Office of Academic Records and Registrar
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Curriculum

Overview

The Curriculum Coordination Office (CCO) coordinates the review of curriculum proposals. It is the liaison between USC academic units, the University Committee on Curriculum (UCOC), the USC Catalogue, Degree Progress and Registration.

The CCO helps staff the following committees:

  • University Committee on Curriculum (UCOC) and its four subcommittees:
    • Arts and Humanities (AHS)
    • Health Professions (HPS)
    • Science and Engineering (SES)
    • Social Sciences (SSS)
  • Off-Campus Studies Panel (OSP)
  • Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures (CAPP)

The CCO archives all approved curriculum proposals and minutes of all curriculum and policy and procedure committee meetings. Minutes of the UCOC may be requested by contacting the Curriculum Office.

Submitting Proposals

Submit all program, minor, course and off-campus study proposals using the curriculum management system, Curriculog. Special Topics offerings (courses typically numbered 299, 499, 599 or 699) are also submitted in Curriculog, using the dedicated approval process for approval and scheduling. If the Special Topics course needs a special session, submit the Special Session Request and wait to receive the session code before submitting in Curriculog. Proposals for the General Education (GE) program may be submitted by a designated representative of each academic unit to the GE Drop-box site. Questions regarding GE proposals should be directed to Richard Fliegel. Procedures on how to submit the GE-approved courses for GE designation in the Student Information System (SIS) and USC Catalogue are posted in the Curriculum Resources below.

Review Process

  • Please note: Internal reviews vary by school. Some include Department and/or School Curriculum Committee review.

    1. Originator is any person with USC credentials who wishes to submit a proposal in Curriculog.
    2. Department Curriculum Coordinator (DCC) submits and guides proposals through the review process and is responsible for tracking the progress of proposals. They are responsible for identifying any departments potentially affected by the proposal and making sure they are notified. The DCC coordinates any discussion required for the proposal and ensures required documentation (for instance, syllabi for courses) is attached.
    3. Chair reviews the proposal, consults with affected units, and makes any additional edits, according to the department’s wishes.
    4. Curriculum Dean reviews the proposal and suggests any additional edits, according to the school’s mission.
    1. Curriculum Coordination Office (CCO) Review
      • Administrative actions are approved by the CCO.
        Administrative actions include: a minor revision to course title or course description, the addition/removal of prerequisites/co-requisites/concurrent enrollment/recommended preparation/cross-listing/registration or credit restrictions from a course, and the addition or removal of elective (non-required) courses from programs/minors/certificates not affecting total units required. No syllabus is needed for a course administrative action.
      • If a proposal is technically accurate and requires content review, it is forwarded to subcommittee review.
    2. Subcommittee Review
      • The subcommittee chair (with or without additional subcommittee member review) reviews proposal content. Subcommittee approval means that a proposal is approved at the university level.
      • The Off-Campus Studies Panel (OSP) reviews courses and programs that take place for any length of time overseas, or a semester or more off-campus domestically.
    3. University Committee on Curriculum (UCOC)
      • Proposals that pose larger questions and require greater input because they deal with university policy and procedures with regard to curriculum are brought before UCOC.
      • UCOC meets on the first Wednesday of every month between September and May.

     

    Please note for new degree programs and certificates: New programs require pre-approval of a proof of concept from the Provost’s Office. See the Curriculum Resources section for information about the “New Program Brief.”

     

      • Financial Aid Considerations
        Financial Aid reviews fall- and spring-semester course proposals that do not span 15 weeks of instruction, with a final summative experience on the university-scheduled final exam day and time. Financial Aid also reviews programs that will be offered 50 percent or more at locations other than the University Park Campus or Health Sciences Campus. Contact the USC Financial Aid Office for more information.
      • WSCUC Approval for Online Programs
        Programs (excluding graduate certificates) that are offered more than 50 percent online must obtain WSCUC approval after UCOC subcommittee approval. Contact Robin Romans as you start the proposal and after it is approved by UCOC.
      • Advertisement
        ALL curriculum proposals MUST be approved by the UCOC subcommittee before they are advertised. ALL programs that are offered more than 50 percent online must obtain WSCUC approval BEFORE they are advertised by schools or departments.
    1. POST and Minor Codes are assigned to approved programs, certificates and minors by the Registrar’s Office.
    2. Catalogue Entry
      • Program, minor and course proposals approved by the UCOC subcommittee are imported into the “Production Catalogue” throughout the curriculum season, September – May.
      • Departments should preview the upcoming academic year in the “Production Catalogue” to ensure that curriculum has been updated as it was submitted and approved via Curriculog.
    3. Recording of Approved Curriculum
      • Courses are archived in RNR.D.CATALOG on the Student Information System (SIS). Any active course in CATALOG may be scheduled by the owning department via the SIS process, RNR.U.SCHEDULE. Scheduled courses are displayed in the Schedule of Classes. Additional scheduling procedures and details can be found under Section Scheduling at USC.
      • Programs are encoded into the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) by Degree Progress to create or update the STARS Report.

