A minimum of six graduate units in residence at USC during one semester or summer session is required for the master's and advanced master's degrees; a minimum of nine graduate units during one semester or summer session or at least six graduate units during each of two consecutive semesters or summer sessions, exclusive of 794 Doctoral Dissertation, is required for the Ed.D. degree.
For the Ph.D. degree, a minimum of 24 graduate units applicable toward the degree, exclusive of 794 Doctoral Dissertation, must be completed on the University Park and/or Health Sciences campuses. Internships, field work and other off-campus experiences and off-campus course work do not count toward residency.
The residence requirement reflects the belief of the School of Education and the Graduate School that scholastic requirements for the degree cannot be completed without devotion of a specified period of time to full-time study and research with appropriate facilities and under close faculty supervision.
The time limit for completing the master's degree or the advanced master's degree is five years. The time limit for completing the Ed.D. degree is 10 years.
The time limit for completing the Ph.D. degree is eight years. For students who earned an applicable master's degree within five years prior to admission to the Ph.D. degree, the time limit for completing the Ph.D. is six years.
A primary consideration in the setting of time limits is the currency of the course work and research with respect to the date the degree is to be conferred. Equally important is the concern that the faculty members serving as advisors or members of the guidance committee and the dissertation committee be available to the student for the duration of graduate studies at USC.
Occasionally a student finds it impossible to comply with prescribed time limits for completion of the degree. If a significant delay is likely to occur, the student must make arrangements in advance by petitioning for a leave of absence or an extension of time. Such petitions will be considered when there is clear justification based on sound academic reasons, or critical personal reasons.
The forms for petitioning are obtained in the Office of Student Services, Waite Phillips Hall 803. The petitions must be endorsed by the major field division and the Office of Student Services, and, in the case of Ph.D. students, by the Graduate School, also.
Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995