Students should carefully review the information below on requesting D-Clearance as the procedure for IR courses differs from POSC courses.
Approval for D-Clearance does not guarantee students a seat in the course. All registrations are subject to the availability of seats and the physical capacity limits of the classroom.
Please note that the department will not approve requests to add seats to closed (i.e. full) courses unless:
- The student is a senior planning to graduate within the academic year;
- The course is required for their degree progress; and
- There are no alternative courses available.
Eligible students should complete the Permission to Add a Closed Course Form and submit it to DMC 330 for department approval.
IR D-Clearance
To request D-Clearance for IR 210, IR 304, IR 320, and 400-level IR courses, please complete this form: IR D-Clearance Survey.
Requests are process in 2-3 business days. Students will be notified by email once their request has been processed.
Important D-Clearance Policies
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400-level courses are only available to students who have completed at least 64 units (not including units in progress).
→ Check your STARS report before submitting a D-Clearance request.
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IR 320 and IR 304 are initially restricted to INCO majors who will be graduating in two semesters or less.
→ Starting in Week 4 of registration, clearance will open to all IR majors based on class standing (i.e. senior, junior, sophomore, etc.).
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IR 447 / MDES 441 Cities of the Middle East is offered through the Middle East Studies Deparment.
→ No D-Clearance is required. Register for MDES 441.
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Due to limited space, IR 210 and 400-level IR courses are reserved for:
- IR majors and minors
- Incoming IR transfer students
- Majors whose programs require IR courses (e.g., Political Economy BA, Global Health BS, Human Security minor)
Students from other departments may submit requests in early August (Fall) or early January (Spring) if seats are still open.
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If you miss one or more classes and register late, you must get permission from the instructor, even if you enrolled via WebReg.
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IR 490 Directed Research must be approved by a POIR faculty mentor.
→ The mentor must email your academic advisor with the number of units they will supervise.
Note: IR 490 does not count toward the 400-level IR requirement.
POSC D-Clearance
Political Science courses generally do not require D-Clearance unless an application is required as with the following courses:
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POSC 391/392: This is the Political Science Honors Program. Applications are accepted in the Spring semester. D-Clearance is granted once the instructor informs the department of your admission to the program.
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POSC 395: This is the Political Science Internship/Research course ran by the Unruh Institute. Students should contact unruhins@usc.edu for more information.
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POSC 398: This is the Trial Advocacy/Mock Trial team. Try outs are held in the Fall semester. D-Clearance is granted once the instructor informs the department of your admission to the program.
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POSC 490: This is the Directed Research program. Students who are assisting a POSC professor with research or who are conducting their own research with supervision from a POSC professor must complete and submit a POSC 490 Application.
If ever there is D-Clearance required for a course that is not listed above, please contact the listed professor for more information.