University Of South Carolina-Columbia

Location and Contact Information

The campus is in a medium-sized city.

Overview

The University of South Carolina is a public, coeducational, research university located in Columbia, South Carolina. Its historic campus sits on 359 acres, but the university is expanding West toward the Congaree River in support of its research initiatives.

In addition to the main campus, there are four-year campuses in Aiken, Beaufort, and Upstate and four two-year campuses.

USC was founded as South Carolina College in 1801. The school underwent a number of name changes but was permanently chartered in 1906 by its present name.

The University of South Carolina is ranked No. 52 in the nation among public universities, according to the U.S. News & World Report's 2009 "America's Best Colleges" guide. It was also listed as No. 9 among the nation's "Most Promising and Innovative Schools", a first-time category.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has designated USC an institution of "very high research activity"--the only university in the state to earn that designation.

The university's Columbia campus offers more than 350 degree programs through the following academic divisions:

• Arnold School of Public Health
• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Education
• College of Engineering and Computing
• College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management
• College of Mass Communications and Information Studies
• College of Nursing
• College of Pharmacy
• College of Social Work
• Moore School of Business
• School of Law
• School of Medicine
• School of Music
• School of the Environment
• South Carolina Honors College
• The Graduate School

USC's student body consists of students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. Carolina has an active Greek life with more than 10 fraternities and more 7 sororities.

USC famous alumni include Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff under President George W. Bush; Lindsay Graham, U.S. Senator; Judy Clarke, federal public defender; David King, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center; Mike Dunleavy, coach of NBA's Los Angeles Clippers; Alex English, member of Basketball Hall of Fame; Shannon Johnson, second all-time leading scorer in women's basketball history; John Fain, president of Fain Enterprises; W. W. "Hootie" Johnson, chair of executive committee of Bank of America Corp; Robert Ariail, nationally syndicated political cartoonist; Leeza Gibbons, TV celebrity, Emmy winner; Jim Hoagland, Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent; actor Brenda Pressley; and Jennifer Walker, one of first 100 women in United States to be certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgeons, at Massachusetts General.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

• Many students concentrating in nutrition and exercise therapy, hospitality, business and management, music, and photography and commercial art.
• Large number of programs of study offered.
• Large number of students.
• High faculty salary.
• High percentage of students are from out-of-state.
• High SAT scores (combined Verbal and Math).

School characteristics:

• The school is public.
• Academic calender: Semester.
• Carnegie classification: Doctoral/Research Universities, Extensive.

Features of note:

• The school offers a faculty tenure system.
• There are one or more libraries on-campus.
• Campus housing is available.
• Students have meal (board) plans.
• Students may study abroad.
• Distance learning is available.
• Weekend study is an option.
• Part-time classes are available.
• ROTC.
• Athlete financial aid is awarded.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

Financial Aid

University Of South Carolina participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 91% of students received financial aid of some sort.

(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to University Of South Carolina-Columbia:

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Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Students

Student enrollment was 27,488 in 2009-2010 (24,501 full-time equivalent).

About 45% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 55% of the class.

Undergrads are 70% of enrolled students, graduate students are 25%, and those seeking first-professional graduate degrees represent 5%.

Students under 25 years old represent 75% of the student body. About 5% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 99% are full-time and 1% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

SAT Test Scores:

Room and Board

University Of South Carolina provides on-campus housing for 6,610 of its 24,501 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Students may purchase a meal plan which includes 21 meals weekly.

Athletics

School sports include football, basketball, baseball, and track. The school is in the Southeastern Conference for major sports.

The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 208 male students received the aid (men were 57% of those receiving aid) and 158 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 43% of students receiving such aid) .

Graduate School Focus

University Of South Carolina offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Doctorate (Research/Scholarship & Professional Practice).

