P l a n n in g Yo ur Transfer
Courses Required for Admission Writing and math are required for all transfer students. Students intending to study science, business, engineering, real estate development or architecture are required to complete additional courses before transferring. Refer to pages 12-15 for details. Strong transfer candidates will enroll full time and complete 14-16 units, typically comprising four transferable courses, per term.
Writing/Composition
Transfer Planning Worksheet General Education USC’s General Education program is designed to introduce you to a breadth of knowledge that will help you succeed in the 21st century. • We require eight courses within the six Core Literacies: one course each in The Arts, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Quantitative Reasoning; and two courses each in Humanistic Inquiry and Social Analysis. • We require two courses in Global Perspectives: one in Citizenship in a Diverse World and one in Traditions and Historical Foundations. • Some Global Perspectives courses will satisfy requirements in the Core Literacies as well. A single course can satisfy one Global Perspectives and one Core Literacy requirement at most.
Strong writing skills are essential to success at USC. All undergraduates are required to take two writing courses: one lower-division and one upper-division course. The upper-division course must be taken at USC. However, successful transfer applicants will complete a course equivalent to the lower-division requirement, WRIT 130, before applying to USC. Typically the second course in a college composition sequence satisfies this requirement. If your school does not offer a course equivalent to WRIT 130, you should take the strongest composition course available. This course may not be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis. Professional, technical, creative and remedial writing courses will not satisfy this requirement. If you are unsure whether your writing course is equivalent to WRIT 130 and it does not appear in our articulation agreements or histories, please keep the syllabus and papers for later review by USC. Course
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Minimum Math
• Transfer students are not required to complete the General Education Seminar (GESM) required of first-year students.
You are expected to have earned strong grades in at least three years of high school mathematics, including Advanced Algebra (Algebra II) or Intermediate Algebra at the college level with a grade of C or better. Majors in the natural and social sciences, business, real estate development, engineering and architecture at USC require specific mathematics courses and achievement beyond this level. If lower-division mathematics courses are required by your major, we advise you to complete them early in your college studies, prior to applying to USC.
• A course taken at another institution must be at least 3 semester units or 4 quarter units to be eligible for GE credit.
Please refer to “Additional Coursework by Major” on pages 12-15 to find out if your intended program of study requires additional coursework.
• Transfer students must complete at least two GE courses at USC Dornsife College from among the six Core Literacy categories. • Once enrolled at USC, students must complete all remaining GE Core Literacy requirements at USC.
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Students who began college prior to fall 2015 should review General Education requirements at dornsife.usc.edu/2015ge. 10
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General Education Courses CORE LITERACIES GE–A
GE–B
The Arts
Courses that meet this requirement enable students to engage with the arts by teaching them to create and analyze works of art, understanding the context of their creations and their connections to cultural issues. Examples of acceptable courses: Art History (must include cultural context), Intro to Film, Art Appreciation (Great Works), History of Architecture (must include cultural context), History of Music, History of Dance, History of Photography, Intro to Theatre, Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Music Appreciation, History of Jazz, History of Rock and Roll, Dramatic Literature (plays from all eras) Not acceptable: Studio, performance, theory or pre-professional courses
Humanistic Inquiry (2 Courses)
Courses that meet this requirement cultivate a critical appreciation for various forms of human expression by teaching students to evaluate works of literature, philosophy and the arts, to think critically and formulate informed opinions about ideas and values. Examples of acceptable courses: Western Civilization, World Civilization, Intro to Philosophy, American Literature or English Literature, U.S. History, Intro to Religions, Eastern Religion, Western Religion, World Religions, Old Testament, New Testament, Mythology (Greek/Roman/World)
GE–C
Courses that meet this requirement explore the causes and consequences of social phenomena by teaching students to apply the quantitative and qualitative methods of the social sciences to understand how people behave and influence the world through institutions and other cultural forms. Examples of acceptable courses: Cultural Anthropology, Intro to Environmental Studies (people and policy focused), Intro to Sociology, Intro to Political Science, Intro to American Government, Intro to International Relations, Intro to Peace and Conflict Studies, Language and Society
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Social Analysis (2 Courses)
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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES GE–G
Citizenship in a Diverse World
Courses that meet this requirement enhance understanding of citizenship and moral agency in today’s increasingly global society by teaching students to identify social, political, economic and cultural forces that bear on human experience in the U.S. and around the world. Examples of acceptable courses: Intro to International Relations, Intro to Peace and Conflict Studies, Contemporary Moral Issues Not acceptable: Courses that consider these issues in the context of a single country, such as the U.S.
