Getting Started
PhD in Occupational Science
Updated February 26, 2024
We are excited to welcome you to the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy! Please carefully review the important information below.
Additionally, be sure to review the other general information provided in this section of the website, under Chan Division and USC Essentials, to prepare for your arrival at USC.
Orientation and schedule
Division orientation
A mandatory orientation specific to the Chan PhD program will be held prior to the start of the classes. The orientation will take place in person at the USC Health Sciences Campus in the Center for Health Professions (CHP) building at the date and time shown below.
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 9:00am – 1:30pm
Location: CHP 109
Graduate student orientation
USC requires that you attend a graduate student orientation before beginning classes. We recommend that you register for an orientation on the Health Sciences Campus.
Start of classes
Your first day of class is Monday, August 25, 2025. View the USC Academic Calendar for university holidays.
Mentoring meeting
Please reach out to your advisor/mentor to schedule a time to go through an initial mentoring meeting and have an orientation to the research lab. It is recommended that you schedule this meeting during the week immediately prior to the start of the semester, so that you can be sure you have selected and registered for any necessary elective courses prior to the start of the semester.
Essential administration tasks
Intent to Enroll
Intent to Enroll must be completed to access USC services. Please note that it can take some time for your admission to process through the USC system, so if you are unable to certify now, please be patient and try again in a few days or next week.
USC ID Card
You will need to submit the information, including a photo, for your USC ID Card online and you will be notified when it is available for pick up from the USCard Office. Make sure to specify that you will pick up your card at One Stop Express, HSC in Seaver Residence Hall so that it will be available for you on the USC Health Sciences Campus.
USC NetID and Email
You are required to activate your USC NetID and Email before registering for classes.
Prevention Education Courses
You will be required to complete a Safety course, Sexual Assault Prevention course (Part I and II), and a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion course online. All incoming graduate students must complete required online Prevention Education Modules (PEMs) before the start of classes. The online modules are available through Trojan Learn.
Students who do not complete the training before the first day of class will be subject to registration holds affecting their ability to add classes for the Fall semester and register for the Spring semester, in addition to fines and other compliance measures.
Registering for a permit
In order to be considered for parking for the 2024–2025 academic year, please register online during the waitlist registration period. Please go to transnet.usc.edu/index.php/how-to-purchase-a-permit-2 for more information on the registration process and how to create a parking account.
Carpool permits
Carpool Permits will be available free of charge to University students wishing to carpool. Please follow the directions above (entering your name on the waitlist) to be considered. Should you be selected for a carpool permit, you will be required to submit additional documentation to confirm your carpool. An additional email will be sent with directions on how to complete this process.
Contact
For any pressing concerns, please contact Peter Miranda at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Due to the volume of inquiries, please allow 2-3 business days for a response.
Additional post-admission and orientation for international students
International students admitted to USC will request their I-20 directly through the Trojan International (TI) website. Immigration documents will also be submitted directly to TI.
Access to Trojan International will be given only to applicants who:
- Have been fully admitted to a USC program.
- Have submitted a Statement of Intent certifying they will attend USC. No commitment deposit is required.
- Have activated their USC NetID (can activate 1-3 days after certifying). The NetID is required to log into TI.
For more information on E-Forms and preparing your documents, please visit the USC Office of Admission 1-20 Processing website.
New students who have questions about I-20 and Visa matters, please contact Graduate Admissions directly, and select a category under “Immigration Matters (I-20, Visas, etc.)”.
Immigration Status Verification (ISV)
Upon arrival to the United States (U.S.), all new international F-1/J-1 students and J-1 scholars are required to complete Immigration Status Verification (ISV), formally referred to as Passport Verification (PPV), with the Office of International Services (OIS). ISV is a mandatory online check-in procedure for international students and scholars that verifies their entry to the U.S. as well as their immigration status to ensure the student/scholar is eligible to start an academic program/appointment at USC for their upcoming start date. Once all documentation is submitted, OIS will validate the SEVIS record. Failure to complete ISV in a timely manner will affect your eligibility to legally remain in the U.S.
