University of Southern California Department of Biomedical Engineering The USC Andrew and Erna Viterbi School of Engineering USC
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Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question you would like to see answered on this page, please e-mail us at bmedept@usc.edu

What is a STARS Report?
I want to take a summer class at another school and transfer it in.  How do I do this?
I want to do research with a professor. How do I get started?
How do I enroll in BME 490: Directed Research? 



What is a STARS Report?

The STudent Academic Record System report (STARS) reflects students' academic progress toward degree completion of their declared majors. This report contains all USC course work and accepted transfer work that applies toward degree requirements. For undergraduate students, the STARS report will include all requirements necessary for degree completion, to include skill level, general education, major, minor and grade point average requirements. Students may access their STARS reports on OASIS.
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I want to take a summer class at another school and transfer it in.  How do I do this?

To take a summer course somewhere else, you will need to obtain pre-approval from USC.  Pre-approval for math and basic science classes is obtained through OASIS.  To receive pre-approval for CSCI and engineering courses, you will need to go through OASIS and work with the department as well.  After passing the course with a C or better, you will need to let USC know the results by providing an official transcript.  Transcripts should be provided to the USC Office of Degree Progress; more information is available here: http://www.usc.edu/dept/ARR/degreeprogress/generalinfo.html.
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I want to do research with a professor. How do I get started?

In order to be a good candidate to work in a lab, you need to do some of your own research first! Determine which lab/professor you would like to work with. View the descriptions online so you have a sense of the kind of work they do. It may also be helpful to look over some of the most recently-published papers. Finally, you should be able to clearly explain your interest in the kind of research they do. You may wish to offer to work unpaid in order to get the experience.

After you’ve done this, then approach the professor; you may want to say something like, “Dr. <insert name>, I noticed on the BME website that your work involves applications of bioMEMS and microfluidics. I’ve been interested in this ever since I attended a talk you gave my sophomore year. My schedule for next semester gives me some time, and I’d love a chance to do some research. Would you consider allowing me to work in your lab?” 
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How do I enroll in BME 490: Directed Research?

To take a DR course, you will need to contact a BME professor. Essentially, you work out with the professor what you will be studying, the number of hours each week, the number of units for the course, and what the ultimate results of the research will be.  You and the professor then sign a directed research contract so that all the expectations are clearly laid out. Once the department receives the signed DR contract, we provide the d-clearance to register for BME 490.
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All information contained here is summarized from the USC Catalogue and is considered non-official. For all rules, regulations, procedures, and outlines, please see the current academic year USC catalogue.