General Education Requirements

The USC General Education Program has two parts. The first part, called "Skill Levels," develops skills in writing and in foreign languages. The second part is an introduction to broad areas of human knowledge and culture and is called "Areas of Study."

All college majors must complete the skill level requirements in foreign language and composition. For the two skill levels, there are waiver exams and placement tests. (Please see the Examinations section for more information about these tests.) A student may pass the examinations at sufficiently high levels to be regarded as having proficiency. If so, the student will require no further instruction or testing. Otherwise, the student will "place" in level I, II or III of a foreign language and will be advised of the required preparation or instruction in composition.

The other general education requirements, in the "Areas of Study," are matched to the degree (B.A. or B.S.) the student plans to earn.

General Education Requirements for the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts Bachelor of Science
Degree:Degree:Degree:
Any Major inSocial SciencesCollege of
Humanities DepartmentsLetters, Arts
DepartmentsNatural Sciencesand Sciences
Departments

Skill Levels
CompositionSee Skill Level,See Skill Level,See Skill Level,
CompositionCompositionComposition
Foreign LanguageSee Skill Level,See Skill Level,See Skill Level,
Foreign LanguageForeign LanguageForeign Language

Areas of Study
The Natural World
Life Sciences1 course1 course0 courses
Earth Sciences1 course1 course0 courses
Physical Sciences1 course1 course0 courses

One of the three courses must have a laboratory component.

This Natural World Requirement affects B.A. students entering USC or elsewhere in fall 1986 or later. Students who entered the university between fall 1982 and spring 1986 and students in the Natural Sciences should refer to the catalogue or bulletin of their entering year.

B.A. students in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Environmental Studies, or Physics and Astronomy will be considered to have met their Natural World requirements on the basis of their major course work.

Non-Western Cultures 1 course1 course1 course
Western Culture I1 course1 courseChoose three courses,
Western Culture II0 courses1 course each course from
American Public Life1 course1 course a different category.
Empirical Approaches2 courses1 course
Literature1 course1 courseChoose two courses,
The Arts1 course1 courseeach course from
Ethical Approaches1 course1 coursea different category.
Skill Levels in Composition and Foreign Language are explained in the Skill Levels section.

All courses in the Areas of Study are to be chosen from the list of courses approved by the General Education Committee. The categories in the Areas of Study and approved courses for 1995-96 are listed in the Areas of Study section.

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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu