Departmental Requirements
The requirements and regulations set forth in this portion of the catalogue are to be construed only as minimal requirements established by the Graduate School. In addition, the student is obligated to meet all the requirements established by the individual department as described in the departmental sections.
Advisement and Program of Study
Academic advisement of entering graduate students will be provided by a designated faculty member in the student's home department. During the first semester of graduate enrollment a formal program of study should be developed and agreed upon in writing. This academic plan should include: (1) the sequence of required and elective courses, with a diversity of faculty instruction and a reasonable balance between course work and directed research appropriate for the degree; (2) evaluation of available transfer credit for application toward the degree; and (3) the schedule and procedures for departmental evaluation of the student. The program of study should be on file in the student's department and may be modified in keeping with the student's progress toward the degree objective. This will become the responsibility of the student's guidance committee when it has been established.
Foreign Language/Research Tool Requirements
Although the Graduate School does not require a foreign language examination, some departments do have specific language requirements for their graduate programs.
The foreign language requirement is determined by the individual departments or schools, subject to approval by the Graduate and Professional Studies Committee. For the Ph.D. student, these requirements should be met well in advance of the qualifying examination. Permission to take the qualifying examination will not be given until the requirements have been met.
When proficiency in a foreign language or a research tool is required, the evidence attesting to proficiency may not be more than five years old. This regulation applies regardless of the form of the evidence.
For specific information, see Foreign Language/Research Tool Requirement under the appropriate department and program sections of this catalogue.
Academic Warning and Dismissal
Faculty advisors and departments take factors other than satisfactory grades and adequate GPA's into consideration in determining a student's qualifications for an advanced degree. A student's overall academic performance, specific skills and aptitudes, and faculty evaluations will be considered in departmental decisions regarding a student's continuation in a master's or doctoral degree program.
Satisfactory progress toward an advanced degree as determined by the faculty is required at all times. Students who fail to make satisfactory progress will be so informed by their department or committee chair or school dean. The faculty has the right to recommend at any time after written warning that a student be dismissed from a graduate program for academic reasons or that a student be denied readmission.
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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
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