By completing the Professional and Civic Engagement pathway you can expect to explore the skills learned through your professional and leadership experiences. You can also expect to explore how those experiences are beneficial to your future professional or educational goals. The Professional and Civic Engagement pathway can emphasize the qualities of effective leadership, management, communication, and organization. To receive Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Professional and Civic Engagement, you must complete the appropriate pathway requirements for the degree level they are pursuing.
The first step towards pursuing Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Professional and Civic Engagement is to complete the GLD Orientation.
Extensive Beyond the Classroom Experience
You must complete both Part A & Part B.
Part A: Equivalent of one semester in an approved leadership experience of at least 60 hours. Students may combine multiple experiences across semesters.
Part B. One of the following:
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240 hours in supervised, work/professional experience such as an internship or practicum experience, which may be completed as a part of a class, but may not be double counted toward fulfillment of the coursework requirement. A paid peer leadership position can count as a work/professional experience.
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120 hours work/professional experience and 1 additional semester in a leadership role that is a different experience than the one used to fulfill Part A.
Note: Experiences may not be double counted. For instance, a paid leadership experience is either counted toward meeting Part A -OR- counted toward meeting the work/professional experience option in Part B.
Students are required to submit a verification letter written by the supervisor on company letterhead, that includes the date of the internship/work experience, hours worked/interned, title of position, supervisor’s information, and a brief overview of the role in which you served.
International Students: Prior to engaging in on or off-campus employment, internship, or practicum experiences, please visit International Student Services and consult an ISS advisor to learn about your employment options and determine your eligibility as well as obtain any required authorizations.
To find potential Professional & Civic Engagement opportunities you can search the My USC Experience Database.
Enhancement Experiences
You must participate in three (3) enhancement experiences. An enhancement experience is a beyond the classroom engagement that increases your understanding of topics or issues related to your pathway. Enhancement experiences can be one-time or ongoing events that require passive attendance or active participation and discussion. These experiences may take place on or off campus. Examples include, but are not limited to: workshops, lectures, conferences/presentations, official meetings, job shadowing, and out-of-class events/trips. Enhancement experiences may not be double counted toward the fulfillment of the publication/presentation requirement. Use the My USC Experience Database to find enhancement experiences.
Coursework
You must complete six (6) credit hours with a B or better from the approved course list for the Professional & Civic Engagement pathway. You may not double count your coursework toward fulfilling the core experience requirement. If you have not taken courses from the approved list, you may list and describe up to two courses (6 credit hours) that were particularly meaningful for your pathway. You should have earned a B or better for these courses.
Public Presentation
You must complete a public publication or presentation related to a meaningful beyond the classroom experience. Publications and presentations must be of a professional nature. You are strongly encouraged to present your work at Discover USC. If you wish to fulfill this requirement in a way other than presenting at Discovery USC, you can find the information about Alternative Presentations on the Presentation page.
Your presentation must meet certain expectations [pdf] such as focusing on your experience within the Community Service pathway and explaining what you have done, what you have learned from your experiences (including coursework) and how you will use this learning in the future.
ePortfolio
You must complete a GLD ePortfolio demonstrating the significance of your within-and-beyond the classroom experiences. The two ways of completing the ePortfolio are taking a course that supports the creation of the GLD ePortfolio (such as Univ 401 for GLD) or by attending an ePortfolio workshop and then working with a GLD advisor.
Extensive Beyond the Classroom Experience
You must complete both Part A & Part B.
Part A: One semester in an approved leadership experience.
Part B. One of the following:
-
120 hours in supervised, work/professional experience such as an internship or practicum experience, which may be completed as a part of a class, but may not be double counted toward fulfillment of the coursework requirement. A paid peer leadership position can count as a work/professional experience.
-
1 additional semester in an approved leadership experience different than the experience listed for Part A. If you select this option then you must complete an internship or practicum for course credit.
Note: Experiences may not be double counted. For instance, a paid leadership experience is either counted toward meeting Part A -OR- counted toward meeting the work/professional experience option in Part B.
Students are required to submit a verification letter written by the supervisor on company letterhead, that includes the date of the internship/work experience, hours worked/interned, title of position, supervisor’s information, and a brief overview of the role in which you served.
International Students: Prior to engaging in on or off-campus employment, internship, or practicum experiences, please visit International Student Services and consult an ISS advisor to learn about your employment options and determine your eligibility as well as obtain any required authorizations.
To find potential Professional & Civic Engagement opportunities you can search the My USC Experience Database.
