Academic Exploration Advising

Academic Exploration Advising
3601 Trousdale Parkway, STU 300
(213) 740-1741
academicprograms.usc.edu/offices-and-units/academic-exploration-advising/

Administration

Andrew McConnell Stott, Vice Provost for Academic Programs

Academic Exploration Advising (AEA) guides our diverse scholarly community in exploring academic and personal development opportunities. As students engage in reflection and discovery, our team of academic advisers provide guidance and support, empowering students to set goals that address their holistic identity and enrich their undergraduate experience.

Advisers in AEA are skilled in working with students in any phase of exploration and across various academic disciplines at USC. Students who are declared in Exploratory must meet with an academic adviser each semester prior to continued enrollment. Advising meetings cover the university general education curriculum, policies and procedures and identify potential majors and pathways to admission.

Admission to Exploratory

Students enter the Exploratory program either by direct admission or by transferring into the program after they are enrolled at USC. Students who are interested in transferring into Exploratory should first submit a referral to the program in Advise USC. Students with more than 64 units complete may not declare as Exploratory but can access services in AEA as referred students.

A separate pathway into Exploratory exists for students who are dismissed from an academic program. In this case, a student will be referred to Exploratory when their academic program places them on warning. Students who are on academic warning from their major are welcome to meet with an AEA adviser but are not required to. If the student is retained in their major at the end of the warning period, their referral to Exploratory can be closed out. If the student is dismissed from their major at the end of the warning period, the AEA office will be notified, and the student’s program will be changed to Exploratory.

Declaring a Major

The Exploratory program is a non-degree objective, and no students are permitted to graduate from the university with this program. Exploratory students should declare a major before they reach junior standing (64 units completed) to promote timely graduation. Students remaining in Exploratory after this point may not be able to register until they have declared a major.

Academic advisers work with students in Exploratory to identify programs that are of interest. Some majors at USC are selective, and require completion of an internal application, pre-application course work and/or a portfolio to be considered for transfer. Other programs at the university have majors that can be declared upon meeting with the school’s admission or advising staff. Working together, AEA advisers and Exploratory students will identify the student’s best path to graduation, bearing in mind their interests, abilities and duration of academic program.