Submission Timeline

Cut-off dates to be considered for inclusion in the 2026-2027 USC Catalogue:

  • Proposals to REVISE/TERMINATE programs, minors and courses must reach the CCO step in Curriculog, in approval-ready condition, no later than Friday, December 12, 2025. All revisions will have an effective term of fall 2026.
  • Proposals for NEW programs, minors and courses must reach the CCO step in Curriculog, in approval-ready condition, no later than Friday, February 13, 2026.

Notes:

  • If a program revision will include a newly proposed course, the course proposal MUST be submitted alongside, or before, the program revision proposal — i.e., the new course must follow the submission timeline for revisions.
  • Proposals that do not have appropriate sign-offs and/or lack required information and/or are submitted without tracked changes for revisions, etc., will be returned. These proposals will not be considered received by the CCO on that date.
  • Due to the high volume of submissions received, curriculum proposals submitted at deadline are not guaranteed normal processing time.

Academic units are encouraged to proofread and request any corrections once the approved curriculum is imported into the USC Catalogue and well before its release in early June. Additionally, it is recommended that academic units review approved courses on RNR.D.CATALOG and address any data errors promptly. (Data stored in RNR.D.CATALOG is transmitted to RNR.U.SCHEDULE, which drives the Schedule of Classes and Web Registration.)

What happens AFTER THE CUT-OFF?

Proposals that are not completed in this curriculum submission cycle may be resubmitted during the next cycle to be considered for the USC Catalogue, using the next cycle forms. The forms for the next cycle will be released as soon as reasonably possible during the spring, but please keep in mind that priority will almost always be given to current proposals that were received on time and still need to be completed.

Following the long-standing practice of allowing the catalogue to be incomplete but not inaccurate, proposals to revise programs, minors and courses submitted after the cut-off date will have an effective term of fall 2027. Proposals for new programs, minors and courses may have an effective term as early as summer or fall 2026 but will not be published in the USC Catalogue until the following academic year.

Notes:

  • The University Committee on Curriculum (UCOC) regularly reviews curriculum proposals and policies September through May.
  • Departments should estimate a minimum of one month for university curriculum review, or longer if additional edits and sign-offs are required. Consulting with affected departments in advance and securing documentation are among the best ways to expedite the review process.
  • SUBMIT IN THE FALL to ensure that all involved know about the new and updated curriculum to be offered in the following academic year. This also avoids the backlog of proposals that slows down the curriculum review process from January through April.

Important Milestones for Curriculum Community Consideration

Spring Schedule of Classes is published in early October.
Registration begins in late October.
First day of classes is early to mid-January.
Summer Schedule of Classes is published in mid-February.
Registration begins in late February to early March.
First day of classes is mid-May.
USC Catalogue is published in June.
Fall Schedule of Classes is published in mid-March.
Registration begins in late March to early April.
First day of classes is mid- to late August.
Note: Please refer to official university calendars for specific dates.

Curriculum Resources

Curriculum

  • The Curriculum Handbook (pdf) details decisions made by the university throughout the years regarding curricular matters (e.g., what constitutes an internship or a minor; what is acceptable in terms of contact hours; how many credit hours must a master’s degree have, etc.). Please be sure to reference the guide as you build your school’s and/or department’s curriculum.
  • The “New Program Brief” (pdf) is required in advance of proposing all new degree programs and certificates. Completed forms should be submitted using the dedicated Program Brief approval process in Curriculog. Approved forms must be attached to new program proposals in Curriculog. Please contact the Curriculum Office for assistance with the process and/or Assistant Vice Provost David Glasgow with specific questions specifically about the form.

Syllabus

  • Required Syllabus Elements for UCOC (doc) outlines what the Curriculum Coordination Office and the UCOC subcommittee members look for in every syllabus, regardless of syllabus design or template used.
  • “CET Syllabus Template” is a faculty resource maintained by the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. It contains the most recent version of the “Statement on Academic and Support Systems,” is fully accessible, and can be downloaded for editing.
  • “Checklist: Top 10 Syllabus Errors to Avoid” (pdf) will help you review your completed syllabus and double-check your work.
  • “Contact Hour Policy” (pdf) details USC’s official guidelines on the relationship between contact hours and unit credit.
  • “Contact Hours Reference” (pdf) details required minimum contact hours per unit and course length (in weeks).
  • “Professional Development Guidelines” (pdf) provide information on what constitutes professional development versus academic content, as well as guidance on how to assess academic credit for those courses that include elements of professional development.

