Special Academic Programs

Thematic Option

"T.O."-- as it's commonly called around campus --is the university's general education honors program. Each year just under 200 freshmen participate in this interdisciplinary core curriculum which offers small classes with some of USC's best undergraduate teachers and a hand-picked group of writing instructors. The T.O. program is challenging, yet still manageable for students invited to participate.

To qualify for an invitation to the program, students admitted to the university should have a GPA of around 4.0 and a combined SAT Reasoning Test score of 2100 or higher.

Renaissance Scholars

This academic honor is awarded to select undergraduate students who graduate with a major and a minor (or two majors) in widely separated fields of study. Recipients of this honor are known as USC Renaissance Scholars.

The objective is not just breadth in the conventional sense. Rather, the objective is breadth with depth, and the extraordinary release of intellectual energy that often occurs when two widely separate fields of thought are brought together in the same mind.

Learning Communities

We know that it can be tough to be undecided when everyone else seems to know exactly what they want to major in.  Learning Communities give undecided students an academic "home" in the university by encouraging you to explore your options before deciding on a major.  Through this program, you'll take two classes in the fall of your freshman year with other Learning Community students.  One class fulfills a General Education requirement, while the other helps you explore a potential major.  They give you the chance to adjust to college life, develop friendships, find faculty mentors, and discover your interests - all within a community of other students who are undecided just like you. 

Freshman Science Honors Program

The Freshman Science Honors Program will provide an enriched academic experience for well-prepared natural science students who intend to take general chemistry and introductory biology during their freshman year.  Students in the program enroll in Advanced General Chemistry and Advanced General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution, and also join special events with research faculty and staff from the sciences and biomedical sciences.  Students must have a minimum SAT Reasoning Test Math score of 700 to apply.

Freshman Seminars

Freshman Seminars introduce freshmen to the larger academic world they are entering.  These small group seminars address topics of current interest in contemporary research and scholarship, such as political cartooning, the psychology of music, technology and the environment, and the art of the comic book. Freshmen earn two units of course credit through particpation in these weekly seminars. Each seminar is limited to 18 freshmen.

Advising

USC offers endless opportunities for students, and sometimes having so many choices can be a little daunting.  Professional advisors can help you sort through the many choices and develop a four year plan.  Students are required to meet with an advisor at least once a semester during the first three semesters. We also have pre-health, pre-law, and graduate school advisors who can assist students with achieving their goals of pursuing post-graduate and professional study.  Current students meet with an academic adivisor in their major.  For students who are undecided or undeclared, students will meet with an advisor from the USC College Office of Advising.

Study Abroad

We offer over 50 semester-long and year-long study abroad programs in 23 countries worldwide. There are many benefits of a study abroad program: learning about other cultures, gaining international work experience, fulfilling major or minor coursework, gaining self-reliance and independence in another country, as well as broadening your understanding of the world.

JEP

Founded in 1972, JEP is recognized as one of  "the oldest and best organized" (TIME Magazine and the Princeton Review, 2000) service learning programs in the country, offering students at the University of Southern California the unique opportunity to combine academic coursework with experiences in the surrounding community.  More than 60 percent of USC students volunteer in community service programs in neighborhoods around the campus and throughout Los Angeles.

Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program

The Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program enables students with undergraduate degrees to complete the science core requirements for admission to medical school and other health professional programs such as dental and veterinary school in a supportive environment. The program offers several key features such as access to faculty and pre-health advisors, two receptions for students in the program each semester, informational workshops on the medical school application process, and  a file maintenance service.   The program is directed toward students with demonstrated academic achievement in their baccalaureate work, but with little or no prior college-level science and mathematics in their background. The program has approximately 50 students.