USC is one of the top-ranked universities in the US and the World. Our alumni are the leaders of industry and commerce, pioneers in engineering and medicine, and producers of fine art, great music, and many of the most popular films ever produced. USC’s innovative curriculum offers a unique opportunity to develop a thorough grounding in not just business, but also in the liberal arts and sciences. Students are asked to think critically about complex problems and to communicate verbally in writing.Our business courses allow students to develop a thorough knowledge of business fundamentals, including organizational behaviour, finance and business economics, business communication, accounting, marketing, business strategy, information systems, entrepreneurial studies, real estate, and ethical leadership. Marshall also recognizes the benefits of pairing theory with practice, and provides connections to internship, industry mentors, and experiential learning through various in-class exercises, and co-curricular activities. This fosters continued learning inside and outside of the classroom, while building your resume and valuable skills for life after college.
What Courses Can you Take and How Many?
Students normally enroll in 4 academic courses per semester. Each 4-unit course at USC is equal to 8 ECTS units, and meets for 60 classroom hours (4 hours per week over a 15 week semester). In addition, final exams are scheduled over a 1-week period. The times for all exams are pre-set prior to the semester, and exam times CANNOT be changed.
All of the existing exchange agreements are between your home university AND the Marshall School of Business. As such, every student is expected to be enrolled in a minimum number of business courses (normally 3) unless approved prior to the student’s arrival (Please note: Economics courses are not part of the business school).
Students are able to enroll in any undergrdauate course (that is any course numbered 4xx or below) on campus that they are qualified for (ie, if you do not speak French , enrolling in Advanced French IV would not be possible), and students are encouraged to explore the breadth of subjects that our university offers. Past exchange students have taken courses in related fileds such as International Relations, Economics, and Communications, to courses in Cinema, Psychology and Political Science, to classes on SAP or other computer programs, to “fun” courses such as Piano, Tennis, Photography or Ballroom Dancing and even Deep-water sailing (one of our favorites).
Registering for Courses
Shortly after you have completed the application materials, each exchange student will be sent an e-mail with their USC ID number, as well as instructions and a form on registering for courses. Each student will be asked to select 4 academic courses as well as alternates for each course selection. We will do our best to place exchange students in their first choices, but due to classroom size limitations, we are not always able to do so. Also, many non-business courses will require students to register in person, as they require examinations or other clearances prior to registration.
Once you arrive at USC and clear passport verification, you will be able to change your registration up through the 3rd week of classes.
Feel free to browse the USC Schedule of Courses for your reference. Please be aware that USC Marshall rotates courses, and so approximately 20-30% of the schedule will NOT be offered from one year to the next. So, if you are looking at the previous fall’s schedule, be aware that a number of the courses may not be offered the following fall.
Important Notes Regarding Course Registration:
- You may take any USC courses that are 4xx level or lower (with 100 level courses being beginner courses, typically taken by 1st year students).
- Certain courses require prerequisite courses or the equivalent coursework. Make sure you meet all qualifications before registering for such courses.
- If you wish to enroll in Accounting courses, you will need to make sure that you have met the pre-requisite for those courses (we are VERY strict with our accounting pre-requisites).
- Make sure your final schedule has no time conflicts: courses CANNOT be meeting at the same time.
- All of the listed class times are set on the schedule and are unlikely to change.
- Some courses include a lecture section, a discussion section, and a quiz section. Make sure you register for all components of the course.
- If you need a course syllabi, check the link below (For business courses only) or visit the department Web sites. Please note: the majority of faculty do not make their syllabi available to the general public or students not enrolled in their classes. Also, current syllabi will be made available on the first day of class.
- Students are allowed to change courses up through the third week of classes. HOWEVER most classes are full to capacity by that time and there is NO GUARANTEE that you will be able to move into the course or time that you want. Movement amongst courses during this time is possible, but it is very difficult, especially for some of the more popular courses.
Marshall School of Business Department Websites:
- Lloyd Greif Center For Entrepreneurial Studies (BAEP)
- Center for Management Communication (BUCO)
- Finance & Business Economics (FBE)
- Data Science and Operations (DSO)
- Management & Organization (MOR)
- Marketing (MKT)
- Leventhal School of Accounting (ACCT)
- Program in Real Estate
- Center for Investment Studies
Non-Business Departments (partial list):
Book Lists
One of the questions we are asked most about is book lists. Unfortunately most book lists will not be listed online until a week before classes, and not all courses will have textbooks listed online. Some courses do not even use textbooks but instead use course-readers (which are collections of articles or case studies). The book lists are made available online through OASIS
OASIS
OASIS is USC’s online student system. Once logged in, you can see what courses you are registered for, when and where each class will meet, your course book lists, your billing balance, pay your billing balance, and a number of other things. To log in, enter your 10-digit USC ID number and your PIN number. Your default pin number is your birthday (Month-Day-Year. Example: If you were born on December 7, 1970, your pin number is 120770.) You will be asked to re-set your pin number after your initial login.
OASIS Login Page