B.A. Students

Undergraduate Cinematic Arts majors who need to take a leave of absence should contact an advisor in Student Affairs. You will be given an Undergraduate Handbook for Leave of Absence and will be required to submit a form to be reviewed by the associate dean for academic affairs. Please note that Production track students cannot take a leave before completion of CTPR 241/290 and CTPR 310/376.

M.F.A. Students

Graduate students in Film & Television Production: Requests for a leave of absence from the Master of Fine Arts program in Film & Television Production must be approved by the production advisor, the chair of production, and the associate dean of academic affairs before the first day of the semester for which the leave is requested. We recommend you submit your request at least one month beforehand to make sure there is enough time to obtain all the required signatures. Go to the production faculty office, LUC 404, to submit your petition for a leave.

To qualify for a leave of absence, you must be in good academic standing, have passed CTPR 507x, CTPR 508x, CTWR 528 and CTWR 529 with minimum grades of "C" (2.00), and making satisfactory progress towards your degree.

You must request a leave for one semester at a time, for a maximum of two semesters. If you need to take a leave of absence for more than two semesters, you must reapply for admission. You must submit a readmission form, a current USC transcript, and an academic plan, outlining how you intend to finish the M.F.A. degree by the three-year time limit. Upon readmission you will be required to complete the current M.F.A. requirements.

If you do not finish the degree within three years, you will need to petition for an extension of the degree time limit at the end of your third year.

As a returning student, you will be responsible for contacting the Office of Student Affairs regarding signing up for classes the semester you return. According to university policy, currently enrolled students have priority for receiving D-clearances and registration. Consult the USC Schedule of Classes for registration dates and deadlines.

Central to the creation of animation is access to technology comparable to that used in the entertainment and telecommunications industries.

It should take one to two weeks to process your leave of absence request. Contact the production faculty office at 213.740.3317 to find out if it has been approved.

Undergraduate Students

The STARS report includes an anticipated graduation date after the student has earned 80 units towards the degree. This report, which can be viewed on OASIS, lists all remaining requirements for the degree. Please note this report supersedes information on the departmental advisement sheets, which are not official degree checks. We recommend students verify that they have completed all requirements and are set to graduate with their academic advisor.

If the major, minor, catalogue year or expected graduation date on the STARS report is not accurate, you must complete a yellow Change of Information Card (available in the Office of Student Affairs or Degree Progress) and submit it to the Degree Progress department (JHH 010). For example, if you declare a minor and later decide not to complete it, you must officially drop the minor and notify Degree Progress or you will not be cleared for graduation.

Graduate Students

Contact your divisional coordinator for information on the required forms and procedures for applying for graduation.

Commencement

The university and SCA commencement ceremonies will be held on Friday, May 15, 2009. You may participate in commencement even if you have not officially graduated.

For information regarding USC main commencement and the SCA 2009 commencement click the appropriate link.

To sign up for the SCA Satellite Ceremony you must login to the SCA Community and follow the instructions found under Commencement Registration.

Graduation Date

A student will be awarded the graduation date for the term in which all degree requirements, including submission of supporting documents, have been met. Although course work may have been completed in a prior term, the degree will be awarded only for the term for which all academic and administrative requirements have been fulfilled. Degrees are not awarded retroactively.