The Graduate School

The Graduate School

Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
Murray F. Mitchell, Senior Associate Dean
Heather Brandt, Associate Dean for Professional Development
Dale Moore, Assistant Dean and Ombudsman

The Graduate Council

The Graduate Studies Bulletin is the official manual of regulations and guidelines for graduate study at the University of South Carolina. Its contents are approved by the Graduate Council and the dean of the Graduate School and supersede any conflicting information that may appear in a publication of an individual program at the University. Graduate students are expected to read and adhere to the regulations of this publication throughout their matriculation at the University. Students are bound by the Graduate Studies Bulletin in effect at the time they begin or renew their enrollment in the Graduate School. Change to a later Graduate Studies Bulletin requires permission of the program and the dean of the Graduate School.

Overview

The mission of the Graduate School of the University of South Carolina is to set high academic standards, promote best practices, provide administrative support for graduate programs throughout the University, embrace new and emerging technologies, and assess effectiveness to ensure excellence in graduate education for students and faculty. The Graduate School is committed to honoring the diversity of communities at the University of South Carolina, to fostering best practices for graduate education for faculty and students based on complementary ethical responsibilities and behavior, and to setting clear expectations for academic and professional excellence.

Degree Programs

The Graduate School oversees postbaccalaureate degree programs designed to give qualified individuals professional competence in specialized disciplines and trains scholars, research specialists, teachers at all levels, and experts in various professions. The term “degree program” includes programs leading to a graduate certificate, specialist, master’s, or doctoral degree. Emphasis is placed on methodology as well as on mastery of defined areas of subject matter. Graduate work brings together a group of scholars actively engaged in research and thus provides a close association between students and mature investigators with a wide range of interests. While emphasizing specialization as basic to graduate work, the Graduate School encourages interdisciplinary study as a response to the complex problems of a rapidly changing world.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is offered in more than 50 academic areas, while professional doctorates are offered in education, music, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, and public health. The University’s School of Medicine offers the degree of Doctor of Medicine, the School of Law offers the degree of Juris Doctor, and the South Carolina College of Pharmacy offers the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy.

The University offers the Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Media Arts, Master of Science, and the Master of Arts in Teaching in several disciplines. It offers professional master’s degrees (e.g., Master of Business Administration, Master of Library and Information Science, Professional Science Master, and Master of Education) in many academic units, including arts and sciences; hospitality, retail, and sport management; business; education; engineering and information technology; mass communications and library and information studies; medicine; music; pharmacy; public health; and social work. Education Specialist degrees are available in library and information science as well as education (teaching, educational administration, and counselor education).

In addition, certificates of graduate study are offered in advanced practice nursing, applied statistics, biomedical studies, business analytics, cost management, counselor education, criminal justice leadership, cyber security studies, drug and addictions studies, enterprise resource planning systems, financial and resource management, gerontology, global strategy, health communication, higher education leadership, historical archeology and cultural resource management, human resources, international finance, library and information science, museum management, music performance, nursing administration, play therapy, psychiatric rehabilitation, public health, qualitative research, railway engineering, social and behavioral health with military members, veterans, and military families, teaching English to speakers of other languages, visual anthropology, and women’s and gender studies.

For a list of graduate programs offered on the Columbia Campus visit one of the following links:

• Programs by College/School  
• Programs A-Z  

Graduate Dual Degree Programs

Through special formal arrangement, the University offers dual degree programs in certain areas to permit a student to work on two degrees simultaneously, resulting in the student’s taking fewer credits than the total required if each degree were pursued independently. The number of graduate credit hours required for dual degrees varies by approved dual degree program arrangement. Students wishing to enroll in two degree programs not formally approved may apply for concurrent enrollment.

For a list of dual degree programs offered on the Columbia Campus visit the following link:

• ​Graduate Dual Degree Programs