Student Services

FAQs

Registration

• What is Departmental Clearance (D-Clearance)?

  • The D-Clearance process is used by the School of Architecture to ensure our courses are open only to those who have met required pre-requisites and to manage class enrollment. Courses that require D-Clearance will have a “D” after the five-digit class number (i.e. 11200D), and you must obtain D-Clearance before you can register. D-Clearances are given on a first-come first-serve basis and must be requested from the Academic Department offering the course. D-Clearance request forms for Architecture (ARCH) courses may be found in the School of Architecture Student Services Office in Harris Hall 210.

• When can I register?

  • Each semester you will be issued a Permit to Register with an assigned date and time after which you can register for your courses for the following semester. You may view your Permit to Register on OASIS by logging onto your myUSC account. Also included on your Permit is information on any Activity Restrictions that will prevent you from registering.

• How many units do I have to take each semester?

  • As our programs of study are structured and sequential in nature, it is strongly advised that you follow the sample curriculum set for your degree program as outlined in the USC Catalogue. If you plan to take less units than what is required of the degree program, please be sure to consult with your Academic Advisor and/or your Graduate Program Director/Advisor. Also, check with the USC Financial Aid Office and/or your scholarship coordinator to determine if part-time student status will affect your financial aid package and/or scholarship. Part-time student status may also affect you if you are covered under your parents’ health insurance. Be sure to check with your insurance company for verification.

• How can I find out when my Final Exams are scheduled?

  • On the left side of the Online Schedule of Classes is a Final Examination Schedule and Final Examination Schedule Worksheet link. This information is available one semester in advance. Be sure to consult this schedule before scheduling your travel plans for Winter or Summer Break. Exams cannot be re-scheduled due to travel schedule conflicts.

• I received an SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) notice from Financial Aid. What should I do?

  • Students are required, both by federal and state financial aid guidelines, as well as by USC’s Financial Aid Office, to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) towards their degree. SAP regulations govern how many classes a student should be taking in a given semester and how many semesters of financial aid students can receive. Detailed information about SAP and related policies can be found at the USC Admission and Financial Aid Office's Web site. Students who have specific questions about how SAP regulations apply to their situation, or who might need to complete an SAP appeal, should make an appointment to meet with their advisor.

• I am thinking about taking a summer course at another institution, what do I need to do?

  • There are significant restrictions on transferring courses. Before taking courses at another college, please consult with your academic advisor and also log into OASIS to complete the online “Request for pre-approval to transfer course work to USC.” The online “Request for pre-approval to transfer course work to USC” will provide an immediate response. Once Architecture students have matriculated at USC the only courses allowed to be taken outside the University are: Math 108, Diversity, and free elective units. After earning 64 units at USC you are limited to transferring in just 8 units.

• I want to take a summer course at USC, how long is the Summer Session?

  • Each summer session varies in length. Please consult the Schedule of Classes each summer. A link on the left- hand side of the summer Schedule of Classes will direct you to the summer session code and length of the class. Please pay attention to the first three digits of the class number, as this indicates your summer session code and length of the class. For example, a class number of 054-20301D represents a summer session code of 054. You can also click on the calendar icon to the far right of each course listing.

Grades

• What are the GPA requirements in the School of Architecture?

  • A grade point average of at least C (2.0) on all baccalaureate units attempted at USC, as well as on the combined USC-transfer GPA, is required for undergraduate degrees. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all upper division courses applied toward the major is also required, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken. A minimum cumulative 2.0 grade point average is required in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

     

    At no time should the overall GPA drop below 3.0 for Graduate students. A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in a course to receive graduate credit. Work graded C- or below is not acceptable for subject or unit credit toward any master’s or doctoral program. An overall grade point average of at least 3.0 on all units attempted at USC while a graduate student is required for graduation, whether or not all such units are applied toward the degree.

• What grade do I have to earn to pass my Design Studio course?