Off-Campus Studies Panel

Other

  • “Designated Deans List” (pdf) indicates the designated dean of curriculum for each school.
  • “Financial Aid Eligibility and Program Scheduling” (pdf) lists financial aid considerations when developing curricula.
  • “New General Education (GE) Procedures” (pdf) details how to schedule a General Education Seminar, and how to enter a new or existing course, with the new GE designation, into the Student Information System (SIS). This document also offers guidance in reviewing undergraduate programs for necessary revisions.

Curriculum Management System

Curriculog is an online interface that allows programs, minors, courses, and off-campus programs and courses to be proposed, created, assessed, revised, approved and implemented. Faculty and staff involved in departmental, school and university-level review may view the progress of their proposals from start to finish.

  • All faculty and staff with USC credentials should be able to access Curriculog. To add or replace a person in the roles of departmental curriculum coordinator or chair, please email curriclm@usc.edu and copy the curriculum dean and the people who currently have the roles, as applicable. Curriculum deans are updated yearly per the direction of the school dean.

    1. Originator: Anyone who submits program and course proposals.
    2. Departmental Curriculum Coordinator (DCC): A staff or faculty member who submits and coordinates the review of proposals for the entire department.
    3. Department Chair: Curriculum chair of a department.
    4. Department Committee Chair: Chair of a department committee.
    5. Department Committee Member: Member of a department committee.
    6. School Committee Chair: Chair of a school committee.
    7. School Committee Member: Member of a school committee.
    8. School Dean: School dean for curriculum.
    9. School Curriculum Coordinator: Reviewer of all school proposals, partnered with school dean.

  • Curriculog may be accessed with your USC NetID and password.

    If you have trouble with your NetID and/or password, please call Information Technology Services at (213) 740-5555.

  • CCO provides user support and training for Curriculog. Please call (213) 740-1162 or email curriclm@usc.edu for assistance and/or to set up future training.

Off-Campus Studies

USC offers a large variety and number of off-campus courses and programs (a set of courses taken usually during the summer, a semester or a full year), all of which must be approved and subsequently reviewed by the Off-Campus Studies Panel (OSP). The primary goal of OSP review is to determine an academic purpose for taking students overseas and to ensure that health and safety considerations have been addressed. In addition, subsequent review of courses and programs with overseas components ensures that the offerings are well-received, the courses and programs are academic in nature, and health and safety are continually addressed.

Courses and programs that take place for any length of time overseas, or a semester or more off-campus domestically, require review and approval by the relevant subject area subcommittee and OSP. Any program that includes courses from another institution is also reviewed by the Registrar’s Articulation Office, which ensures that the unit value of another institution’s coursework translates appropriately into USC units.

 

Courses

Courses with an overseas component typically take place during the spring or summer semesters, or during winter break. Health, safety and lodging information is required either in the attached syllabus or in an accompanying addendum that is linked in the Curriculog form.

Special Topics (temporary course offerings) are approved by OSP for their duration. Regular courses, with a specified location, are approved by OSP for five years (unless otherwise indicated). Student evaluations must be collected after the completion of each course offering.

  1. New courses with an overseas component are submitted via the “Course: New” approval process in Curriculog. These courses will be recorded in SIS CATALOG as well as the USC Catalogue.
  2. Revised courses, with revision to catalogue information, as well as the overseas component, should be submitted via the “Course: Revise” approval process in Curriculog. The changes are recorded in SIS CATALOG as well as the USC Catalogue.
  3. Existing courses adding a new location, but not changing any catalogue information, are submitted via the “Off-Campus Course: Add Location to Existing Course” approval process in Curriculog.
  4. Special Topics with off-campus components will be routed to the OSP as part of the approval process for Special Topics in Curriculog.
  5. All previously approved courses up for review are submitted via the “Off-Campus Course: Review Existing Course” approval process in Curriculog. An “OSP Student Evaluation” form must be attached along with other required review materials.

Programs

Semester-length programs that are offered overseas or off-campus, and consist of USC courses or courses from other institutions are typically one semester (spring, summer or fall) or a full year long. They are typically approved by OSP for five years. Student evaluations must be collected after the completion of each program offering.

  1. All new, revised and previously approved programs up for review are submitted via the “Off-Campus Program: New / Revise / Review” approval process in Curriculog. An OSP Student Evaluation form must be attached along with other required review materials for renewal.
  2. Any program that will no longer be offered should be submitted via the “Off-Campus Program: Terminate” approval process so the CCO knows not to assess further reviews.

Reminder: USC Legal Requirements

USC requires certain documents (e.g., “Travel Release” form, “Medical Treatment Authorization” form) for all students studying overseas. A roster of students must be provided well in advance of departure. Further details are available on the USC Global website.