2024 Updates
Advising Changes | Advising FAQ | Registration Changes | Registration FAQ
The South Carolina Honors College is implementing several changes to advising and registration beginning in fall 2024.
- Honors students in phase one will now have a single academic advisor who is an expert in their major and Honors requirements. This change was initiated by USC leadership to streamline undergraduate academic advising and to improve the student experience. Students in later phases will transition to the new model in the near future.
- Honors advisors will no longer register students for Honors sections for courses during or after the advising appointment. Beginning with registration for spring 2025 classes, Honors students will register themselves for Honors and non-Honors courses during priority registration week.
Advising Changes in Honors
The new advising model will be implemented in the Honors College in several phases. Phase one begins immediately and will include students whose majors are housed in:
- Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC)
- College of Information and Communications (CIC)
- Darla Moore School of Business (DMSB)
- College of Nursing (CON)
Later phases will eventually include all other academic colleges. During fall 2024, students not included in the colleges listed above will continue to be assigned both an Honors advisor and an undergraduate academic advisor for their major. The timeline for later phases will be implemented on a rolling basis, and students will be notified of any changes in advance.
The Honors College will continue to provide student programming, unique events and valuable engagement opportunities that we have always offered our students.
Phase One Students
Students in MCEC, CIC, DMSB and CON will be assigned a new advisor on August 7, and that information will be shared via email. This change will be reflected in Self-Service Carolina and EAB Navigate after the add/drop deadline on August 26.
Undergraduate Academic Advisors (UAAs) in this model are expert USC advisors, with 2+ years of advising experience, and have received additional training on Honors requirements and opportunities. Appointments with these advisors will be 45-60 minutes, and will cover academic major requirements, Carolina Core and Honors requirements.
Phase one Honors students pursuing dual degrees:
| Major #1 in a phase one college + major #2 not in a phase one college. | Student will be assigned a UAA with Honors-specific training in the phase one college. They will also be assigned a second UAA for their second major. |
| Majors #1 AND #2 both in a phase one college. | Student will be assigned two UAAs with Honors-specific training in both majors. |
Students participating in later phases
Students participating in later phases will be advised by both an Honors advisor and UAA within their major in fall 2024. Appointments will continue to be 30 minutes with each advisor. Due to staffing changes, students may be assigned to a new Honors advisor for fall 2024. Students will be notified of their Honors advisor assignment on August 7 via email, and the change will be reflected in EAB Navigate after the add/drop deadline on August 26.
Advising FAQs
Yes.
Once the Honors College has fully adopted the single advising model, all students will have an Honors-trained UAA embedded within their academic college.
No.
To ensure equitable support and prompt responses, Honors caseloads must remain small. Due to staffing changes and the new single advising model, reassignments are necessary.
Yes.
The UAAs chosen to work with our students in their academic colleges are experts in advising within that college and have received extensive training on Honors requirements and opportunities. Students will have the benefit of one advisor who can help navigate strategic overlaps between Honors and academic program requirements.
The timeline for later phases will be implemented on a rolling basis, and students will be notified of any changes in advance.
Reach out to your assigned advisor.
For additional information or questions related to Honors advising updates, please contact our assistant dean of student affairs Dr. Kay Thomas (803.777.2409).
Registration Model Change
With USC’s upgrade to Banner 9 (Self-Service Carolina), the Honors College must adjust our current procedure for course registration. In the new system, it is no longer possible for Honors advisors to register students in courses. Moving forward, Honors students will register themselves for Honors and non-Honors sections of courses during priority registration week at their assigned ticket time.
Course registration will no longer take place during advising appointments. As a result, those appointments will no longer be scheduled by entry year, and students will have the flexibility to schedule their advising appointment any time between mid-September and priority registration week.
This change will go into effect for spring 2025 registration which occurs in fall 2024.
Permission to register for Honors sections of courses (e.g. H01) will be granted to all Honors students in Self-Service Carolina before priority registration week. Non-Honors students will not have the ability to register for Honors sections.
During Honors advising appointments in the new format, advisors will:
- Continue to discuss remaining Honors requirements and Honors course options
- Provide a list of the Honors course options a student should register for during priority registration week. This list will also be available in EAB Navigate and DegreeWorks.
- Discuss Honors Beyond the Classroom
- Advise on programming and opportunities unique to the Honors College
- Share information about campus resources, including national fellowships
- Provide academic goal setting and future planning (e.g., pre-med, pre-health, pre-law, graduate school, career planning, etc.)
Honors courses are in high demand and, as in previous years, many course sections will fill during registration. Advisors will be available to answer questions about Honors course options during priority registration week, but students are responsible for identifying alternative courses prior to their ticket time, in case a course fills.
The Honors College will host advising workshops, and students are strongly encouraged to attend to prepare for course registration.
Registration FAQs
Yes.
Honors students will register during priority registration week. Ticket times are assigned by the university registrar based on the number of credit hours, not entry year.
Based on the guidance of your advisor during your advising appointment, you are responsible for identifying back-up options to ensure that requirements can be met. If you believe a course is essential to Honors completion, first, consult your advisor. If the course is deemed to be essential, your advisor will ask you to complete the course override application.
Please consult the Honors course webpage.
You will need to contact your assigned advisor for assistance with adding fall 2024 courses as in the past. The change in registration will go into effect for spring 2025 course registration.
For additional information or questions related to registration and the new registration format, please reach out to your assigned advisor.