the direction of a guidance committee composed of three tenure-track faculty members, at least two of whom must be from the student's home department, who are recommended by the chair of the student's major department, and must be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Those departments which allow a comprehensive examination in lieu of thesis and administer that comprehensive on a departmental, rather than an individual basis, may substitute a single advisor for the three-person guidance committee.
Application for the Master's Degree
Application for the master's degree must be made during the semester preceding the one in which the student expects to receive the degree and prior to registration in 594a Master's Thesis. The Application for the Master's Degree must be requested at the Graduate School, Annenberg School for Communication M313, or at the student's home department. Before releasing the form, the Graduate School confirms that the student has been admitted to regular graduate standing. After completing the form and securing the appropriate signatures from the guidance committee and/or department chairperson, the student returns the form to the Graduate School. The Degree Progress Department will prepare a Credit Summary reflecting course work and requirements completed and those remaining to be met. A copy of the Credit Summary is sent to the student, the home department, and the Graduate School.
Candidacy for the Master's Degree
Admission to candidacy for the master's degree is achieved upon the submission of the Application for the Master's Degree and approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Master's Examinations
A student who fails the master's examination may be permitted, at the discretion of the faculty, to take it a second time. The retaking of a failed master's examination must be completed before the end of the second consecutive semester (excluding summer session) following the first examination. Requests for exception must be approved by the department chair. A student may not take the master's examination more than twice and must be appropriately enrolled at USC during the semester in which such an examination is taken or retaken. A student who fails the master's 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.
Master's Thesis
The thesis is supervised throughout its preparation by the student's guidance committee. It is desirable for the student to have a conference with each committee member promptly following the approval of the topic. Thereafter, thesis work is normally under the immediate supervision of the committee chair: Final acceptance is based upon the unanimous recommendation of all members of the committee.
A student who is required to write a thesis must submit a satisfactory outline and comprehensive bibliography for the proposed thesis and demonstrate a mastery of the subject satisfactory to the guidance committee.
During the five-year time limit allowed for completion of the degree and following the completion of all course work, the student must enroll in 594 Master's Thesis for two semesters and for each semester thereafter, excluding summer, until the thesis has been approved and the Approval for Final Typing Card has been signed by the student's guidance committee. Registration for the thesis in two semesters, excluding summer, is the minimum requirement entitling the student to thesis supervision by the guidance committee. No more than four units of credit in 594 may be received regardless of the number of semesters the student may be required to be enrolled. Students may enroll in 594 during one summer session but may not register for more than two units of 594 during a given semester.
Prior to enrollment in 594a Master's Thesis students must submit the Application for the Master's Degree establishing their guidance committee approved by the Graduate School.
Students who find it necessary to be excused from registration in 594 for a semester must request a leave of absence by petition to the Graduate School prior to the beginning of the semester. Endorsements from the committee chair, department chair and the line (program) dean are required. During a leave of absence students will not be entitled to assistance from the guidance committee or to the use of university facilities. The granting of a leave of absence will take into account the student's responsibility for meeting the time schedules for the completion of degree requirements.
The student's thesis or guidance committee is responsible for the content and bibliographical consistency of the thesis. The university thesis editor reviews the original copy for conformance to university regulations. The final typed thesis must be accepted by the university within six months after the Approval of Thesis for Final Typing Card has been signed by the guidance committee. For requirements concerning preparation of theses the student should obtain the brochure Regulations for Format and Presentation of Theses and Dissertations, available from the Graduate School, Annenberg School for Communication M316, (213) 740-9051.
The student must sign a file card in the Graduate School granting permission to make positive microfilm copies at the request of institutions or individuals. This is done when the thesis is submitted to that office. Authors who wish to withhold theses from circulation for one year pending publication should so inform the Graduate School.
Each student whose thesis is accepted must pay a $50 publication fee, for microfilming and binding the thesis, at the Cashier's Office, King Hall, prior to or upon completion of all requirements for the master's degree.
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 degree at commencement in May or to receive the degree in August or December. Upon completion of all requirements, the official USC transcript will serve as evidence of the degree until the diploma is received.
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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu