Academic Programs

Associate’s Degree Programs

Learning Outcomes for Associate’s Degree Programs

• Graduates will have the ability to discover a topic, state an effective thesis, organize support, compose coherent paragraphs, and use vocabulary and grammar in accordance with standard edited English; state ideas clearly; pose questions; explain perceptions, materials, and processes; engage in debate; and present reasoned arguments orally and publicly in both extemporaneous and prepared settings; comprehend, paraphrase, and summarize accurately the contents of written and verbal material
• Graduates will have the ability to recognize and state appropriate problems in quantitative terms; solve problems involving numbers, units of measurements, graphs, and other representations of quantitative measurement; understand problems expressed in quantitative terms and to assess the probable implications of a solution to a mathematic problem.
• Graduates will have an awareness of the scientific method, the value of objective inquiry, and the nature and limitations of the world view given us by the sciences; the effects of technology in shaping society and the environment; the ethical dilemmas that arise in a society based on science and technology. Students will also have ability to perceive and to interpret the physical world with accuracy and to communicate such observations in appropriate forms.
• Graduates will have an awareness of the variety of values and mechanisms of social institutions, both Western and non-Western; the cause-and-effect relationship between the actions of individuals and institutions and the consequences of those actions for local, regional, national, and global environments; and of how to participate effectively in a variety of social institutions.
• Graduates will have an awareness of personal values and motivations in themselves and others, Students will be able to:
  • 1. Recognize, identify, and understand a variety of perspectives on social, moral, and ethical issues.
  • 2. Express their own values and understand the origins of those values.
  • 3. Understand various ethical issues in contemporary society.
• Graduates will have the ability to form and act upon reasoned decisions in personal, civic, and professional life. Students will be able to:
  • 1. Recognize the importance of involvement with their community.
  • 2. Articulate strategies for personal and professional development.
• Graduates will be able use technology to collect information from a variety of sources (e.g. online databases), synthesize the information into a logical narrative and communicate their findings using an appropriate method of deliver (e.g. Microsoft Word and/or PowerPoint).
• Graduates will demonstate a knowledge of the basic principles of and develop an appreciation for the literary, visual or performing arts.

Degree Requirements for Associate’s Degree Programs

The University of South Carolina Union offers the Associate in Arts degree and the Associate in Science degree to those students who have earned at least 60 unduplicated hours of credit approved by the dean. These degrees are awarded to those students who have completed the following requirements:

2. Cumulative 2.00 GPA at USC

3. Fifteen semester hours earned at USC Union

Many students who enter the Associate in Art or the Associate in Science degree programs intend to apply these credits toward a baccalaureate degree awarded by another campus or institution. These students are advised to work closely with an academic advisor to outline a program of study that will meet preliminary requirements of the four-year major they wish to pursue. Of particular importance is completion of general education  requirements. USC Columbia requires 31 general education credit hours and a student planning to pursue a USC Columbia baccalaureate degree must complete these hours. These hours can be incorporated within in the 60 hours required for an AA or AS degree. Applying for an associate’s degree does not in any manner affect eligibility to apply for a baccalaureate degree, and vice versa.

Second Associate’s Degree

At times the University of South Carolina Union confers a second associate’s degree upon candidates who have completed all requirements for the second degree, provided that the additional requirements for the second degree include a minimum of 12 semester hours beyond those required for the first degree earned at USC Union and a minimum of 72 semester hours total. Under this policy a student may apply for two degrees at one time or separately. In either case the student would receive two diplomas.

Application of Credits to Baccalaureate Degrees

Many students who enter the Associate in Arts or the Associate in Science degree programs intend to apply these credits toward a baccalaureate degree awarded by another institution. These students are advised to work closely with their advisor to outline a program of study for the first two or more years that will meet the preliminary requirements of the four-year major they wish to pursue. Details about baccalaureate degree requirements may be found in the USC Columbia Undergraduate Studies Bulletin, or the bulletin of any other four-year institution to which the student intends to transfer.

USC Union is a fully accredited campus of the University of South Carolina, and lower-division credits generally apply to programs of other institutions; with the permission of the baccalaureate institution, upper-level credits (300-level and above) will transfer as well.

Palmetto Programs

Palmetto Programs, housed in the Division of Extended University in Columbia, is an umbrella through which Regional Campuses students have broader access to baccalaureate opportunities. Palmetto Programs was created to enable place-bound students to complete selected baccalaureate degrees without leaving the Regional Campuses. The use of distance education provides baccalaureate-level courses to students whose family or employment obligations prevent them from relocating to complete a degree.

Faculty members from Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, and Union, as well as Extended University in Columbia, use two-way interactive video and other technology-assisted delivery to teach students at multiple sites simultaneously. This delivery mechanism gives students access to many more course options in addition to those available live on their campuses.

Two degrees are available through Palmetto Programs. The Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies (BLS) is a broad-based degree that draws on multiple disciplines and allows students to choose their focal areas. The Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership (BOL) focuses on preparing students for leadership roles in government, non-profit, and business settings.

For information on admission to the BLS or BOL degree, contact your advisor or the person on your campus who heads academic affairs or review respective programs of study at the following links:

• Liberal Studies, B.A. 
• Organizational Leadership, B.A. 

Special Academic Programs

Opportunity Scholars Program

The Opportunity Scholars Program is federally funded and designed to assist students throughout their college career. Academic support for eligible students includes academic counseling, tutoring, mentoring, and cultural activities programming.
Generally, financial aid recipients, first-generation college students, and disabled students are eligible for program services.

University 101

University 101 is a three-hour seminar course, open for credit only to freshmen and to other undergraduate students (i.e., transfer students) in their first year at USC Union. This course provides an introduction to the nature and importance of university education and a general orientation to the functions and resources of the University.

The course helps new students adjust to the University, develop a better understanding of the learning process, and acquire essential academic survival skills. It also provides students a support group in a critical year by examining problems common to the new-student experience. Extensive reading and writing assignments relevant to the student’s college experience are required.

Organized in small groups of 20–25 students, University 101 is taught by faculty members and administrative personnel who have a special interest in working with new students. The course may be taken as part of a student’s regular load or as an overload. Course credit is awarded on a letter-grade basis. Credit is applicable as elective credit toward almost all baccalaureate degrees offered by the University.

Evening Program

For the benefit of those whose personal or work schedules make day attendance impossible or impractical, USC Union offers numerous courses after 5 p.m., in two different formats: one hour and 15 minute classes meet twice per week in the early evening, and 2 hour and 45 minute classes meet once per week in the later evening.

Off-Campus/Laurens Classes

USC Union offers a variety of courses in Laurens at the Laurens Higher Education Center. This program offers area citizens the opportunity to begin their postsecondary education career near home. Students may expect to complete their freshman year before having to commute to Union or other area institutions to complete their degree. The local phone number is 864-983-1517.

Distributed Learning Courses

USC offers a variety of beginning and upper-division courses through the Office of Distributed learning. Courses are taught via live streaming video, DVD and hybrid formats. More information may be obtained at http://learn.sc.edu.

Independent Study

These courses, numbered 399, are available for advanced students who wish to engage in additional study and research in specific areas of interest. Students work under the supervision of a USC Union professor, and a contract approved by the instructor, advisor, and academic dean is required.

Continuing Education

The University of South Carolina Union provides, based on need-available resources, a program of continuing education for the people of the region. The continuing education program consists of short courses, workshops, seminars, and activities covering a variety of topics. The purpose of continuing education is to allow people to increase their general knowledge, learn a skill, or satisfy a long-held curiosity. Participants in this program do not receive traditional grades but may be awarded continuing education units (CEUs) in recognition of satisfactorily completing a USC nondegree program.

Baccalaureate Degree Programs

Many students who enter the Associate in Arts or the Associate in Science degree programs intend to apply these credits toward a baccalaureate degree awarded by another institution. These students are advised to work closely with their advisor to outline a program of study for the first two years that will meet preliminary requirements of the four-year major they wish to pursue.

These students are also strongly advised to obtain and use the bulletin for the Columbia campus when determining specific degree requirements. Preliminary general education course work toward the following USC degree programs may be taken at USC Union:

Business Administration

• Accounting
• Business Economics
• Finance
• Insurance and Risk Management
• Management
• Management Science
• Marketing
• Real Estate

Education

• Early Childhood Education
• Elementary Education
• Middle Level Education
• Physical Education
• For other areas of study, see “Liberal Arts” below

Engineering

• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Computer Science and Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management

• Interdisciplinary Studies
• International Hospitality and Tourism Management
• Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management
• Retailing
• Sport and Entertainment Management
• Technology Support and Training Management

Journalism and Mass Communications

• Advertising
• Broadcast Journalism
• Journalism
• Public Relations
• Visual Communications

Arts and Sciences

• African American Studies
• Anthropology
• Art
• Biological Sciences
• Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Classics
• Comparative Literature
• Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Dance
• Economics
• English
• European Studies
• Film and Media Studies
• Foreign Languages
• French
• Geography
• German
• Greek
• History
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• International Studies
• Italian
• Latin American Studies
• Marine Science
• Mathematics
• Medical Technology
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Religious Studies
• Russian
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Speech
• Theatre and Dance
• Women’s and Gender Studies

Library and Information Science

• Information Science

Music

• Jazz Studies
• Music Education
• Music History
• Music Performance/Piano Pedagogy
• Music Theory/Composition

Nursing

• Nursing

Pharmacy

• Pharmacy

Public Health

• Exercise Science
• Public Health

USC Union Library

The resources of the USC Union Library are available to those students currently enrolled at the campus and to the general public age 18 and older. High-school students between the ages of 14 and 18 may check out materials with parental consent. Any patron needing help in using the library resources is encouraged to ask for the assistance of the librarian. Library hours during class sessions are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday. The library is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Exceptions to the schedule are posted at the library and on the library Web page, at http://uscunion.sc.edu/library/library.html, and announced in the newspaper. Fines for overdue library books accrue at the rate of 25 cents per day per book.

Use of the Library. Students are encouraged to use all of the library facilities. The library has several computers for student research and word processing and an extensive reference collection for research needs. Each term the librarian offers a series of library orientation courses to explain the services offered by the library and the use of basic reference and research materials. Electronic databases, the catalog and other resources are available on the library website http://uscunion.sc.edu/library/library.html.

Laurens County Higher Education Center Library. The USC Union Library aids Piedmont Technical College with the operation of the library at the Laurens County Higher Education Center. The library consists of approximately 1000 volumes, appropriate reference materials and two computers with internet access dedicated to use by USC Union students. Electronic databases, the catalog and other resources are available from the library web page http://uscunion.sc.edu/library/library.html.