DEN NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION
AGENDA
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Welcome to DEN & USC
University calendar
Academic policies and procedures
Advisement: D-clearance, Placement Exams
MyUSC, OASIS, Web Registration, USC ePay
DEN BlackBoard
DEN Homework & Exam Policies
Contact Information
UNIVERSITY CALENDAR
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During the DROP AND ADD period, students may try out
courses and change their schedule.
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Dropping courses with a FULL REFUND is permitted only
till 5pm on the drop/add deadline. See the Registration
Calendar for dates and deadlines.
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Students may drop courses with a mark of “W” on their
transcript till 5pm on the final drop deadline but no
refund of tuition will be given after the third week of the
semester. See the Registration Calendar for dates and
deadlines.
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Please see the complete Registration Calendar for a
specific term at http://web-app.usc.edu/soc/
ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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The document of authority is the University Catalogue,
online at http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2010/
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Students normally follow the Catalogue of their semester
of admission to the graduate program, but they are
permitted to follow a later Catalogue.
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SCampus also contains policies and procedures
pertaining to students; go to
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/
ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Students should read and become familiar with the following
sections of the University Catalogue:
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Graduate and Professional Education
Degree requirements of their specific department and major
Please refer to the Catalogue Index to find information on
Registration, Academic Standards, Exception Procedures, Transfer Work,
Requirements for Graduation, Time Limits, Repetition of Course Work,
Continuous Enrollment, Grade Point Average, Leave of Absence,
Incompletes, Thesis and Dissertation, Readmission, Residency, Waiver
and Substitution of Course Work, Screening and Qualifying
Examinations, Guidance Committee, Application for Graduation.
ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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Students must also read and understand departmental materials
(print and Web)
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The Catalogue supersedes any information contained in any
department material.
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If there appears to be a difference between department
materials and the Catalogue, please ask your departmental
advisor, faculty, or the Dean what the correct policy is.
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PLEASE ASK if you have any questions!
 We would rather help you get it right in the beginning than try to fix
it later
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
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University Catalogue
 http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2010/
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Academic Department Websites
 Each department website lists program requirements and important
information for students regarding department policies and procedures.
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MAPP Website
 http://mapp.usc.edu/mastersprograms/degreeprograms/index.html
ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT
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Academic advisement procedures vary from department to
department
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Admitted MS students are advised by department
academic advisors
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Limited students should contact MAPP
CHOOSING COURSES AND ACADEMIC
ADVISEMENT
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Students must choose courses that will fulfill their degree
requirements
Graduate students may not take courses pass/no pass for degree
credit
Graduate students must earn at least a “C” in a course for it to
count toward their degree requirements
They should contact their advisor regularly
The first semester is critical; doing well is very important.
Students must pay attention to course level and take lower level
courses before the higher level courses in a course sequence
This means DO NOT take a prerequisite course AFTER completing
the course it is a prerequisite for:
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EX: ISE 460 is a prereq for ISE 561. If you take ISE 561 and later take ISE 460,
ISE 460 will NOT count!
MS students must earn at least a 3.0 GPA to graduate from USC
THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU REGISTER…
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Verify your registration appointment time
 Permit to Register link in OASIS
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View and clear any restrictions before you attempt to register.
 Restrictions (holds) link in OASIS
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Contact your academic advisor, if necessary.
 Contact information for advisors are available at
http://mapp.usc.edu/mastersprograms/currentstudents/AcademicAdvisement.htm
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Obtain and “D” class permission and pre-requisite waivers
 5-digit section numbers followed by “D” require departmental
clearance/authorization before a student is permitted to register for a specific
course.
 Pre-requisite waivers vary by department. Please contact your academic advisor or
MAPP for help with pre-requisites.
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Activate your USC E-mail
 https://email.usc.edu/
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Read the instructions on how to use Web Registration
 http://www.usc.edu/dept/ARR/registration/webreginstructions.html
ONLINE ACADEMIC STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
(OASIS)
www.usc.edu/oasis
* Your default Password
is your 6-digit birthday
(mmddyy). This is also
your PIN for Web
Registration.
** You will be asked to
change your default PIN after
initial login. Your USC ID and
Password/PIN is the same for
OASIS & Web Registration.
* If you are unable
to login, please
contact the MAPP
Office.
USC E-MAIL
https://email.usc.edu
USE e-mail is the official and
preferred method of
communication between USC
departments and students.
Failure to check your USC email
for important notification is not
an accepted excuse for missing
deadlines, etc.
If you have another email that
you check regularly, you can set
up your USC e-mail to forward to
that account and create filters for
unwanted e-mails.
Find and
activate your
usc email here
MyUSC
https://my.usc.edu
Login is your
USC email
username/pw
MyUSC
https://my.usc.edu
You can access OASIS, Web Registration, e-mail, etc. will a single login.
