University of South Carolina

university-of-south-carolina

Programs Offered at the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina appears in our ranking of the 50 Great Affordable Colleges in the South.

Students who choose to enroll at the University of South Carolina can choose from more than a hundred programs of study in degrees that span the undergraduate to doctoral level. Some students can even customize their programs with accelerated degrees or through the university’s dual degree options. Some of the most popular majors at the University of South Carolina include finance, public health, pathology, biology, business administration, and management.

The university enjoys a freshman retention rate of 88 percent, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1 with more than a third of its classes featuring fewer than 20 students. Areas of study available to students interested in dual-degree status include accounting, biomedical sciences, economics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, and health services policy & management. Additional opportunities for combination degrees include those in English, international business, journalism, public administration, and public history.

Colleges and schools within which the university offers its programs include the College of Arts & Sciences, the Darla Moore School of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Engineering and Computing. Students may also take classes from The Graduate School, the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, and the College of Information and Communications.

Other topics available for study include visual communications, public health, pharmacy, and library & information sciences. Dual degree programs at the University of South Carolina are typically paired with a professional degree. One popular dual-degree option is the Juris Doctor program that students can pair with a degree in accounting, business administration, criminology & criminal justice, and earth & environmental resources management.

Other areas of study include health administration, human resources, international business administration, and mass communication. The university also provides other creative options for earning degrees in alternative ways. For example, students can enroll in accelerated terms, certificate programs, post-baccalaureate classes, and online learning.

Some of the degree programs available in accelerated format include education degrees in educational administration and curriculum & instruction. Other accelerated degrees are available in health information technology and health promotion, education & behavior. Both health-oriented degrees are available online, too.

About the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a public research institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. The school is the flagship of the state university system, and it’s also a sea-grant facility. There are seven satellite campuses scattered throughout the state and it has a well-regarded library of Scottish literature, as well as a large collection of Ernest Hemingway books. Around 34,000 students attend the campus in Columbia, but there are more than 50,000 students attending overall.

Many of the students who attend the university are from local technical colleges around the state who travel to the university for further education and degree completion. The campus in Columbia covers 359 acres. Additionally, the university houses several professional schools offering degrees in the areas of social work, medicine, engineering, business, law, and pharmacy. The university’s official colors are black and garnet.

University of South Carolina Accreditation Details

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges last accredited the University of South Carolina in 2011. Regional accreditation allows the university to award fully transferrable degrees and allows students to participate in federal financial aid programs. The university will undertake the reaccreditation process in 2021. Many agencies have also accredited the university on a programmatic basis.

For example, the American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has accredited the professional programs in law at the university. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education has given its approval for several of the nursing programs. The National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation has approved the theater program.

South Carolina Application Requirements

General admission requirements for first-year students at the University of South Carolina include completion of recommended high school courses, having certain grades on those courses, and submitting SAT or ACT scores. The midrange composite score on the ACT for first-year students at the University of South Carolina is 25 to 30. The midrange weighted SAT score is 1200 to 1350. Weighted GPA ranges tend to sit from 3.78 to 4.50.

Applicants must submit an application fee of $65, self-reported standardized test scores, and self-reported transcripts. Students aren’t required to submit the writing portion of the ACT or the SAT. Students who have completed Advanced Placement courses or participated in an International Baccalaureate course can have those credits applied to their degree program at the University of South Carolina. Graduate students interested in studying at the University of South Carolina should check with the program they want to enter for full application requirements. Graduate study at the university requires that students have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition plus a technology fee for South Carolina residents at the University of South Carolina is $12,738. Non-residents pay tuition of $33,627. Students who require housing on campus will pay $8,218, and meal plans cost $3,966. The university estimates that books and supplies will cost $1,085. In all, students should be prepared to pay $26,007 for all costs associated with attending the University of South Carolina, and non-residents should expect to pay $46,896.

For graduate students, the rate for in-state students is $568.75 per credit hour or $6,825 for full-time status. Non-residents in graduate degree programs will pay $1,216.50 per credit hour and will pay $14,598.00 if they’re enrolled full-time. Some programs may have additional fees or different tuition rates.

Around 90 percent of the freshmen who attend the University of South Carolina receive some type of financial aid or scholarships. The university indicates that investing in a college degree may result in significantly increased earnings over what a student could earn with a high school diploma.

The university offers many institutional scholarships based on student enrollment status, financial need, and academic achievement. Some of the general university scholarships available include the Provost Scholars Award, the Alumni Scholars Award, and the Valedictorian Scholars Award. The University of South Carolina advises all students to seek out and apply for scholarships to help pay for college since scholarship funds don’t need to be repaid like traditional student loans.