Student of Chemical Engineering department interacting with a professor

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Ph.D. Advising

PhD Student Advising

Welcome to the Ph.D. Program at the Mork Family Department! PhD advising is a team effort between your faculty advisor and your academic advisors, William Wences and Brenda Ornelas. PhD students will primarily be advised by their faculty advisor, whereas academic advisors can assist with administrative processes.

Your Faculty Advisor Can Assist With:

Course Recommendations and Approvals

PhD Research Guidance

Guidance for Screening, Qualifying Exam, Dissertation Defense

Ensuring Steady Progress Toward Degree Completion

Academic Advisors Can Assist with:

Understanding PhD Program Requirements and Graduation Timeline

Submitting Forms (Qualifying Exam, Defenses, Petitions, etc)

Understanding STARS Report and Addressing Issues Therein

Please note that questions regarding international student processes (Maintaining Status, F-1, I-20, Program Extension) should be directed to the Office of International Services.

Office of Graduate Advising and Student Affairs
Hedco Chemical Engineering (HED), Suites 202 & 204
Ph.D. Advisors: William Wences

Ph.D. Student Path to Graduation

Degree Completion: Broadly speaking, completion of the PhD program requires the following:

Completion of 60 Units, Including Seminars, and Core Course Work

Completion of Screening Exam

Completion of the Qualifying Exam

Successful Dissertation Defense and Dissertation Upload

MFD PhD Student Handbook:

All PhD students are responsible for reviewing and understanding the PhD Student Handbook. The PhD Handbook provides a comprehensive understanding of all Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, and Petroleum Engineering PhD Programs and is the authority for all program requirements.

Student STARS Report

All USC students, including PhD, are responsible for knowing and understanding the student STARS report. Regularly review your STARS report at least twice a semester, including after course registration. Please see this link for assistance with understanding the STARS report. Additionally, log in to my.usc.edu and verify in OASIS that all your requirements are fulfilled and that your mailing details are accurate.

Note for International Students: All F-1 and J-1 international students must adhere to U.S. government immigration regulations, including those pertaining to course and degree requirements, to maintain their student status. For further information, please consult with the Office of International Services.

Note for Graduating Students: For commencement-related inquiries, please refer to the following:

viterbiundergrad.usc.edu/commencement

commencement.usc.edu

Steps to Graduation

1. Screening

2. Qualifying Exam

3. Dissertation Defense

Registration Requirements

To receive funding, all PhD students must register full-time (6 units minimum) every fall and spring semester during their time at USC. Failure to register full-time will result in the loss of tuition payment and your student stipend.
CHE/MASC/PTE 794: The 794 series of doctoral dissertation courses should be taken after passing your qualifying examination and before defending your dissertation. These 2-unit courses fulfill the full-time enrollment requirement, including for international students. Failure to register continuously in 794 every fall and spring semester after passing the qualifying examination will result in a continuous registration error, preventing graduation.
Failure to register for every fall and spring semester violates USC's Continuous Enrollment policy and will prevent registration. If you fail to register, excluding approved Leaves of Absence, you must be readmitted into the program.

Summer registration is not required unless it is your first semester (international students, see below). Your Faculty Advisor may recommend summer coursework, so please consult with them.
- Exception: PTE students must take PTE 555, only offered during summer.
If you will not register for any academic coursework but will be on campus over the summer, please register for the 0-unit GRSC 802 course. This course gives you active student status and allows you to use on-campus facilities such as the student health center, gym, etc.

Please consult OIS regarding registration requirements for international students. Please see this link for their drop-in schedule.
International students are required to register full-time every single fall and spring semester. In addition, all 6 units must apply to your degree requirements. For example, you cannot register for 4 Chemical Engineering units of CHE and 2 Art History units. If summer is your first semester, you must register full-time that summer.
If your final semester is a summer term,
- You are not required to register if you will be uploading your dissertation/thesis before the end of the summer term.
- If your dissertation is not uploaded before the end of the summer term, you must register for the 794 doctoral dissertation course for the summer. This is essential.

Degree Program Requirements

FAQ

D-Clearances:

- D-Clearance stands for Departmental Clearance. If a course section has a “D” after the 5-digit class number (such as 28700D), D-clearance is required prior to registration.
  - All D-clearance requests for courses managed by the Mork Family Department (excluding DEN courses) must be submitted on myViterbi> D-clearance. Our department can only lift D-clearances for CHE on-campus classes.
- How to Request D-Clearance
- Note on Timeline: Please allow 3-4 business days for our department to grant D-clearances.
- If you are experiencing issues registering for classes, make sure you are registering for the correct section!
  - Distance Education (DEN) students must select the DEN@Viterbi section, while on-campus students must select the section with a campus building and room number location (ex, OHE 100 or RTH 109).

Non-Mork Courses:

- The Mork Family Department cannot provide D-clearances for other departments. Please consult with your advisor first to ensure the course is approved, and then contact the appropriate department for departmental clearance.
- Please note that the BME, CE, CSCI, EE, ENE, MFD, and ISE departments require students to complete D-Clearance requests via the D-Clearance Request Manager on myViterbi.
- Please pay special attention to the departmental announcements on the myViterbi system indicating when non-major students are eligible to request D-Clearance.