D-CLEARANCE, PRE-REQUISITES, OR
PLACEMENT EXAMS
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D-Clearance
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Pre-requisites & Pre-requisite Waivers
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Anytime a 5-digit course section number ends with a "D", you need to obtain
departmental clearance before you can register for the course.
Login to DEN, go to the D-Clearance Request Form link in located in DEN Tools
You can check the status of your d-clearance request through the D-clearance Status
link in DEN Tools.
After your request has been processed, you can register for the course.
D-clearances expire 5-7 days from when it is issued (depending on the dept.) so
register as soon as you obtain it to secure a seat in a course
Waiver of pre-requisites vary by academic department. Some departments require
students to take the placement exam to waive pre-requisite requirements if the prerequisite course was not completed at USC. Please contact MAPP to initiate any prerequisite waiver requests.
Placement Exams
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Certain Electrical Engineering courses require successful completion of placement
exams before students are allowed to register for a course.
Please visit the EE website for placement exam information.
If you take exams remotely, contact the DEN Exams Coordinator.
WEB REGISTRATION
www.usc.edu/webregistration
*If you are
unable to login
due to “Invalid
ID or PIN”
please contact
the USC
Registration
Dept. to request
a PIN reset.
Your login
info is the
same for
OASIS.
Review
this before
you
register.
WEB REGISTRATION
www.usc.edu/webregistration
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Reasons why registration transactions fail:
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class is closed
d-clearance was not obtained or expired
pre-requisite was not completed or waived
restriction or hold was not removed
Contact the MAPP Office for assistance.
USC website
http://www.usc.edu
You can also access MyUSC, OASIS, Web Registration, e-mail, etc. from main USC site.
THINGS TO DO AFTER YOU REGISTER…
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Verify your registration
 Registered Course List link in OASIS
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Check your billing balance & Settle your tuition
 USCe.pay/Current Billing Balance link in OASIS
 DEN Tuition Deferment Program
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Check your book list for required textbooks via OASIS or the USC
Bookstore
 Book List link in OASIS
 You can buy your textbooks from the USC Bookstore or another online retailer
of your choice.
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Obtain your USC ID card (optional)
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A USC ID card identifies you as a currently enrolled student, and also entitles you to various
other privileges and potential uses on and off campus. Obtaining a USC ID card is optional
for DEN students.
http://mapp.usc.edu/distanceeducation/documents/ObtainingaUSCIDCard.pdf
Login to DEN and Accept the DEN Terms of Service in DEN Tools to trigger
you course links to appear when DEN uploads registration information
from the University.
 Course links will not appear until 2-3 days before the start of the semester.
TUITION AND FEES
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Engineering Access Fee
 This fee creates a UNIX account for off-campus students, providing
access to the University's computing and library services.
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Norman Topping Student Aid Fund
 This fee provides assistance to local area, low income students.
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DEN Fee
 This fee supports DEN's e-learning infrastructure, including advanced
video streaming, note-capture, and interactive tools; staff for handling
off-campus student enrollment, advisement and serving as the offcampus student liaison with other USC offices and departments; and
exam scheduling and oversight.
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Exam Proctoring Fee
 Because USC exams must be proctored, DEN arranges for off-campus
students to take their exams at certified testing centers. These centers
may charge a fee ranging from $25 to $50 for their service. The
centers require payment at the time service is rendered; therefore the
student pays this fee directly to the testing center.
HEALTH INSURANCE
 USC requires that ALL students have supplemental health
insurance.
 You are automatically enrolled in the USC Health Insurance
Plan if you are taking 6 or more units
 If you already have a health insurance plan, you may be
eligible to waive enrollment in the USC Health Insurance
Plan by providing proof of comparable coverage. Enrollment
may be waived only if documented proof of comparable
coverage from another plan is presented to the Student
Health Insurance Office and it meets the University’s
requirements.
 Health Insurance Waiver
 Waiver Criteria
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http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/ins.waiver.criteria.shtml
 Waiver Form
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http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/ins.waiver.form.shtml
 Deadline to submit waiver form
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http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/ins.waiver.criteria.shtml
TUITION PAYMENT OPTIONS
USCe.pay
 Pay online through USCe.pay in OASIS or MyUSC.
DEN Tuition Deferment Program
 The Tuition Deferment Program was established to assist students
working in industry with the "up front" payment of tuition and
mandatory fees if their companies reimburse after the semester is
over and upon presentation of the final grade. The program only
applies to tuition and mandatory fees. This program will also defer the
DEN surcharge. Other fees such as parking will not be deferred.
 For requirements and information on how to participate, and
paperwork deadlines, please refer to the Tuition Deferment Program
page in the DEN website.
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http://mapp.usc.edu/mastersprograms/tuitionandfees/tuitiondeferment.html
ACCESSING YOUR DEN COURSES
www.mapp.usc.edu
* Login
to DEN
here.