All international degree students (F-1 and J-1) have an STU50 (for graduate students) hold on their USC account. This hold is lifted once students arrive in the U.S. and complete ISV with OIS.
Academics
Following orientation, but prior to the first week of classes, we recommend that you set up an advising appointment with your faculty advisor. Dr. Sook-Lei Liew, the Director of the PhD Program would also be glad to meet with you if that would be beneficial. At this meeting, you should begin planning your course schedule for fall. Generally speaking, a typical semester course load includes your research immersion (OT 660), a required course in the division (OT 640, 642, 648, or 649), and one-two elective courses. You will register using myUSC, which serves as the university portal to an array of campus resources, including Web Registration. Please review the Web Registration Tutorial before you register.
If you have any questions or difficulty registering for courses, contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
The course book lists are available through the USC Schedule of Classes by clicking on the book icon next to each course you are enrolled in or through Oasis, the online academic student information system.
Health and safety
Health clearance and insurance
Health onboarding
Information about health clearance requirements will be posted here as they become available.
Health clearance
The University requires all students to provide a personal health history and to have a complete physical exam and tuberculosis clearance. More information is provided by USC Student Health at sites.usc.edu/new-student-health-requirements.
Health insurance
Your award provides payment of the mandatory Student Health Care Center fee and USC graduate student health and dental insurance premiums for both fall, spring and summer semesters. You are enrolled for your Health Insurance automatically. You can read more on what your Health Award benefits include. Please note that all Health Science Campus students must obtain services at the Eric Cohen Student Health Center.
Dental insurance
Your award will cover dental insurance; however, unlike health insurance, you will not be automatically enrolled. You must enroll for your Dental Insurance through the student health center. Enrollment for dental insurance is only available during fall with a deadline usually the first week of September.
- USC health professions students are required to complete the primary series of COVID-19 vaccination and booster and upload into MySHR.
- All USC health professions students must receive a COVID bivalent vaccine. This may affect incoming students who were previously cleared with the initial primary series that have not yet received a bivalent booster. Please check compliance by logging into MySHR and navigating to the Medical Clearances section. Non-Compliant items will be listed in red. Incoming students can submit documentation of their bivalent dose through MySHR or by email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
- The University requires booster doses for all health professions students, faculty and staff. If you are currently eligible, you should arrange to receive a booster.
- Antigen kits will continue to be available to students and employees at no cost at USC bookstores, Engemann Student Health Center, and Eric Cohen Student Health Center.
- Please review the Special Clearances: Health Professions Students website carefully.
- If you completed the booster outside of USC, please upload the documentation into your MySHR record.
A religious or medical exemption form must be completed by a faculty member, staff, or student, and submitted to MySHR. Please allow 14 days for your religious or medical exemption form to be reviewed and approved.
- Religious Exemption for Required COVID-19 Vaccination
- Medical Exemption Request for Required COVID-19 Vaccination
- For COVID-19-related information, updates, and support for the USC community, please visit coronavirus.usc.edu.
Make sure you review this presentation of Emergency Procedures and Recommendations at the Center for Health Professions (CHP), which includes essential information. The presentation also includes a link to a video describing the CHP Evacuation Plan.
Other resources
USC welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University’s educational programs. The Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) is responsible for the determination of appropriate accommodations for students who encounter disability-related barriers. Once a student has completed the OSAS process (registration, initial appointment, and submitted documentation) and accommodations are determined to be reasonable and appropriate, a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) will be available to generate for each course. The LOA must be given to each course instructor by the student and followed up with a discussion. This should be done as early in the semester as possible as accommodations are not retroactive. More information can be found at osas.usc.edu. You may contact OSAS at (213) 740-0776 or via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
The USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy is conducting an admissions service survey. We would like you to rate your admissions experience with Chan so that we can improve our process and service in the future. This survey only relates to this department, not the University Office of Graduate Admissions or the Financial Aid office. The survey is anonymous, so please answer the questions freely.
