Degree Progress
The purpose of this Degree Progress resource-page is to assist law students in determining if they are "on-track" to earn the J.D. degree. If you have used the tools provided below and find that you still need assistance in determining your degree progress status, please direct your specific questions to the Director of Registration and Records at registrar@law.usc.edu. The information in our official records is the same information that students have available online; therefore, if you are unsure about what is in our official records, you should review those records online using the information and tools below.
Academic Progress toward the J.D.
To graduate and earn the J.D., each student must successfully complete a total of 88 units. (Each student earns 33 units during the first year.) After completing the first-year curriculum, a law student must successfully complete at least 35 of the 55 remaining units in courses taken at the Law School that are graded numerically (1.9-4.4). Students must also complete the upper-division writing requirement and skills course requirement. In addition students must complete 31 of the 55 units required after the first year in regularly scheduled class sessions.
Students who wish to be considered for Order of the Coif (top ten percent upon graduation) should make sure they will have enough graded units to be eligible. (Order of the Coif requires that at least 75% of the student's required units be numerically graded. Therefore, to be eligible for Order of the Coif, you must complete at least 66 numerically graded USC Law units.)
Checking your records Online
Students are able to check their academic records online. We recommend that students check these records periodically to ensure their accuracy. To do so, use the following tools:
OASIS, the USC Online Academic Student Information System contains the official information regarding your academic record. OASIS is available online at: http://www.usc.edu/oasis/
The USC Catalogue contains the official requirements for all USC degrees. The USC Catalogue is available online at:http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2006/
Additional Information Regarding the J.D. Curriculum and Degree Requirements
A significant amount of additional information regarding the J.D. curriculum and degree requirements is available online in the Student Handbook at:
http://law.usc.edu/students/handbook.cfm
In particular, students should pay close attention to Section 5 of the Student Handbook.