It is possible to transfer up to 12 units of graduate-level coursework from another program. The courses must be approved by USC in general, as well as the MFD department. Please see steps below.

Read page 4 of the MFD PhD Student Handbook under Transfer Credit Limit.
Get courses approved
1. Transfer Credit Services Approval: You must get the USC courses approved by USC in general via the Graduate Transfer Credit Process. Please see this link for full details. This process is not managed by MFD, so please reach out to their office for follow-up questions. Please let William Wences (wences@usc.edu) know once Transfer Credit Services has approved of your courses.
2. MFD Approval: Gather all English-language syllabi for the courses and email them to William Wences at wences@usc.edu. Please list each individual course you hope to transfer, as well as what MFD course you wish for it to satisfy. William will work with the MFD department leads to get the courses approved for you at the department-level.
Once both Transfer Credit Services and MFD approve, William will then substitute those courses into your program and your stars report will be updated.

Directed Research

- CHE/MASC/PTE 790 are directed research (DR) courses for doctoral students.
- All directed research requests must be submitted on myViterbi> Directed Research D-Clearance.
- How to Request Directed Research Clearance
- Note on Timeline: Directed Research D-clearance requests is subject to faculty approval, and it will be provided by the Student Services Department once approved by the student's faculty advisor.

- All DEN@Viterbi sections of classes require D-clearance. If you are a DEN student, you must use the online D-clearance request process via the DEN Desire2Learn website/DEN@Viterbi Tools option. Additional information can be found here: DEN@Viterbi Course Registrations.
- If you are having issues registering for classes, make sure you are registering for the correct section! DEN students must select the DEN@Viterbi section, while on-campus students must select the section w/ a campus building and room number location (ex: OHE 100C or RTH 109).

Many MFD courses require pre-requisite waivers. If you believe you have sufficient experience in previous courses, please provide information regarding these courses in the D-Clearance Manager in myViterbi.

To request a pre-requisite waiver or departmental clearance for a course outside of MFD, please contact the department that manages the course. For example, to request clearance for an ISE course, you will need to contact the ISE department. Pre-requisite and departmental clearance information can be found by searching for the department on the Schedule of Classes Schedule of Classes.

The most common account restrictions include:

ADM21: Condition of admission – A condition was placed on your record at the time of admission. Please contact our department's graduate advisor to review your holds. The hold can be lifted if you meet the conditions outlined when you were admitted.

ADM40 or RNR 40: Prior Degree Verification – these holds do NOT stop you from registering. They are a warning that USC still needs you to complete degree verification as part of your admission process. However, if you neglect to resolve the hold, the hold will likely be elevated to a RNR41 or ADM41 restriction which will block you from registering in the future. For information on how to resolve degree verification, see here.

ENGR 01: Advisement hold – please contact your academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss why this hold was added to your record. Most M.S. students will see this hold if their overall GPA is below 3.0.

SCH10: Missing Proof of Immunizations – USC requires that all students submit proof of receiving two doses of MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella) vaccine, or show proof of Measles and Mumps immunity, and two other vaccinations prior to their ﬁrst semester of enrollment at USC. More information can be found here: Immunization Requirements.

Take care of any “holds” as soon as possible if you have these or any other type of restrictions on your student account. Restrictions are clearly posted on the first page after you log into MyUSC. Include the issuing office of the hold and their contact information to resolve the issue.

International master’s students are required to enroll in a full course of study in classes (minimum 6 units) that meet their degree requirements during the fall and spring semesters. Summer admits are required to enroll in a full course load during their first summer session.
Reduced Course Load Exceptions: International (F-1/J-1) students are required to enroll and complete a full course load each semester in order to maintain valid non-immigrant student status. There are only a few exceptions to the full-time enrollment requirement for the fall and spring semesters. Each exception (category) has its own criteria and can be accessed through the Office of International Services.

In-Person Learning Requirements

- Immigration regulations require F-1 and J-1 student’s physical attendance for classes during each fall and spring semester of their program. If the summer term is the student’s first or last semester at USC, then physical attendance for classes is also required.

Online Course Load Limitations

- No more than one online class (up to 3 units) per semester can be counted towards the full course of study for an F-1 or J-1 student. If you only need to be registered in one course to complete your degree program during your final term, it must be in person.

For additional details, please consult the Office of International Services.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a work authorization that allows F-1 international students to participate in paid off-campus academic internships during their degree program. The purpose of CPT is academic, not just for employment purposes, and the internship must be considered an integral part of a student’s degree program. Students must have a specific job/internship offer to apply. If the internship is an unpaid or volunteer position, CPT is not required. Students CANNOT accept any kind of compensation for work performed in an unpaid internship. For more information, please contact the Office of International Services.

Please note: CHE Academic Advisors cannot sign off on CPT paperwork, all forms must be signed by an advisor in the VASE Office.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a benefit given to F-1 international students who are completing a Bachelor’s or graduate degree in the United States. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for employment experience in a student’s field of study. OPT is approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

More information regarding the necessary paperwork and online workshop to start the application process can be found here: OIS OPT information.

Please note: Academic advisors in the Mork Family Department cannot sign off on OPT paperwork. All forms must be signed by an advisor in the VASE Office.

Published on July 16th, 2024Last updated on September 5th, 2024