FAQ

The 25-percent rule is based upon the total number of upper-division major units required. For example, for an undergraduate program that requires a total of 28 upper-division units, a maximum of 7 units (25 percent of the total 28 units) may be substituted or waived. All substitutions and waivers that exceed 7 units violate the 25-percent rule. Please remember that the substitution of courses with the same department prefix is exempt from the limit.

The 25-percent rule for minors consists of two parts:

• No more than 25 percent of all required units may be substituted; and
• No more than 4 units may be waived for minors that require 17 to 20 units, or no more than 8 units may be waived for minors that require more than 20 units.

For example, if a minor requires a total of 18 units, then a maximum of 4.5 units (25 percent of 18) may be substituted, and a maximum of 4 units may be waived. Substitutions violate the 25-percent rule if they exceed 4.5 units. Waivers that exceed 4 or 8 units, depending upon the total number of units required for the minor, also violate the 25-percent rule. Please remember that the substitution of courses with the same department prefix is exempt from the limit.

Transfer courses are considered upper-division only if they were considered upper-division at the transfer institution. An upper-division transfer course will be listed under “Summary of Upper-Division Courses” on the Transfer Credit Report (TCR). Please remember that lower-division courses (USC or transfer) cannot be substituted for upper-division course requirements.

Yes. Academic advisors must enter the entire course plan on APA.U.GRAD.INFO (page 3), and must also file an application for graduation on APA.U.GRAD.INFO (page 5) as part of the progressive degree admission process.

The progressive master’s degree can be reduced by one-third.

For example: A 30-unit program can be reduced to 20 units. A 32-unit program can be reduced to 22 units (round up from 21.33). A 48-unit program can be reduced to 32 units.

No. This value is always based on the traditional unit value of a program.

For example: A 30-unit program can be reduced down to 20 total units, but all 20 units must be taken at the 500 level or above.

Yes. Course plans may include the “graduate degree electives” placeholder for the number of elective units allowed by the graduate program.

The 25-percent rule is based upon specified course requirements. For example, a graduate program may require 48 units total but specify only 8 of those units (excluding 594 Master’s Thesis and 794 Doctoral Dissertation). Students in this program would be able to waive or substitute a maximum of 2 units (or 25 percent of 8). All substitutions and waivers that exceed 2 units violate the 25-percent rule and require additional approval. Violations of 25 to 50 percent require the dean’s approval. Waivers or substitutions over 50 percent are very exceptional and must be approved by the vice provost for graduate programs.

No, substitution of courses with the same prefix are exempted from this limit, as are transfer courses in the same discipline, and graduate degree programs with three or fewer required courses.

An exception will be entered in the “History,” i.e. invalidated, if it violates the 25-percent rule or if it uses a required course as a substitute for another required course.

The date entered in the DATE field for all completion options such as COMPX, DEPTA, or PROJ must be the date that the examination, required work or project was completed.

The STARS report cannot display page 3 entries until the application for degree check has been submitted.

READMIT is processed manually by Degree Progress on a weekly basis. All entries made in one week will be processed during the following week.

Degree Progress can correct out-of-sequence registrations in 594 or 794 and should be notified before applying any out-of-sequence coursework on page 1 of GRAD.INFO.

For a student pursuing a master’s degree, the application for a degree check should be submitted at least one semester prior to the student’s expected term of completion.

For a student pursuing a doctoral program (excluding DPT, OTD, and some DMAs), the application for a degree check should be submitted once the DOC has been recorded.

The Graduate School should be contacted to record the DOC.

Students must email the Registrar’s office to request that domestic transfer work be made available in GRAD.INFO. Once evaluated, the coursework will appear in GRAD.INFO, and students will receive a graduate transfer credit statement. For more information, please visit Graduate Transfer Credit.

Yes, a maximum of 12 units of coursework with a V may be applied. Please contact the appropriate counselor once the courses have been applied so that they may be coded accordingly.

We encourage you to review the list of Scheduling Coordinators at USC to find another coordinator nearby who may be able to help.

• For questions about SIS access, contact the Student Information System User Coordination Group (SIS UCG) at sishelpu@usc.edu or (213) 740-5337.
• For questions about data entered in SIS and the USC Schedule of Classes, contact the Registrar’s Office at (213) 740-4623.
• For questions regarding academic scheduling and general-use classrooms, please contact Classroom Scheduling at classroom.scheduling@usc.edu.

