Academic Resources

Degree Information

The title of your degree at graduation will be dependent on your program. The title may not be the most important part of your story, but it is important to understand the implications of those titles.

Master of Arts: A postgraduate qualification, this degree usually takes about 1-2 additional years to earn, and it often requires students to perform original research and write a thesis.

Master of Science: A postgraduate qualification, this degree usually takes about 1-2 additional years to earn, and is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine and is usually for programs that are more focused on scientific and mathematical subjects.

Master of Education: A Master of Education degree is designed for current educators who wish to expand their understanding of teaching theories, pedagogy, strategies and more. Though the degree is well-suited to teachers seeking new ways to make an even greater impact in the lives of their students, those who choose the MEd pathway often desire to expand their career beyond the classroom.

Doctorate: A postgraduate qualification, this degree usually takes about 4-6 additional years to earn and is pursued once an individual has received their master’s degree. PhD students are required to produce original research that expands the boundaries of knowledge, normally in the form of a dissertation, and defend their work against experts in the field.

Graduate and doctoral degrees offered: sandiego.edu/admissionand-aid/graduate/exploreprograms/program-finder.php

Course Information

In order to complete your degree, your courses will need to add up to a minimum amount of units.

Unit: Most classes are 3 units, and students with 9+ units are considered full-time students

CRN: A Course Reference Number is a specific class ID for registration.

Add/Drop period: A short period during which students are able to add courses and drop courses at the start of the semester.

Prerequisite: A course or requirement mandatory before taking a course at the next level.

Co-requisite: A course or a requirement taken alongside another course or requirement.

Core Requirements: The general classes or requirements needed to graduate.

▪ These are dependent on your specific program

Syllabus: The course outline, assignments/exam dates instructor office hours, and defined expectations and student responsibilities.

Waitlist: When classes are full, students can place themselves on a waitlist. If a space opens up, a student on the waitlist is added.

▪ Important: If taken off the waitlist you must add yourself to the class within 24 hours or your spot will go to the next student on the waitlist

Withdrawal: When students need to leave a course after the add/drop period ends, they can withdraw from the course and have their grade recorded as a W. Students who leave their course(s) mid-semester without officially withdrawing will receive non-passing grades. Withdrawals have different financial and academic consequences. Consult with Financial Aid if you are considering dropping from full-time to part-time.

Degree Completion

There are specific academic and financial requirements you must meet and administrative actions you must take in order to officially complete your degree. The terms below are important to keep in mind throughout your time at USD as you move toward graduation.

Accredited: Government recognition of academic excellence. catalogs. sandiego.edu/graduate/aboutuniversity-san-diego/accreditation

GPA: (Grade Point Average) The average of all course grades, usually broken down per semester, or cumulative, which includes all courses since initial enrollment.

Pass/Fall: Pass/Fail courses count toward credit hours without impacting GPA. Students must attain a C average or better to receive credit for a Pass/Fail course.

Transcript: An official transcript is a copy of your permanent academic record and includes courses taken, dates of attendance, major, type of degree awarded, your cumulative grade point average (GPA) and all honors received at the school.

Internship: Professional workplaces offer limited employment to students to supplement coursework with professional work experiences.

Academic Campus Resources

You are in control of your education at USD. We have a plethora of resources to ensure you feel that way too.

Copley Library: The newly renovated Copley Library is a great place to study, check out course materials, and get assistance on research projects. sandiego.edu/library

Writing Center: Serving graduate students from all programs, the USD Writing Center offers one-onone consultations, online writing resources and workshops. Services are free and by appointment with sessions usually lasting 45 minutes to one hour. sandiego.edu/cas/ centers/writing-center

The SOLES Graduate Student Writing Center: This virtual space is designed to accommodate both online or on-campus graduate students who commute or have busy schedules. The center currently serves:

▪ Hahn School of Nursing

▪ Kroc School of Peace Studies

▪ M.S. in Applied Artificial Intelligence

▪ M.S. in Applied Data Science

▪ M.S. in Cyber Security Engineering

▪ M.S. in Cyber Security Operations and Leadership

▪ M.S. in Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship

▪ M.S. in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership

▪ Knauss School of Business

▪ Franciscan School of Theology sandiego.edu/soles/students-andalumni/current-students/writingcenter.php

Disability and Learning Difference Resource Center (DLDRC): The DLDRC helps students with disabilities obtain meaningful academic accommodations. Services include evaluating disability documentation, arranging academic accommodations and providing disability counseling to students with disabilities. sandiego. edu/disability

University Academic Calendar https://catalogs.sandiego.edu/ graduate/calendar/2023_2024/

ITS Help Desk: The ITS Help Desk is your one-stop shop for technology help at USD. Whether you need assistance with Blackboard, your MySanDiego portal, or issues with your personal computer, the Help Desk is available to assist you with all of your technology-related needs. sandiego.edu/its/get-help

Office Hours: Specific times that faculty and staff members may be available for students to walk in without appointment for various forms of support and consultation. sandiego.edu/about/our-faculty.php

How to use Office Hours effectively:

▪ Ask specific questions about how the reading relates to the course material and your assignments.

▪ Read upcoming assignment descriptions, and then go to office hours to ask questions about them. This way, you can get specific pointers from the professor to make your assignment clearer and to get more insight into the class.

▪ Ask faculty members about their research and let the chatting begin. And if you are really interested in the subject, how can graduate students get involved in departmental research?

Blackboard: Blackboard is a website that professors may use to connect with their students. It can be used to view specific course grades, material, assignments, and syllabi. sandiego. edu/learning-design-center/ blackboard

Registrar: The Office of the Registrar safeguards the integrity of student academic records through careful oversight of student information systems and official records. sandiego.edu/one-stop/studentrecords

USD Portal: The MySanDiego portal is the page that provides access to students’ academics, financial aid, announcements and student accounts. my.sandiego.edu

▪ Applicants and admitted students can login to the portal at my.sandiego.edu

FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. sandiego. edu/registrar/ferpa

Academic Integrity

USD has a set of standards and rules to uphold the integrity of your degree and the degrees of all our graduates. These standards are in place so that you are set up for success once you leave USD and join the professional workforce.

Plagiarism: The act of taking someone else’s work or ideas as one’s own, without citation or credit to the original creator. Plagiarism is a violation of academic integrity and will be met with high consequence. catalogs.sandiego. edu/undergraduate/academicregulations/integrity-scholarship

Academic Probation: When a student obtains lower than a C average for their semester or cumulative GPA, an administrator or faculty member will supervise their progress to improve their academic standing at USD.

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center’s core purpose is to enhance the emotional, relational and psychological wellbeing of students. The Counseling Center strives to facilitate students’ personal growth and enhance their academic success through accessible, culturally congruent clinical and outreach services. The center works in collaboration with other wellness and university departments and community partners. sandiego.edu/ counseling-center

Center for Health and Wellness Promotion (CHWP)

The CHWP provides the University of San Diego community with a comprehensive array of health and wellness promotion initiatives and clinical alcohol and other drug services. https://www.sandiego.edu/ health-wellness/

The Disability and Learning Difference Resource Center (DLDRC)

The DLDRC is committed to helping students with disabilities obtain meaningful academic accommodations and support and to help improve access to the many excellent programs and activities offered by the university. Services include evaluating disability documentation, arranging academic accommodations and providing disability management/counseling to students with disabilities. The DLDRC also coordinates with other departments —— both academic and administrative —— such as residential life, the Department of Public Safety, the School of Law and the Deans’ offices of the college and various schools on campus in order to meet students’ needs. sandiego.edu/ disability