What is Exploratory?
AEA advisors help students navigate the major exploration, admission and declaration process for USC’s wide array of interdisciplinary and innovative majors and academic programs.
While exploring academic opportunities, Exploratory declared and referred students typically identify in these areas:
Exploring Many Fields of Interest
Students who are “Exploring Many Fields of Interest” are considering several majors or may not yet be sure where they want to end up, but know they want to review their options. An AEA advisor helps these students narrow their focus and consider all their major choices, while ensuring they are making progress toward University General Education requirements.
Completing Pre-application Requirements
Some academic programs at USC have specific admission requirements that must be met prior to submitting an application. Students who are “Completing Pre-Application Requirements” typically have narrowed their focus to a primary major and parallel major, and are working with an AEA advisor to ensure they are meeting both the pre-application requirements and their university General Education requirements.
USC Major Admission and Declaration Processes
Exploratory students should review the USC Catalogue list of undergraduate majors (alphabetically/ by school) for programs that interest them.
Current USC students should also review each school’s academic advising or admission website(s) to confirm the internal transfer admission or declaration requirements and deadlines.
Selective Majors
The majors within these schools do not have open major declaration and there is no guarantee of admission. A separate application, pre-application coursework and/or portfolio are typically required:
- Iovine and Young Academy
- School of Architecture
- Roski School of Art & Design
- Marshall School of Business / Leventhal School of Accounting
- School of Cinematic Arts
- Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- Kaufman School of Dance
- USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy within the USC Independent Health Professions at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
- School of Dramatic Arts
- Viterbi School of Engineering
- Gould School of Law
- Select programs in Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences:
- Thornton School of Music
- Real Estate Development BS in Price School of Public Policy
Open Majors
These schools have mostly “open” majors, which can be declared upon meeting with the school’s admission or advising staff. However, some programs have a minimum gpa requirement to declare the major:
- Davis School of Gerontology (2.0 cumulative gpa or higher required)
- Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
- Keck School of Medicine
- Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Select programs in Price School of Public Policy (2.0 cumulative gpa or higher required):