ACCESSING YOUR DEN COURSES
www.uscden.net
* If you do
not have a
DEN profile,
please
create one.
DEN BLACKBOARD
My Start Page
Tab
DEN TOOLS
Course evaluations
can be submitted at
the end of the
semester here.
* The DEN Terms of
Service must be
accepted every
semester before you
can access your DEN
courses.
* If you move, change
jobs, or your contact
info changes, please
update your info here
AND with the
University through
OASIS.
* Request
permission to
register in courses
that have a “D”
after the 5-digit
section number &
check the status of
your request.
* The Academic
Integrity Tutorial
must be
completed before
you can access
your DEN courses.
* If you were previously
a Limited student and
now have been formally
admitted, please update
your status.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
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Academic Integrity is extremely important at USC
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Penalties for violations at the Master’s level are extremely
severe
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On-line Tutorial
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You must complete the Academic Integrity Tutorial located in your DEN Tools
in order to access your DEN courses
You must PASS the Academic Tutorial or your access to DEN will be disabled
until you pass the tutorial.
If you have any questions about academic integrity issues:
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grade sanctions (e.g., “F” in course) or dismissal
MAPP Office
Department Advisor
Faculty
SCampus
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http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS
DEN BLACKBOARD
Courses Tab
•If searching by
course, please
select the link with
the corresponding
term.
EX: term 20103 is
= year 2010 plus
•1= Spring
•2= Summer
•3= Fall)
* If you do not see your
courses 2-3 days before the
start of the semester, check
your registration through
OASIS or Accept the DEN
Terms of Service in DEN
Tools.
ACCESSING LIVE & ARCHIVED LECTURES
* You’ll find your
course
documents and
posted hw here
to download and
print for class.
* Link to View
Live lecture
and studio
call-in number
will be posted
here.
* Lectures are archived
and available for viewing
about 30 min. after the
live lecture takes place.
DEN’S E-LEARNING SYSTEM
Tech Requirements: Cable modem, DSL, T1/T3 or higher & Windows Media Player
Class notes are
enlarged for
better viewing;
and can be
downloaded
and printed!
Live chat
and
threaded
discussions
open in
separate
windows
from here
Navigation
bar for
jumping to
different
parts of the
lecture
Video window and controls
DEN’S E-LEARNING SYSTEM
Call In During Live Lecture
Virtual Meetings & Presentations
Live Chat &Threaded Discussion
HOMEWORK
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For off-campus USC DEN students, homework can
be submitted via email, fax, or regular mail (if
necessary). You may check your submitted
homework by logging onto the DEN portal and
selecting your course. To do this, you will select the
"DEN Homework" link, and then select "Check
Submitted Homework.” Similarly to check your
graded assignments, click on "Download Graded
Homework & Exams.”
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Please see
http://mapp.usc.edu/distanceeducation/policiesan
dprocedures.html for more information regarding
homework.
EXAMS
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DEN's Exams Coordinator will notify students via e-mail of
their examination date, time, and location approximately one
week before the test. Midterm exam dates will be announced
by the course instructor and final exam dates are available
through the Schedule of Classes which is available on the
University website.
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The student is responsible for taking the examination at the
time scheduled. No exceptions are permitted. Unforeseen,
documented, emergency circumstances which cause a student
to miss a scheduled exam will be reviewed on a case by case
basis.
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For off-campus students who work or reside in Los Angeles,
Orange, and Ventura counties, examinations will be taken at
USC’s main campus on the date and time stated on the course
syllabus.
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For off-campus students located outside of Los Angeles,
Orange, and Ventura counties, DEN will arrange for exams to
be proctored at local testing centers.
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Please see
http://mapp.usc.edu/distanceeducation/policiesandprocedure
s.html for more information on exam procedures.
MAPP Student Handbook
http://mapp.usc.edu/mastersprograms/currentstudents/StudentHandbook.htm
**Please note that the University Catalogue supersedes any information included in this handbook.**
CONTACT INFO
Patty Trinidad
Student Services Manager
Master’s and Professional Programs (MAPP)
213-740-4488
ptrinida@usc.edu
Carolyn Suckow
Director, Student Affairs
Master’s and Professional Programs (MAPP)
213-740-4488
jecks@usc.edu
Websites:
MAPP – http://mapp.usc.edu
MAPP Main Office
213-740-4488
denadmin@usc.edu
Student Affairs
213-740-0123
studentaffairs@den.usc.edu
Exams Information
213-821-3136
denexam@usc.edu
Document Support Center
(Homework & Course Materials)
213-740-9356
denhw@usc.edu
Technical Support
213-821-1321
webclass@usc.edu
THANK YOU!
HAVE A GREAT SEMESTER!
FIGHT ON!