Advising is a shared responsibility between the student and their assigned advisor. We ask that you come prepared to your appointment by following the steps found below:
- Review your remaining Honors requirements within the SCHC block on DegreeWorks.
- Search for Honors courses and build your tentative schedule by checking the Honors College course page and my.sc.edu.
- Prepare a list of questions you would like to discuss with your advisor.
Honors Advising
If you have questions prior to the beginning of formal Honors advising appointments in September/February, please schedule an appointment with your advisor through EAB Navigate. Once formal Honors advising begins, email your advisor to request a meeting. Please understand that during this busy season, advisors’ responses may be delayed and their availability limited.
Beginning in fall 2024 students in MCEC, CIC, DMSB and CON will have a single academic advisor who is an expert in their major and Honors requirements. More information available here.
Major advisors handle all Carolina Core, college and major requirements – so any time a student has a question about a course that falls into one of those categories, they should always reach out to their major advisor. This includes Honors versions of major courses that are not showing up correctly on Degree Works. Students should also contact major advisors if they are interested in taking an SCHC-coded course and want it to count for a Carolina Core, college or major requirement and it is not currently listed as such – most departments have petition processes students can pursue.
Honors advisors manage a student’s progression through their Honors College curriculum. Students should contact their Honors advisor if they have questions about their SCHC block on Degree Works or anything related to Honors courses. Students should also contact their Honors advisor when they are interested in getting involved in Beyond the Classroom opportunities, such as internships, research, study away or service learning courses to ensure they go through the proper processes to receive Honors credit for these experiences.
The easiest way to look through all open Honors section is by using the advanced search feature on my.sc.edu. Follow these instructions:
- Log into my.sc.edu
- Go to Student > Registration > Browse Classes
- Select the term
- Hit Advanced Search
- Under Campus, select USC Columbia
- Under Attribute, select SC Honors College
- Hit “enter” or “return” on your keyboard (if you click "Search" this trick will not work!)
Students who believe they have a compelling academic need for an additional seat in an Honors course must complete the Honors Override Form. Instructors of record, Major Academic Advisors, College Departments etc. may not grant overrides for Honors College courses.
One of our goals in the Honors College is to consistently offer new, exciting courses each semester, so there is no guarantee that a course is always going to be offered. However, students can use our course webpage to see courses we have offered since Fall 2017, which can help students gain a sense of what courses are typically offered within the Honors College and which semester they may usually be offered.
Yes! Students should let their advisor know during their appointment that they intend to study abroad so they can mark their Honors advisement form accordingly. Also be prepared to attend a virtual advising appointment while abroad!
Watching classes is actually something you have the capability to do by monitoring the course on my.sc.edu. If a seat does become available, follow the instructions provided here to add the course.
No. The USC systems are not currently equipped with a course waiting list feature.
Major Advising & General Registration
Unfortunately, you cannot register for major or minor-restricted classes unless you have declared that major or minor. This includes Honors courses that are restricted. To add a major or minor, contact your major advisor. To change your major, make an appointment with Exploratory Advising and then follow these steps.
More information on accelerated programs can be found here. Email the contact listed for each degree program to learn more about the requirements and how to get started. With approval, graduate level courses can be used toward Honors electives – if taking a graduate level course, please let your Honors advisor know to determine if you will need to complete the H-Option application.
A registration hold can mean many things. To view a list of different types of holds and avenues for how to resolve them, please visit the Student Advising Resources page.
Your Honors advisor cannot lift your general advising hold. You need to meet with your major advisor each semester, and this person will lift your advising hold after you have met, which will allow you to register for your courses during priority registration week.
Your registration time ticket indicates the earliest time that you can register for classes for the next semester. To view a time ticket:
- Log into at my.sc.edu, then navigate to the Student tab. Click the Student Profile box. Click “Registration Notices” in the upper right corner of the profile. View the time ticket time.
- You can directly register for classes using my.sc.edu’s registration function, or with the Schedule Planner add-on. Need help? Registration tutorials are available.
Sections that begin with an alpha character are designated for special populations. You may only register for these sections if you qualify. Visit the registration troubleshooting page for more information.
Technology
EAB Navigate allows you to view your advisor’s availability and then book appointments before or after formal advising season.
- EAB requires students to schedule at least 24 hours in advance and should not allow you to book an appointment during a time when you are in class.
- Though EAB does not prevent you from booking with the first available Honors advisor, you should only book appointments with your assigned advisor. Honors advisors will cancel meetings with students not assigned to them.
- If you cannot find your Honors advisor listed in EAB, please email them to ask about availability.
EAB also stores notes your advisors and other staff members leave for you. These notes may include H-Option and Alternative BTC approvals, research contracts, your advising form and other significant documents. Please review recent notes prior to advising appointments and always review DegreeWorks for remaining Honors requirements.
Schedule Planner does not show classes without open seats. To verify the class is full, search for the course using Browse Classes in my.sc.edu (under Registration block).
Academic advisors can provide exceptions (aka edits) to correct courses which are sorted inaccurately within DegreeWorks; however, because most issues will correct themselves as students register for more courses, we will delay most exceptions until you are in your final year at the university. Exceptions cannot be made for in-progress courses, so some corrections will not occur until after your final semester’s grades post. Prior to your final year, advisors can make exceptions for H-Options, Alternative BTC, study away, etc. If an Honors course should also place outside of the Honors block but is failing to do so, a staff member from your academic college (assigned advisor or student services) will need to provide the exception. If you have questions about your DegreeWorks audit, you should plan to discuss with your assigned advisor during your formal advising appointment.