  • Less than average work in design is not considered sufficient for a professional degree. Students must receive a grade of C (2.0) or above each semester of design in order to continue in the design sequence and to graduate. Students will be required to repeat the course until such a grade is achieved in ARCH102abL, ARCH 202abL, ARCH 302abL, ARCH 402abcL and ARCH 502aL.

• What is Freshman Forgiveness?

  • Only first-time Undergraduate freshmen are eligible for Freshman Forgiveness. These students may repeat a maximum of three courses taken during the first two semesters at USC in which grades of D+ or below were received, and only the subsequent letter grade, even if lower, will be calculated in the grade point average. Students who were admitted for spring and were first-time freshmen elsewhere in the previous fall may repeat a maximum of two courses taken during the first semester at USC in which grades of D+ or below were received with the same set of provisions stated above.

• What is pass/no pass (P/NP)? What can I take for pass/no pass and when is the deadline to decide?

  • Pass/no pass grades do not factor into your GPA. No more than 24 units of undergraduate course work may be taken on a P/NP basis and only a maximum of four of these 24 units may be applied to the general education requirements (GE Categories I-VI). In the P/NP option, students must earn a C- or above to pass the course. Grades of D+ or below receive a no pass. A passing grade will be recorded as a P and a “no pass” will be recorded as an NP. Keep in mind that all major, minor or writing requirements must be taken for a letter grade, as well as all but one of the six GE course requirements of your choosing. (Because PHYS 125 is a major requirement as well as a GE Category III course, students MUST take it for a letter grade.) Students have until the third week of classes (or third week equivalency for any session lasting less than 15 weeks) to decide on whether or not to take a class P/NP. You cannot change a P/NP class to a letter grade or vice versa after the third week of classes. If you have any questions, please refer to the P/NP section in the USC Catalogue.

     

    Graduate students may not take a course pass/no pass.

• What is auditing a course?

  • Students may choose to audit a course because it allows them to attend without being responsible for completing any of the course requirements. A course taken for audit (V) will not receive unit credit and will not appear on the USC transcript or grade report. Students may elect to audit courses during the first three weeks of the semester, or the third week equivalent for any session that lasts less than 15 weeks. To audit a course, students must register for the course using Web Registration or with the Registration Department. Any audited course will be assessed at the current tuition rate.

• What is credit/no credit (CR/NC)?

  • Certain courses have been authorized by the University Curriculum Committee to be graded Credit/No Credit. Students may not enroll in a course on a C/NC basis unless the course is listed as being offered as C/NC. To receive credit (CR) for a Credit/No Credit undergraduate course, students must earn the equivalent of a C- or higher. Students will receive no credit (NC) if they receive the grade equivalent of a D+ or lower. If you have any questions, please refer to the “Definitions of Grades and Marks” section on USC’s Department of Grades Web site.

• What is a withdrawal (W) and when is the last day to drop a class with a mark of W?

  • A student may withdraw from a course without academic penalty during the first 12 weeks of the semester. If the course is dropped within the first three weeks, it will not appear on the academic transcript. If the course is dropped within weeks four through 12, a mark of “W” will appear on the transcript. Please check all official registration dates (including the withdrawal deadline) by visiting the Office of Academic Records and Registrar Web site.

     

    No course may be dropped after the end of the 12th week and a student may not withdraw from a class in which s/he committed or was accused of committing an academic integrity violation. After registering, it is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course if s/he decides not to continue in a course. Instructors cannot withdraw a student from a course.

     

    A “UW” is assigned to students who have stopped attending prior to the drop deadline (end of the 12th week) without officially withdrawing. The UW will be computed in the GPA as zero grade points (as in the case of an F) and indicates a failure on the part of the student to assume the administrative responsibility of officially dropping a course. If you have any questions, please refer to the “Definitions of Grades and Marks” section on USC’s Department of Grades Web site.

• What is an incomplete (IN) and how long do I have to resolve an incomplete?

