Graduate Degree Programs

Return to: Graduate and Professional Education

The basic graduate degrees are the Master of Arts, Master of Science, the Doctor of Philosophy and the professional doctoral degree.

The Master of Arts degree is normally given for study in the humanities and social sciences. The Master of Science degree is normally given for study in the natural sciences and engineering. Other master’s degrees are granted by USC for proficiency in professional fields. Master’s degree programs are subject to the policies of the Graduate School.

All Doctor of Philosophy degrees must meet the standards of scholarship and other regulations established by the Graduate School. With the exception of Doctor of Dental Surgery, Juris Doctor and Doctor of Medicine, all professional doctoral programs are subject to the policies of the Graduate School.

University Certificates

In addition, the university also offers a number of graduate certificate programs. Graduate credit certificate programs must be approved by the University Committee on Curriculum and meet the following requirements: (1) a minimum of 12 units is required; the maximum number of units may vary; (2) for certificate programs of 16 units or fewer, all course work must be at the 500 level or above. For programs of more than 16 units, not more than 25 percent of the total units for the program may be at the 400 level; (3) for completion, a minimum cumulative USC grade point average of 3.0 must be achieved on all course work applied to the certificate; (4) all course work must be earned at USC, except for programs of more than 16 units, in which case not more than 25 percent of the course work may be transfer credit.

Area of Emphasis

An Area of Emphasis is a specific focus within a major that has been formally approved. Areas of Emphasis are listed within parentheses following the appropriate majors and do not appear on diplomas but are indicated on transcripts.

Dual Degree

A dual degree program joins two distinct graduate degree programs under a single, new program and POST (program of study) code. (Applicants to dual degree programs must apply separately to each degree and be admitted to both programs. After admission to both degree programs, the student is assigned the single, dual degree POST code.) Upon completion of the dual degree program, two degrees (and two diplomas) are awarded. Both degrees in a dual degree program must be awarded with the same conferral date.

Progressive Degree Programs

A progressive degree program enables a USC undergraduate to begin work on a master’s degree while completing requirements for the bachelor’s degree. The degree may be in the same or different departments but should be in a similar field of study. Students in a progressive degree program must fulfill all requirements for both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree except for the combined total number of units for the degrees. The master’s degree may be awarded simultaneously with but not before the bachelor’s degree is awarded.

Class Level Determination for Progressive Degree Programs

While classified as undergraduates, students are assessed the undergraduate tuition rate, and their enrollment status and financial aid eligibility are determined by undergraduate standards.

While classified as graduate students, students are assessed the graduate tuition rate, and their enrollment status and financial aid eligibility are determined by graduate standards.

A progressive degree student transitions from undergraduate to graduate class level as soon as any one of the following conditions is met:

The bachelor’s degree is conferred; or
The student is awarded a graduate research or teaching assistantship as contracted through the academic department and the Graduate School; or
The student earns a total of 144 units.*

*Due to the higher number of unit requirements for the Bachelor of Architecture degree, students pursuing the five-year program will have a 176-unit limit. Except in the case of unapplied transfer units as described below, no other exceptions to the 144-unit limit will be made.

Bachelor’s Degree Conferred

The Office of Academic Records and Registrar determines when a student has completed their bachelor’s degree and manages the process of posting degrees to a student’s record. Students wishing to change the degree date from that indicated on their STARS Report should request an updated degree term from the Registrar One Stop Center at onestop@usc.edu. Students may also update their expected graduation date at my.usc.edu.

Graduate Research/Teaching Assistantship

Research and teaching assistantships are allocated by the student’s academic department and the Graduate School and are exclusively available to graduate students. A progressive-degree student who is awarded a research or teaching assistantship will be reclassified as a graduate student beginning the semester the student first receives the award.

The 144-Unit Limit

Assuming one of the other two conditions have not already been met, a progressive degree student is classified as an undergraduate up to and including the semester they earn a total of 144 units.

All units earned at USC, from both undergraduate- and graduate-level course work, will be counted toward the 144-unit limit. Any and all units earned during summer semesters will be counted, as well as units earned during semesters that were not funded with financial aid.

All transfer units, including units accepted from Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, will also be counted toward the 144-unit limit. Requirements that were met by transfer courses cannot be substituted by subsequently taken USC courses, and USC will not delete or discount accepted transfer course work from the transcript.

Transfer course work determined not to be applicable toward subject-specific requirements, e.g., General Education and major requirements, nor applicable as “free” electives toward the bachelor’s degree program’s minimum unit requirement, may increase the unit limit above the standard 144. This determination is based on the student’s major(s) at the time of admission to the progressive degree program. Any subsequent change of major or addition of a major may change how transfer units are applied toward subject-specific requirements and free electives, and the unit limit may increase or decrease accordingly. However, the applicability of transfer units is determined from objective transcript data and is therefore not open to appeal.

Class level is determined dynamically based on currently available data in the student transcript. Any changes, updates or corrections to a student’s transcript that alter the total number of units earned will affect progress toward the unit limit and class level transition.

Online Programs and Courses

The university does not distinguish online programs and courses from those offered on campus. Requests to provide information about which programs and courses are offered online will be denied.