university-of-south-carolina

 

Degrees Offered at University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Affordable Part-Time MBA Programs.

The University of South Carolina is a large public research university located in downtown Columbia, S.C. It offers many top-ranked online and traditional degree programs. Students of online programs at USC have the convenience of working at their own pace in small classes, and they have all the resources available on campus at their disposal. Each year, new online courses and programs are added to the curriculum. The programs currently available are ranked among the best in the nation by education journals such as U.S. News & World Report. Academic departments at USC are grouped into the following schools and colleges:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • Darla Moore School of Business
  • College of Education
  • College of Engineering and Computing
  • The Graduate School
  • College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management
  • College of Information and Communications
  • School of Law
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Music
  • College of Nursing
  • College of Pharmacy
  • Arnold School of Public Health
  • College of Social Work
  • South Carolina Honors College

USC offers an online Bachelor of Science in Nursing completion program for registered nurses looking to increase their employment opportunities. The RN to BSN program is offered fully online and can be completed in 12 months of full-time enrollment. Because this program does not have any residency requirements, nursing majors can complete their bachelor’s degree coursework at their own pace without traveling to the campus for attendance. Students will receive instruction in important areas of nursing, including healthcare informatics, nursing leadership, professionalism, and critical thinking. The online BSN is the perfect stepping stone to graduate school education in nursing.

Other online bachelor’s completion degrees include the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Bachelor of Arts in Health Informatics, Bachelor of Science in Public Health and many others. These programs require students to have completed at least 45 credit-hours of core coursework at an accredited university.

Many online master’s degrees are available at USC, including degrees in liberal arts, education, computer science, engineering, library and information science, nursing and public health. The College of Education offers a wide range of master’s and doctoral degrees completely online. From the Master of Education in Educational Administration to the Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, online graduate degrees in education are comprehensive and relevant to today’s competitive job market.

With 350 degrees available in all, USC offers a huge selection of traditional degrees from its various departments. Degrees in music, medicine, law, pharmacology and social work all have residency requirements, so students enrolled in these programs must be able to attend classes in person. Whether USC students are pursuing bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees, they will benefit from individual attention from the distinguished faculty as well as excellent learning resources and library technology.

About the University of South Carolina

Founded in 1801, USC is a flagship state university that is accredited to award associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees as well as non-degree professional certificates. Situated on 359 acres of land in urban South Carolina, USC offers students a quality educational experience from its physical and online campuses. The faculty at USC includes 1,604 professors, and the student body is comprised of 34,099 students. With a large endowment of $809.9 million, USC can afford to provide state-of-the-art learning resources and technology to both online and residential students.

University of South Carolina Accreditation Details

USC is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes the SACSCC as an official accrediting agency for schools throughout the southern region. Regional accreditation is the highest level of credibility that a higher learning institution can obtain in the U.S. Many programs at USC are individually accredited by specialized agencies, in addition to USC’s institutional accreditation. Those specialized agencies include:

  • Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
  • American Bar Association
  • American Physical Therapy Association
  • American Psychological Association
  • American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
  • Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
  • Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
  • Council on Education for Public Health
  • Liaison Committee on Medical Education
  • National Association of Schools of Art and Design
  • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
  • Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education

This is a partial list, and many more agencies are responsible for providing oversight for the various professional and technical programs offered at USC. Institutional and programmatic accreditation must be renewed every five to 10 years to ensure that accredited institutions and programs maintain high academic standards.

University of South Carolina Application Requirements

Whether students choose to enroll in traditional or online courses, they must begin the admissions process by submitting an online application and answering several questions about their academic goals and educational background. The admissions process at USC is selective, and students can increase their chances of acceptance by meeting all of the application requirements.

Incoming freshmen must submit a high school transcript with information indicating their cumulative grade point average, class ranking, course schedule, and graduation date. Graduate school applicants must provide an official transcript from an accredited college showing proof of a bachelor’s degree. The range of typical SAT scores for successful applications is 560 to 650 for both the reading and math sections. The deadline for submitting an application is December 1, and decisions will be issued by mid-March.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The cost of tuition at USC is about $11,454 per year for South Carolina residents and $30,882 per year for non-residents. The cost of books, course supplies, room, board and living expenses raises the total amount by around $15,000 per year. Most students at USC receive financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) program. FAFSA gives college students access to low-interest public loans that don’t need to be repaid while the borrower maintains at least half-time enrollment status.

The University of South Carolina is a great choice for college students of all ages and backgrounds looking for new professional opportunities.