Enhancement Experiences
You must participate in two (2) enhancement experiences. An enhancement experience is a beyond the classroom engagement that increases your understanding of topics or issues related to your pathway. Enhancement experiences can be one-time or ongoing events that require passive attendance or active participation and discussion. These experiences may take place on or off campus. Examples include, but are not limited to: workshops, lectures, conferences/presentations, official meetings, job shadowing, and out-of-class events/trips. Enhancement experiences may not be double counted toward the fulfillment of the publication/presentation requirement. Use the My USC Experience Database to find enhancement experiences.
Coursework
You must complete three (3) credit hours with a B or better from the approved course list for the Professional & Civic Engagement pathway. You may not double count your coursework toward fulfilling the core experience requirement. If you have not taken courses from the approved list, you may list and describe a course (3 credit hours) that was particularly meaningful for your pathway. You should have earned a B or better in this course.
Public Presentation
You must complete a public publication or presentation related to a meaningful beyond the classroom experience. Publications and presentations must be of a professional nature. You are strongly encouraged to present your work at Discover USC. If you wish to fulfill this requirement in a way other than presenting at Discovery USC, you can find the information about Alternative Presentations on the Presentation page.
Your presentation must meet certain expectations [pdf] such as focusing on your experience within the Community Service pathway and explaining what you have done, what you have learned from your experiences (including coursework) and how you will use this learning in the future.
ePortfolio
You must complete a GLD ePortfolio demonstrating the significance of your within-and-beyond the classroom experiences. The two ways of completing the ePortfolio are taking a course that supports the creation of the GLD ePortfolio (such as Univ 401 for GLD) or by attending an ePortfolio workshop and then working with a GLD advisor.
Extensive Beyond the Classroom Experience
You must complete both Part A & Part B.
Part A: Two semesters in an approved leadership experience.
Part B. One of the following:
-
360 hours in supervised, work/professional experience such as an internship or practicum experience, which may be completed as a part of a class, but may not be double counted toward fulfillment of the coursework requirement. A paid peer leadership position can count as a work/professional experience.
-
240 hours work/professional experience and 1 additional semester in a leadership role that is a different experience than the one used to fulfill Part A.
Note: Experiences may not be double counted. For instance, a paid leadership experience is either counted toward meeting Part A -OR- counted toward meeting the work/professional experience option in Part B.
Students are required to submit a verification letter written by the supervisor on company letterhead, that includes the date of the internship/work experience, hours worked/interned, title of position, supervisor’s information, and a brief overview of the role in which you served.
International Students: Prior to engaging in on or off-campus employment, internship, or practicum experiences, please visit International Student Services and consult an ISS advisor to learn about your employment options and determine your eligibility as well as obtain any required authorizations.
To find potential Professional & Civic Engagement opportunities you can search the My USC Experience Database.
Enhancement Experiences
You must participate in four (4) enhancement experiences. An enhancement experience is a beyond the classroom engagement that increases your understanding of topics or issues related to your pathway. Enhancement experiences can be one-time or ongoing events that require passive attendance or active participation and discussion. These experiences may take place on or off campus. Examples include, but are not limited to: workshops, lectures, conferences/presentations, official meetings, job shadowing, and out-of-class events/trips.. Enhancement experiences may not be double counted toward the fulfillment of the publication/presentation requirement. Use the My USC Experience Database to find enhancement experiences.
Coursework
You must complete nine (9) credit hours with a B or better from the approved course list for the Professional & Civic Engagement pathway. You may not double count your coursework toward fulfilling the core experience requirement. If you have not taken courses from the approved list, you may list and describe up to three courses (9 credit hours) that were particularly meaningful for your pathway. You should have earned a B or better for these courses.
Public Presentation
You must complete a public publication or presentation related to a meaningful beyond the classroom experience. Publications and presentations must be of a professional nature. You are strongly encouraged to present your work at Discover USC. If you wish to fulfill this requirement in a way other than presenting at Discovery USC, you can find the information about Alternative Presentations on the Presentation page.
Your presentation must meet certain expectations [pdf] such as focusing on your experience within the Community Service pathway and explaining what you have done, what you have learned from your experiences (including coursework) and how you will use this learning in the future.
ePortfolio
You must complete a GLD ePortfolio demonstrating the significance of your within-and-beyond the classroom experiences. The two ways of completing the e-portfolio are taking a course that supports the creation of the GLD ePortfolio (such as Univ 401 for GLD) or by attending an ePortfolio workshop and then working with a GLD advisor.