FAQ

You can meet with an advisor by booking an appointment through AdviseUSC.

You can view the advisors and other staff assigned to you on AdviseUSC.

Yes, all Economics Department students must meet with their advisor at least once a semester during Mandatory Advising. This ensures that you and your advisor communicate about your courses and academic plan.

Advisors have both in-person and virtual availability. Please check AdviseUSC to see your advisor’s next available appointment times.

KAP (Kaprelian Hall), suite 357.

The best way to contact your advisor is by submitting a Case on AdviseUSC. You can also send them an email.

No. These are taught within the Marshall School of Business and cannot be used to fulfill ECON upper-division requirements. However, they can be used to substitute for ECON 203 and ECON 205.

You may take the Challenge Exam. Depending on your major, ITP 115 may be substituted for a higher-level course such as ITP 116 or 216. Please speak with your advisor about your experience with Python.

Yes. Undergraduate students can take graduate-level courses if they receive instructor permission, meet with their advisor and follow the departmental process to receive d-clearance.

Graduate students will get priority registration in these courses. However, if a student plans to pursue a PDP, they should ensure that they are not attempting to take graduate coursework covered in their PDP program and use it for undergraduate degree completion.

Yes. You can create your own track by selecting any three ECON 300/400 division electives.

Not all electives are offered each semester or even each year. Consult the Schedule of Classes to see when classes were previously offered and when they may be offered again.

Webreg does not have built-in wait list functions, and academic departments can’t enroll individual students in courses. If there is an open seat in a course section designated R, any student with access to Webreg may enroll themselves. Seats will often change. Students trying to get a seat in a full section need to watch Web Registration closely.

The only mechanism departments have to control enrollment in full sections is D-clearance, which limits the pool of students who can take open seats if they become available. We often use this for courses in which all sections are at capacity. Among the D-clearance requests our staff will prioritize students by major and time-to-graduation.

Academic departments may only waive prerequisites for their own courses. Mechanically, the waiver is granted from the course the student wishes to enroll in, not from the prerequisite course. For example, the Economics Department can waive any prerequisites for any ECON course, but if a student needs to waive the pre-requisite for a PHYS course, they need to contact the Physics Department.

Incompletes will only be considered by your professor AFTER the semester’s withdrawal deadline. The withdrawal deadline is the final day to drop a class with a mark of a “W”.

1. Eligibility for IN: A student may be assigned an IN only if they provide documentation of illness or emergency after the withdrawal deadline, because they are no longer eligible to withdraw from the course.
2. Assigning an IN: If an IN is given, the professor must outline the remaining work, the grade to date, procedures for completion, and the weight of missing work in the final grade. Remaining coursework should be minimal (i.e. 1-2 homework assignments along with final project/presentation/exam).
3. Completion of IN: Students may only complete the work they missed due to illness or emergency. They may not resubmit graded work or re-register for the course, as re-registration would incur additional tuition charges.
4. Time Limit: The IN must be completed within one year. If not, it automatically converts to an IX (expired Incomplete) and will be calculated as 0 points in the GPA.

All core courses must be completed with a minimum “C” grade or higher. Please see your STARS report for the list of core courses for your specific major.

No. Students interested in any major offered through the Department of Economics do not need to apply to declare that major. Speak with an advisor if you want to declare any one of our seven majors.

The Economics department minors are Economics and Behavioral Economics. You do not need to apply for these minors. Speak with an advisor if you want to declare these minors.

Yes. A student enrolled in the Department of Economics’ PDP will earn a Master of Science in Applied Economics and Econometrics (MS AEE) graduate degree.

The MS AEE is a STEM-designated program, which allows international students on F-1 visas to apply for a 24-month extension of their optional practical training (OPT). The Department’s PDP program is open to Econ majors and non-Econ majors at USC.

• Economics, B.A. CIP Code 45.0603
• Economics & Data Science, B.S. CIP Code 45.0603
• Economics/Mathematics, B.S. CIP Code 27.0305

To declare a major or minor, students must first meet with an advisor from the Economics Department to discuss the program requirements. Students can meet with an advisor through a Referral on AdviseUSC. Mark yourself as “Ready for Advising” and an advisor will reach out to you.

Yes. Students should pursue major electives abroad. Please meet with your academic advisor, as well as the Office of Overseas Studies for more information about course options and studying abroad.

Your Transfer Credit Report (TCR) will provide this information. In addition, we encourage you to speak with your advisor about your coursework and academic plans.

No. Effective February 16, 2024, the Economics department will no longer accept transfer or study abroad credit for ECON303, ECON305, or ECON318. This policy applies without exceptions.

Yes, we accept AP, IB, A-Level, and other transfer coursework for ECON 203/205. Please consult your advisor and your Transfer Credit Report.