The Graduate School

Ann Vail, Dean of the Graduate School
John McFadden, Director, Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program
Andrea Fleming, Associate Director Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program
Dale Moore, Assistant Dean
Angelina Sylvain, Vice Dean for Graduate Education

The Graduate Studies Bulletin is the official manual of regulations and guidelines for graduate study at the University of South Carolina. Its contents are approved by the Graduate Council and the dean of the Graduate School and supersede any conflicting information that may appear in a publication of an individual program at the University. Graduate students are expected to read and adhere to the regulations of this publication throughout their matriculation at the University. Students are bound by the Graduate Studies Bulletin in effect at the time they begin or renew their enrollment in the Graduate School. Change to a later Graduate Studies Bulletin requires permission of the program and the dean of the Graduate School.

Mission Statement

The Graduate School at the University of South Carolina is a service unit committed to enhancing the experience of graduate students and the faculty and staff with whom they work. We provide timely, consistent, and accurate information; adapt and enforce meaningful policies to ensure academic integrity; track student success; and build bridges across campus and community as we showcase our diverse and talented graduate student body.

Vision Statement

An innovative, flexible and dynamic organization, the Graduate School at the University of South Carolina seeks to become a collaborative guide celebrated for responsive and efficient service. We strive to provide accessible and trusted leadership to the campus and higher education communities.

Goals

  1. Better serve the needs of students, applicants, faculty, staff, and other members of the university community.
  2. Provide meaningful professional development, academic enrichment activities and student services to enhance the graduate student experience.
  3. Advance the reputation of UofSC as a top ranked research institution by promoting graduate education and building a collegial community of scholars.
  4. Build public and university awareness of the importance and value of the Graduate School at UofSC.

Degree Programs

The Graduate School oversees postbaccalaureate degree programs designed to give qualified individuals professional competence in specialized disciplines and trains scholars, research specialists, teachers at all levels, and experts in various professions. The term “degree program” includes programs leading to a graduate certificate, specialist, master’s, or doctoral degree. Emphasis is placed on methodology as well as on mastery of defined areas of subject matter. Graduate work brings together a group of scholars actively engaged in research and thus provides a close association between students and mature investigators with a wide range of interests. While emphasizing specialization as basic to graduate work, the Graduate School encourages interdisciplinary study as a response to the complex problems of a rapidly changing world.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is offered in more than 50 academic areas, while professional doctorates are offered in education, music, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, and public health. The University’s School of Medicine offers the degree of Doctor of Medicine, the School of Law offers the degree of Juris Doctor, and the South Carolina College of Pharmacy offers the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy.

The University offers the Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Media Arts, Master of Science, and the Master of Arts in Teaching in several disciplines. It offers professional master’s degrees (e.g., Master of Business Administration, Master of Library and Information Science, Professional Science Master, and Master of Education) in many academic units, including arts and sciences; hospitality, retail, and sport management; business; education; engineering and information technology; mass communications and library and information studies; medicine; music; pharmacy; public health; and social work. Education Specialist degrees are available in library and information science as well as education (teaching, educational administration, and counselor education).

In addition, certificates of graduate study are offered in advanced practice nursing, applied statistics, biomedical studies, business analytics, cost management, counselor education, criminal justice leadership, cyber security studies, drug and addictions studies, enterprise resource planning systems, financial and resource management, gerontology, global strategy, health communication, higher education leadership, historical archeology and cultural resource management, human resources, international finance, library and information science, museum management, music performance, nursing administration, play therapy, psychiatric rehabilitation, public health, qualitative research, railway engineering, social and behavioral health with military members, veterans, and military families, teaching English to speakers of other languages, visual anthropology, and women’s and gender studies.

For a list of graduate programs offered on the Columbia Campus visit following link:

Graduate Dual Degree Programs

Through special formal arrangement, the University offers dual degree programs in certain areas to permit a student to work on two degrees simultaneously, resulting in the student’s taking fewer credits than the total required if each degree were pursued independently. The number of graduate credit hours required for dual degrees varies by approved dual degree program arrangement. Students wishing to enroll in two degree programs not formally approved may apply for concurrent enrollment.

For a list of dual degree programs offered on the Columbia Campus visit the following link:

Teacher Preparation

Programs that prepare students for PreK-12 teacher certification are housed in various colleges and departments. Upon admission to a degree program that leads to initial teacher certification, students are considered teacher candidates. While there may be different course requirements and progression rules for each program, there are some common requirements that must be met by all teacher candidates. 

Admission to the Professional Program in Education

All teacher candidates must apply for and be admitted to the Professional Program prior to their program-specific deadline.

For admission to the Professional Program, undergraduate teacher candidates must complete at least 60 credit hours with a minimum overall GPA of 2.75; meet the South Carolina state basic skills testing requirement; pass the USC Education and Economic Development Act Assessment; pass a quiz on identifying and preventing bullying, harassment, and intimidation in an educational setting; successfully complete courses as specified by program area; and provide a statement regarding any prior arrests and convictions. Some arrests and convictions may prevent completion of a teacher preparation program.

Teacher candidates in graduate level initial teacher preparation programs must gain full admission to the USC Graduate School; pass the USC Education and Economic Development Act Assessment; pass a quiz on identifying and preventing bullying, harassment, and intimidation in an educational setting; and provide a statement regarding any prior arrests and convictions. Some arrests and convictions may prevent completion of a teacher preparation program.

Individual programs may have additional requirements for admission to the Professional Program in their respective areas. Candidates will receive information on how and when to complete these requirements from their advisor.

Admission to Field Experiences and Internship/Directed Teaching

All initial teacher certification programs require extensive field experiences in PreK-12 public schools. Before participating in any educator preparation program course that requires a PreK-12 experience, teacher candidates must have a cleared Tuberculosis (TB) test and a SC Law Enforcement Division (SLED) check on file with the College of Education. Teacher candidates with criminal convictions or pending charges may not be eligible for clinical experiences or courses taught on-site in PreK-12 settings. Candidates should consult with their advisor regarding any question of their eligibility status. This S.C. Department of Education requirement also applies to students not enrolled in a teacher certification program who are seeking to participate in a field experience course in a PreK-12 public school setting.

In the last year of the program, teacher candidates must complete one or two semesters of extensive experience in PreK-12 public schools. The name of this experience varies by program but is usually referred to as Internship I and II, Internship A and B, or Directed Teaching. This experience includes the full-time clinical experience hours required for candidates to be recommended for teacher certification.

Before beginning the Internship/Directed Teaching phase of the program, teacher candidates must meet all progression requirements defined by their program. To be granted admission to Internship/Directed Teaching, at a minimum, all teacher candidates must be admitted to the Professional Program in Education, have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75, have received SC Department of Education clearance for student teaching by the program deadline, and have successfully completed courses as specified by program area.

Teacher candidates who do not successfully complete one of the Internship/Directed Teaching experiences are not automatically allowed to repeat the experience. If a teacher candidate wishes to attempt the internship/directed teaching semester again, they must follow a petition process and be approved prior to repeating the experience.

More details regarding field experience and internship/directed teaching rules and processes are outlined in the Clinical Experiences Manual which can be found on the teacher preparation Clinical Experiences webpage.

Certification

To receive a recommendation for initial teacher certification, all University teacher candidates must complete appropriate degree(s) and assessments required by the South Carolina Board of Education. Inasmuch as degree and certification requirements are linked, if state regulations change, degree requirements are also subject to change.

All teacher candidates seeking a recommendation for initial teacher certification must:

  • successfully complete the requirements of the degree program;
  • Submit an official score report for each program-appropriate exam (Praxis II series) to the College of Education.
  • submit to an FBI and SLED check for prior felony convictions prior to full-time clinical experience;
  • pay all certification fees as required;
  • successfully complete ADEPT requirements earning a positive recommendation for certification.