  • According to the USC Catalogue and USC Department of Grades, an incomplete (IN) is assigned when work is not completed because of documented illness or other emergency occurring after the 12th week of the semester. An emergency is a situation or event which could not be foreseen, which is beyond the student's control, and which prevents the student from taking the final examination or completing other work during the final examination period. A student may not request an IN before the end of the 12th week, as students still have the option to drop the course until the end of the 12th week. Incompletes exist so there is a remedy for illness or emergency which occurs after the drop deadline.

     

    If an IN is assigned as the student’s grade, the instructor will fill out an Incomplete Completion Form (PDF) which will specify to the student and the department the work remaining to be done, the procedures for its completion, the grade in the course to date and the weight to be assigned to the work remaining to be done when computing the final grade. Both the instructor and student must sign the form with a copy of the form filed with your advisor in your home department.

     

    A student may remove the IN by completing only the portion of required work not finished as a result of documented illness or emergency occurring after the 12th week of the semester. Previously graded work may not be repeated for credit. It is not possible to remove an IN by re-registering for the course, even within the designated time. According to the USC Catalogue and USC Department of Grades, marks of IN must be removed within one calendar year from the date the assignment of the IN. An earlier deadline may be assigned based on the instructor’s request. If not removed within the designated time, marks of IN automatically become marks of IX (expired incomplete) and are calculated in the grade point average as an F (0 points). Courses offered on a credit/no credit basis or taken on a pass/no pass basis for which a mark of IN is assigned will be lapsed with a mark of NC (no credit) or NP (no pass) and will not be calculated into the grade point average.

     

    A student may petition the Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures (CAPP) for an extension of time to complete an incomplete. Extensions beyond the specified time limit are rarely approved, particularly if the student has enrolled in subsequent semesters, since the removal of the incomplete should be the student's first priority.

• What is a missing grade (MG)?

  • According to the USC Catalogue, a missing grade is an administrative mark assigned by an automated grade scanning system, which results when an instructor fails to correctly submit a final course grade for a student. All missing grades on a student’s record should be resolved before his/her degree is posted. MGs can be resolved by the instructor of the course through the correction of grade process. Degrees will be posted for students who have missing grades on their record provided that all other graduation requirements have been met. MGs cannot be resolved after a student has graduated. One calendar year is allowed to remove an MG. If an MG is not removed within one year, the grade is changed to UW and it will be calculated into the grade point average as 0 grade points.

• When will my grades post to my record?

  • Instructors must submit grades within four working days from the date of the scheduled examination for fall, spring and summer terms. It takes five working days to process grades from the time the instructor submits his or her grade sheets.

Transcripts, Forms and Diplomas

• How can I get an official copy of my transcript?

  • Official transcripts are only issued by the USC Department of Transcripts and may be requested electronically or in person.

• Where can I get the form filled out for car insurance verification?

  • Please refer to the USC Department of Verifications. The verification letter will provide the dates of attendance at the University and any related statuses such as class level, full-time/part time enrollment, and degrees awarded. Individual courses and grade information is not provided.

• When will my degree be posted and when will I receive my diploma?

  • Degrees are posted by the 15th of the month after classes end each semester. If you finish all of your course work for your degree in May, your degree will be posted by June 15. If you finish your course work in August, your degree will be posted by September 15, and if you finish your course work in December, your degree will be posted by January 15.

     

    Diplomas are generally mailed within four to eight weeks after the conclusion of your graduating semester. If you need official verification of your degree before you receive your diploma, please contact the Verification or Transcript Department. You may request to pick up your diploma. If you requested "Hold for Pick-up" or if you live in the 90007 zip code, the Degree Progress Department will mail you a notice to your local address when your diploma is ready for pick up. Fore more information, please refer to the USC Department of Diplomas.

International Students

• How do I participate in Curricular Practical Training (CPT)?

  • Before the 3rd week drop/add deadline, you must be offered a job position/internship. In order to receive CPT authorization, you must register for ARCH-524 Professional Practicum (1 unit, max 2). Fill out the CPT Application Form and bring it along with the job offer letter to the Architecture Student Services Office in order to obtain your Advisor’s approval and D-Clearance. Return the Application Form to the Office of International Services (OIS).