Astani CEE Masters Student Advisement
The Astani CEE Student Affair’s mission is to support the holistic development of students and foster academic success.
Are you a new Astani CEE Masters student? Take a look at our New Masters Student page!
Enrollment and Policies
A master's student is considered to be enrolled full time when registered for eight (8) or more units. Students should not enroll in more than eight (8) units before discussing with their department advisor.
Full-time employed students should not take more than 4 units. Please discuss with a department advisor before enrolling in more than 4 units.
International students that would like to enroll in less than eight (8) units of classes must first speak with the Office of International Services (OIS) and VGASP advisors.
It is the responsibility of all students to review their degree requirements on their program website. Only courses explicitly listed apply toward their degree. If you would like to request the opportunity to take a course outside of the approved electives, please complete the Program Exception Request Form. Your request justification must include why you believe the course will benefit your career and how you believe it is relevant to your degree. It is recommended that students first reach out to their advisor on Advise USC with inquiries regarding coursework not listed. The department leadership reviews requests and all decisions are final.
2/3 Rule
All programs require a minimum two-thirds of coursework must be 500-level or higher. Learn more.
Note: This policy applies to programs that require or allow 400-level coursework.
Academic Performance
All students are required to maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA to remain in good academic standing and to graduate. Students that are unable to maintain the 3.0 GPA will be placed on academic probation. View the complete policy on the Viterbi Website.
Note: Only grades C or higher will count toward your degree progress, but all grades will count toward your GPA.
Note: No Pass/No Pass courses are allowed.
Academic Integrity
If you have questions about academic integrity, contact your professor as policies may differ from class to class. Always error on the side of caution if you are unsure if something is considered cheating.
Penalties for violations at the Master’s level are extremely severe grade sanctions (e.g., “F” in the course) or dismissal. Other consequences include:
- Denied CPT/Internship
- Loss of access to Viterbi Career Connections (VCC) office events
- Suspension or explusion
- Impact on job opportunities
Degree must be completed in 5 years.
Registration, D-Clearance, and Pre-Req Waivers
Web Registration
Students register for their courses through an online tool called Web Registration. For more support on registration, please visit the Registrar's website.
Every semester, there is a deadline to register for classes and settle your bill without accruing a late fee. Please be enrolled full time before this deadline. Note that it is possible to change your schedule after this date.
For more information about deadlines, please visit the Schedule of Classes and reviewing the Registration Calendar.
D-Clearance
D-Clearance stands for Departmental Clearance. Some courses at USC require D-Clearance (or the department’s permission) to register for a class.
- If a course section number ends in "R" (ex: 00000R) → No. For all courses that end in “R” you may register directly without departmental approval.
- If a course section number ends in “D” (ex: 00000D) → Yes. All courses that end in D require need D-Clearance. See section below for D-Clearance Request Instructions.
NOTE: All Den@Viterbi courses have department clearance. See section below for directions.
Pre-requisite Waivers
Some courses have pre-requisite requirements. These are courses/prior knowledge that is required to be successful in the course.
As masters students, you may have taken the pre-requisite at your undergraduate institution. In this instance, you will need to submit a pre-requisite waiver in order to register for the class.
ADVISEMENT
The Astani Student Affairs Team supports the holistic development of students and fosters academic success.
Meet your Astani Student Affairs Team!
Additional Resources
University Policies
International Student Resources
University Resources
