All incoming USC students should be in contact with Transfer Credit Services, also known as "Articulation", who is responsible for awarding USC units for your previous coursework. They are in close communication with with the Math Department, and since they apply the same standards as the Math Department when determining equivalence, decisions made by Articulation should be considered equivalent to those made by Math.
Students may appeal an Articulation decision by filing a petition directly with the TCS office. Such a petition will likely find its way to the Math DUS, if we were not already involved in the original decision. A successful petition must address the specific reasons given by TCS for denying the equivalence. For example, if TCS found that the student's transfer course did not cover "Topic X", they must provide specific evidence that "Topic X" was indeed covered, perhaps with an official course syllabus or a copy of the final exam.
Whether or not units are awarded the Math Department does have some ability to waive Math prerequisites, solely for placement purposes. Waiving prerequisites does not guarantee a seat if a course section is full.
To have previous coursework evaluated, students and their academic advisors should first review the learning objectives for the USC prerequisite course they'd like to have waived. The student should collect detailed evidence that their coursework addressed each of these learning objectives (syllabi, textbook information, copies of past exams, etc.). The advisor and student should email the request and materials to the Math DUS.
To have prerequisites waived based on a standardized exam, see the guidelines below. The student or advisor may email mathinfo@usc.edu with the student's USC ID number, proof of the exam score, course number, and the section numbers of the lecture and discussion they'd like to add.
USC offers math placement exams for all incoming students, regardless of previous coursework. These are administered through our Languages division and students can register here, or email them directly at placement@usc.edu. The exam covers only Precalculus topics.
Scores of 00-12 will place students into Math 040
Scores of 13-21 will place students into Math 108 or Math 117
Scores of 22-40 will place students into Math 125 or Math 118
Transfer Credit Services will award 4 units of elective credit for scores of 4 or 5 on AP exams. Details.
*There is a new AP Precalculus Exam being rolled out in 2023-2024. It's likely that a passing score on this exam will place students into Math 125/118, but details still need to be reviewed.Scores of 0-3 should take the USC Placement Exam as described above.
You had some difficulty in your previous Calculus course and we will reassess your prerequisite knowledge.Scores of 4-5 will allow Math 125 prerequisites and major requirements to be waived.
It's very likely that you've seen some of the Math 126 content in your previous courses, especially the early material. But there is more content in Math 126 that you haven't seen, and Math 126 is much more rigorous than a typical high school Calculus course.A score of 4 will allow Math 125 prerequisites and major requirements to be waived.
It's likely that you've seen most of the Math 126 content but have not sufficiently mastered it.A score of 5 will allow Math 126 prerequisites and major requirements to be waived.
You have demonstrated a sufficient knowledge of Calculus 1 and 2 to meet those prerequisites for other courses.From August 2019, with first assessment in May 2021, there are two IB courses available at two levels each:
USC does not consider SL courses for credit or placement purposes.
See Transfer Credit Services information on credit for IB HL coursework here.
See Viterbi's placement information for IB HL exams here.
Semi-standard IB textbooks can be found here.
Scores of 0-4 should take the USC Placement Exam as described above.
You had some difficulty in your previous Calculus course and we will reassess your prerequisite knowledge.Scores of 5-7 will allow Math 125 prerequisites and major requirements to be waived.
It's very likely that you've seen some of the Math 126 content in your previous courses, especially in the Analysis and Approaches course. But there is more content in Math 126 that you haven't seen, and Math 126 is much more rigorous than a typical high school Calculus course.See Transfer Credit Services information on A-level exams here.
See Viterbi's placement information for A-level exams here.
Note that A-level scores are typically reported in mid-August, which can make registration difficult for freshman in their first Fall semester.
Scores below a B should take the USC Placement Exam as described above.
You had some difficulty in your previous Calculus course and we will reassess your prerequisite knowledge.Scores of B or better will allow Math 125 prerequisites and major requirements to be waived.
It's very likely that you've seen some of the Math 126 content in your previous courses, especially the early material. But there is more content in Math 126 that you haven't seen, and Math 126 is much more rigorous than a typical high school Calculus course.