Viterbi Undergraduate Advising
What is Academic Advising?
As a Viterbi undergraduate student, you are assigned an academic advisor, who is here to help you navigate from new student orientation all the way to graduation. Your academic advisor will assist you with learning and understanding your degree requirements and relevant academic policies and procedures; advise you on course planning and registration each semester to help you stay on track to achieving your goals; connect you with resources and opportunities to enhance your academic experience; and support your growth and success as a student, an engineer, and a part of the Viterbi community.
Types of Graduate Advising at Viterbi
Here at Viterbi, graduate advising is conducted by two teams - your department academic advisor(s) and VGASP advisors. We collaborate to provide you advisement and support your holistic success. Both teams provide advisement for different areas, so it’s important to review the information below to understand the areas each team advises on.
Department Academic Advisors
Department Academic Advisors are specialized units that provide program-specific academic advising on the following topics:
- Degree Requirements
- Graduation Timeline
- Course Recommendations/Course Planning
- On-Campus D-Clearances
- STARS Report Updates
- Change of Major
- RA/TA Funding
- Departmental Fellowship
MS Students:
Click below to connect with your Department Advisor
Ph.D. Students:
Click below to connect with your Department Advisor
Viterbi Graduate Academic Services & Programs (VGASP) is a centralized office that manages and advises on Viterbi-wide policies and procedures such as:
- Leave of Absence (LOA)
- DEN D-clearances & Petitions
- Ph.D. Exam/Defense
- Grad School Fellowship
- MS and Ph.D. Progress Review
- General USC and/or Viterbi-wide questions
- Academic verifications* for the following processes:
- Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
- Optional Practical Training (OPT)
- Academic Difficulty & Medical Reduced Course Load (RCL)
- Program Extension (PE)
- Progressive Degree Program I-20 (PDP I-20)
*Please keep in mind that OIS has ownership of the immigration process. Questions regarding immigration should be directed to their team.
MS & Ph.D. Students:
Click below to connect with the VGASP Team
Advise USC is an academic advising platform that provides numerous tools for connecting and collaborating with your advisor, including:
- Appointments: see your advisor’s upcoming availability and schedule advising appointments
- Course plans: create a long-term course plan with your advisor and update it as you progress through your degree
- Support cases: reach out to your advisor to ask a question or discuss a concern and follow up in a streamlined thread of communication
- Announcements: receive timely announcements to stay up to date on academic advising information and other academic, professional and co-curricular opportunities
You can access Advise USC through Experience USC. Note that incoming undergraduate students receive access to Advise USC several weeks prior to new student orientation.
Select your major to learn more:
| Department Website |
Students who start at USC as Undeclared Engineering majors can explore the different engineering disciplines before deciding on their major. Start exploring by checking out the various engineering department websites linked above. |
| Advisor Contact |
Access Advise USC though Experience USC to contact your assigned advisor or schedule an advising appointment. |
| Major Curriculum |
There is no set curriculum for Undeclared Engineering majors. You will work with your advisor to plan 1-2 semesters of courses that will help you explore your interests while making progress on math and science requirements common across engineering majors. |
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If you are a current USC student in a major outside of Viterbi who is interested in transferring to a Viterbi major, please review the Pre-Engineering webpage for information about admission requirements and contacting a pre-egineering advisor.
There are many opportunities for you to learn and connect with both our team and your peers! Our team offers live hybrid workshops that you can join - click on Academic Workshops to learn more. You also have access to the Viterbi Graduate Learning platform, which gives you 24/7 on-demand access to learning modules about academic requirements, policies, and more!