Graduate offerings include continuing professional education and medical degrees.The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Comprehensive Doctoral With Medical/Veterinary.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (1,211 awarded)

• Accounting
• Business Administration and Management
• Business/Managerial Economics
• Finance
• Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration
• Insurance
• International Business/Trade/Commerce
• Management Science
• Marketing/Marketing Management
• Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management
• Retailing and Retail Operations

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (74 awarded)

• Computer Engineering
• Computer Software Engineering
• Computer and Information Sciences
• Computer and Information Systems Security
• Information Science/Studies

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (0 awarded)

• Environmental Science

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (38 awarded)

• Dance
• Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (645 awarded)

• Art Teacher Education
• Business Teacher Education
• College Student Counseling and Personnel Services
• Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Early Childhood Education and Teaching
• Education
• Educational Evaluation and Research
• Educational Leadership and Administration
• Educational/Instructional Media Design
• Elementary Education and Teaching
• Health Teacher Education
• Higher Education/Higher Education Administration
• Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
• Music Teacher Education
• Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
• Reading Teacher Education
• Secondary Education and Teaching
• Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
• Special Education and Teaching

ENGINEERING (254 awarded)

• Archeology
• Biomedical/Medical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
• Engineering Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK (235 awarded)

• Public Administration
• Social Work

FINE ARTS (65 awarded)

• Art History, Criticism and Conservation
• Fine/Studio Arts

HOSPITALITY (176 awarded)

• Hospitality Administration/Management
• Tourism and Travel Services Management

LAW (245 awarded)

• Law (LLB, JD)

LIBERAL ARTS (1,062 awarded)

• African-American/Black Studies
• Anthropology
• Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics
• Comparative Literature
• Creative Writing
• Economics
• English Language and Literature
• European Studies/Civilization
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• French Language and Literature
• Geography
• German Language and Literature
• History
• International Relations and Affairs
• Italian Language and Literature
• Latin American Studies
• Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
• Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
• Library Science/Librarianship
• Linguistics
• Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
• Museology/Museum Studies
• Political Science and Government
• Public/Applied History and Archival Administration
• Russian Language and Literature
• Social Sciences
• Sociology
• Spanish Language and Literature
• Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS (71 awarded)

• Applied Mathematics
• Mathematics
• Statistics

MEDIA (316 awarded)

• Advertising
• Broadcast Journalism
• Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
• Health Communication
• Journalism
• Mass Communication/Media Studies
• Public Relations/Image Management

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION (56 awarded)

• Environmental Health
• Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration/Management
• Public Health Education and Promotion

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (47 awarded)

• Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
• Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist
• Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist

MEDICINE (226 awarded)

• Gerontology
• Medicine (MD)
• Pharmaceutics and Drug Design (MS, PhD)
• Pharmacy (PharmD [USA], PharmD or BS/BPharm [Canada])
• Public Health, General (MPH, DPH)
• Public Health

MUSIC (101 awarded)

• Conducting
• Music History, Literature, and Theory
• Music Performance
• Music Theory and Composition
• Music
• Voice and Opera

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (286 awarded)

• Nurse Anesthetist
• Nursing Administration (MSN, MS, PhD)
• Nursing Science (MS, PhD)
• Nursing
• Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)
• Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing
• Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (312 awarded)

• Kinesiology and Exercise Science
• Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
• Sport and Fitness Administration/Management

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION (39 awarded)

• Office Management and Supervision

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART (108 awarded)

• Film/Cinema Studies
• Film/Video and Photographic Arts

REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT (18 awarded)

• Real Estate

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (35 awarded)

• Philosophy
• Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE (420 awarded)

• Biology/Biological Sciences
• Biomedical Sciences
• Biostatistics
• Chemistry
• Epidemiology
• Geology/Earth Science
• Geophysics and Seismology
• Human/Medical Genetics
• Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
• Physical Sciences
• Physics

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (167 awarded)

• Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
• Criminology

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (259 awarded)

• Clinical Psychology
• Experimental Psychology
• Physical Therapy/Therapist
• School Psychology
• Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling