Glossary Of Terms And Services

D

"D" Clearance - Departmental clearance, or permission, for a student to register for a class. Class numbers with a "D" designation are restricted by the department offering the course, requiring students to obtain the department’s permission ("D" clearance) before attempting to register. Telephone numbers and departmental locations are listed in the Schedule of Classes.

Dean's List - Any undergraduate student who earns a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on 12 units or more of graded course work in any one semester is placed on the Dean's List for that semester. Grades of IN (Incomplete) must be removed before eligibility is determined for that semester. Academic transcripts do not carry the Dean's List notation. See Honors.

Degree Credit - Units that may be applied toward those required for a USC degree. See Subject Credit.

Degree Progress - Degree Progress monitors students' progress toward degree completion, posts degrees to students' academic records, issues diplomas, processes official transcripts from other institutions, processes pre-approval forms for transfer courses, and responds to questions concerning academic policy. Questions related to STARS reports, Degree Progress Summary Reports or Transfer Credit Reports should be directed to the Degree Progress department. The Degree Progress reception area is in the Registrar One-Stop Center, located in the JHH lobby). The department's telephone number is (213) 740-7070.

See STARS.

Diplomas - The document awarded to a student upon successful completion of a degree program. University diplomas are issued by the Degree Progress department in the Office of Academic Records and Registrar and are automatically ordered for students at the time their degrees are posted to their academic records. The university does NOT issue multiple copies. For more information about the mailing or reissuing of diplomas or other frequently asked questions, review the online diploma information website or contact Degree Progress in the Registrar One-Stop Center located in the JHH lobby.  The department's telephone number is (213) 740-7096.

Disabilities - USC's Office of Disability Services and Programs offers services for students with physical and learning disabilities, and assistance to departments working with these students. Refer to the "Policy on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities" in the "Academic Policies" section of the USC Catalogue.

Disputing a Grade - See Grades (Disputed)

Disqualification (Academic) - A student’s ineligibility to enroll in studies at the university, based on academic performance. Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to remain eligible for enrollment in university courses. Students on academic probation who do not raise their overall GPA to 2.0 after two semesters of enrollment, exempting summer enrollment, will be academically disqualified. However, if a student earns a minimum semester GPA of 2.3 in the second probation semester but has not yet reached the overall 2.0 GPA, the student will not be disqualified and will be continued on probation for an additional semester. The student must earn a minimum 2.3 GPA each semester until his or her overall GPA is above 2.0. This process is monitored by the Academic Review and Retention Office. See Academic Review and Retention.

Dropping and Adding Courses - Changes to a student’s course enrollment after the initial registration period. All adds and drops must be processed by Web Registration or through the Registrar One-Stop Center located in the JHH lobby. Please consult the Schedule of Classes for the deadline to drop and add courses by clicking the calendar icon next to each course.

A student may drop a course without a mark of W appearing on the transcript up until 45 % of the course has elapsed (please consult the Schedule of Classes for the deadline to withdraw without a mark of W), but the student will be billed the cost of the course.  If the course is withdrawn after the 45 % mark and before the withdrawal deadline, it will be recorded with a mark of W.  No course may be withdrawn after the withdrawal deadline. Failure to drop a class officially will result in the mark of UW, which is computed in the GPA as zero (0) grade points. It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw officially from a course if he or she decides not to continue in it. All registration dates for each course are available to students on the Schedule of Classes.

Dual Degrees - A degree in which course work from two schools, or two different degree programs within the same school, has been organized into a single program. The student receives two diplomas. Refer to the "Academic Policies" [Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs] section of the USC Catalogue.