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GE–H
Traditions and Historical Foundations
Courses that meet this requirement examine the historical and cultural foundations of contemporary societies over a substantial period of time by teaching students to understand the enduring influence of literary, political, economic, philosophical, legal, ethical and religious traditions. Examples of acceptable courses: Art History (must include cultural context), History of Architecture (must include cultural context), Music History, History of Religion, History of [a particular region], History of Theatre, Western Civilization, World Civilization, U.S. History, Old Testament, New Testament, Mythology (Greek/Roman/World)
GE–D
The Life Sciences
GE-E
Courses that meet this requirement provide a scientific understanding of a full range of living systems, from molecules to ecosystems, by teaching students to understand how data is generated, presented and interpreted, and how scientific discovery spurs technological growth and impacts society. Examples of acceptable courses: General Biology, Physical Anthropology, Environmental Biology, Marine Biology Beginning fall 2022, courses must include a hands-on lab component. Online or hybrid labs are not acceptable. Exceptions MAY be made for courses taken before fall 2022 if they were intended to be completed in person but moved online due to COVID-19. Not acceptable: Anatomy, Botany, Environmental Science, Intro to Psychology, Zoology
The Physical Sciences
GE–F
Courses that meet this requirement analyze natural phenomena through quantitative description and synthesis, teaching students to solve scientific problems and to understand the processes by which scientific knowledge is obtained, evaluated and placed in the context of societal relevance.
Courses that meet this requirement teach students to use a set of formal tools, such as logical or statistical inference, probability, or mathematical analysis to pose and evaluate hypotheses, claims, questions, or problems within a formal mode of thought.
Examples of acceptable courses: General Chemistry, Chemistry for Allied Health, General Physics, Oceanography, Elementary Astronomy, Physical Geography, Historical Geology, Physical Geology
Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, PreCalculus, College Algebra, Statistics, Finite Math, Calculus, Math for Liberal Arts, Calculus for Business
Beginning in fall 2022, courses must include a hands-on lab component. Online or hybrid labs are not acceptable. Exceptions MAY be made for courses taken before fall 2022 if they were intended to be completed in person but moved online due to COVID-19.
Examples of acceptable courses:
Meeting this requirement with math placement test scores: Students may meet this requirement by earning a score of 22 on the USC Mathematics Placement Exam under certain conditions. Visit dornsife. usc.edu/2015ge/2015gerequirements for more information.
Not acceptable: Preparatory Chemistry
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE
MAJOR-RELATED COURSES
Many degree programs require the third-level course of a foreign language. See the “Foreign Lang.” column next to your intended major on pages 12-15. Students are encouraged to begin, if not finish, this requirement before transferring.
Use this space to record courses for your intended major listed on pages 12-15.
Once at USC, transfers needing additional studies in foreign language must complete a placement exam before being allowed to register for courses. Students attending schools on the quarter system must complete the fifth-level course of a foreign language to satisfy this requirement. At some semester schools, a fourth-level course is equivalent to the third level at USC. A score of 4 or higher on an AP foreign language exam (other than Latin) can fulfill this requirement. Language courses taken fully or partially online do not satisfy this requirement.
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Exceptions MAY be made for courses taken before fall 2022 if they were intended to be completed in person but moved online due to COVID-19.
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Not acceptable: Intro to Religion (general); modern or contemporary history courses focused on the 20th century or later
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Quantitative Reasoning
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