The College has created some exciting academic programs that are open to students only during the freshman year at USC. These opportunities allow you to meet professors and other freshmen in small, personal groups, where the topic of study can be chosen to reflect your individual interests.

Freshman Seminars

The University has developed a program to help entering students understand the bigger picture of academic life at USC. We call them Freshman Seminars - small classes open only to freshman, led by distinguished professors, who are invited to teach subjects they find especially intriguing or provocative.

For students who enjoy small classes, the College offers a wide variety of two-unit Freshman Seminars on topics that do not usually find their way into an undergraduate curriculum. These are ten-to-eleven week courses, graded CREDIT or NO CREDIT, limited to only eighteen students, all of them freshmen. Professors offer to lead these seminars because of their enthusiasm for the topic and their desire to help incoming freshmen learn how to think in college.

The Thematic Option Program

Thematic Option (T.O.) is the University's general education honors program for freshmen. The curriculum is based on four interdisciplinary core courses organized around central thematic questions. If you have been invited to participate in T.O. you will receive more detailed information directly from the program office. If you have not been invited and are interested in more information, contact Dr. Pennelope Von Helmolt, Director, 1-800-USC-2961.

Learning Communities

Learning Communities are groups of up to 20 students who take two courses together: one that satisfies a general education requirement, and one that introduces a possible major or minor. Each group shares a faculty mentor and a staff advisor. There are also monthly dinners in the residential colleges, guest speakers, and field trips. Whether you are considering a health profession, law school, journalism, or a business career, there is a Learning Community to suit your interests and help you organize your options.