Concurrent Enrollment in GESM and WRIT 150 for Spring 2024
The GE Seminar and WRIT 150 requirements should be satisfied during a student’s freshman year. Ideally, students take a GESM in the fall and a WRIT 150 course in the spring or vice versa, but not both in the fall semester. If necessary, freshmen who have satisfied neither the WRIT 150 nor the GESM requirement by the end of fall 2023 may satisfy both in the spring 2024 semester by registering for a GESM and a WRIT 150 class simultaneously.
Pass/No Pass Grading
Only one GE class in the Core Literacy requirements can be taken on a pass/no pass basis. This course can double-count to meet a Global Perspectives requirement. Students can take their second Global Perspectives requirement on a pass/no pass basis only if it is not double-counted for a Core Literacy requirement. Students may choose their GE Seminar as the one Core Literacy course taken on a pass/no pass basis. Transfer students and spring admits may take one of the two Dornsife Core Literacy courses as a P/NP, only if no other GE courses were taken P/NP elsewhere. Students who took more than one GE Core Literacy course as a P/NP between Spring 2020 to Spring 2022 are no longer eligible to take additional GE courses P/NP.
Transfer Credit Policies
All students who begin college elsewhere in fall 2015 and then transfer to USC must meet these requirements to graduate from USC. Several of these requirements can be met with approved transfer courses, but once a student begins enrollment at USC, all general education Core Literacy requirements must be met with courses taken at USC. The Global Perspective requirements may be met with approved transfer courses taken over the summer after enrolling at USC. Students participating in a USC Overseas Studies program may not earn GE credit for coursework taken as part of their study abroad experience.
Transfer students are not required to complete a General Education Seminar (GESM) but are required to complete the Dornsife Core Literacy requirement.
All General Education courses at USC carry four units of credit. To be eligible for transfer, a course taken at another institution must be articulated for a minimum of 2 and 2/3 units of USC credit, with an earned grade of C minus or higher. Students may view approved transfer courses on the USC Undergraduate Transfer Credit Services website. Transfer students who began college elsewhere before fall 2015 should consult the Fall 2014 USC catalogue for information about their general education requirements at USC.
GE Credit by Examination
Students who take Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and A-Level exams can earn credit towards certain General Education requirements. Further information regarding earning credit by examination can be found on the Transfer Credit Services website.
Meeting the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement with Quantitative Reasoning Test Scores
Students may meet their General Education requirement in Quantitative Reasoning with a score of 22 on the Quantitative Reasoning Exam, if that score is earned under the following conditions:
- Students must take the Quantitative Reasoning Exam before the completion of 32 units for freshmen, including spring admits, or the first semester of enrollment at USC for transfer students;
- Students may take this exam only once.
All students may take the online Mathematics Placement Examination once, if they choose, but their scores will be used for placement in math classes only. A score of 22 or higher on the online exam may be a good indication that the student can consider taking the Quantitative Reasoning Exam to meet the requirement, but that score on the online Math Placement Exam with not satisfy the GE requirement in Quantitative Reasoning. Students may take the online Mathematics Placement Exam once for practice, but those who score less than 22 on the online exam should not attempt the proctored in-person exam on campus. Those students should satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning requirement with an approved GE-F, Quantitative Reasoning course.
Students who wish to take the Quantitative Reasoning exam must schedule to do so by emailing placement@usc.edu.