In SIS, you can request a report in RNR.R.SECT.SUMM. Enter the semester and the department prefix you want to view, and SIS will email the report to you.

The USC Schedule of Classes contains course information for the current and last two terms. The Archive contains publicly viewable information for every term going back to spring 2020. You can also download a section summary for a previous term from RNR.R.SECT.SUMM in SIS.

The best place to find session dates is in SIS using SIS.D.SESS. You can also find a comprehensive listing of session dates for every semester on our Session Codes page. Please contact the Registrar’s Office at (213) 740-4623 if you need a session code assigned for a course that will deviate from the university’s main session.

The university’s main session is 001 in UPC for fall and spring; 046 for HSC in fall, spring, and summer; and 050, 051, 052, 053, 054, 055, 056, 057, 058, and 059 in summer.

Scheduling coordinators should not use the list of Session Codes in the USC Schedule of Classes to find a session with the dates necessary for a course, as those sessions have already been assigned to other departments. TTh sessions listed may also have tuition charges that differ from the standard university tuition amount.

A session is simply a numeric code in the Student Information System (SIS) that denotes the start and end dates for a course in a given semester. The session code for courses that run according to the university’s main Academic Calendar is 001.

New sessions should be requested when your department offers online courses or courses that run according to a calendar different from the university’s main calendar. Check with your department chair to find out if online courses or alternative academic calendars are part of your department’s course schedule.

To request a session, review the Session Request Guidelines, take the “Financial Aid Eligibility Considerations in Course Scheduling” course in Trojan Learn, and then submit the Non-Standard Session Request form. Once your session has been activated, you can schedule courses in the session.

Visit USC Cultural Relations and University Events or Trojan Event Services for details about alternate spaces on campus.

Classroom Scheduling will email you a reservation confirmation.

Email classroom.scheduling@usc.edu. Be sure to provide your reservation number, date, time and the assigned room so that we can quickly access your original request. Also, if you need to change the room or building type, please give the reason for the change so that your event can be properly rescheduled.

Call ITS Learning Environments at (213) 821-6601.

All classrooms should be equipped with an instructor’s table and chair, in addition to the allotted amount of seating. If furniture is missing, contact ITS Learning Environments directly at (213) 821-6601.

Check the Classroom Scheduling Room List or the ITS Room Finder.

Contact ITS Learning Environments at (213) 821-6601 or spaces@usc.edu. 

If possible, avoid interrupting the instructor or speaker. To help resolve the scheduling conflict, call Classroom Scheduling immediately at (213) 740-4612.

Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

After-hours requests:

Contact ITS Learning Environments at (213) 821-6601.

Departments can offer a Special Topics course when they wish to introduce a new or emerging aspect of a field, or to take advantage of the expertise of a new or visiting faculty member. Course numbers 499 and 599 are reserved for Special Topics courses and designate undergraduate and graduate levels, respectively.

To request a 299, 499, 599 or 699 course, scheduling coordinators should submit a proposal using the dedicated “Special Topics Section Scheduling” approval process in Curriculog. The proposal will require a Section Title for the course and a course syllabus. The syllabus (formatted as .docx or .pdf) must be saved with the Section Title, without spaces. A syllabus template can be downloaded from the Curriculum Office Resources website. Once the Registrar’s Office reviews the request, the course will be approved and scheduled, or returned to the proposing department for correction. To request access to Curriculog or for general assistance, please contact the Curriculum Coordination Office.

For every section you wish to view in GRS, enter your name in the “Overseer” field on Page 5 of RNR.U.SCHEDULE.

Scheduling coordinators can grant GRS access on Pages 4 and 5 of RNR.U.SCHEDULE by entering the individual’s name in the appropriate field. (Please refer to the description of GRS roles in the next question).

For instructors or TAs with common names (like “John Smith”), you should also have the individual provide you with their USC ID number to avoid confusion. Once their name has been entered in SIS, allow up to four hours for GRS to grant them access.

Instructor: Highest level of access. Can view roster, enter grades in GRS, and submit grades to SIS.

• TA: Has viewing rights in GRS but cannot enter grades in GRS.
• Grader: Has viewing and grade-entry rights in GRS but cannot submit grades to SIS.
• Overseer: Has viewing rights in GRS.
• Approver: Can view grades entered for a section. The approver provides a second layer of review. Enter a name in the “Approver” field only if directed to do so by your department chair or director.

Midterm and final exam instructions are available on the Grades department webpage.