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Undergraduate Research

Engaging in research promotes intellectual growth and can help prepare you for post-undergraduate study or a profession. Honors students have numerous ways to engage in academic research and can begin as early as their freshman year. The Honors College also offers funding opportunities for undergraduate research and creative projects.

Honors Beyond the Classroom Through Research

Students may fulfill the Honors BTC requirement by successfully completing an approved independent research course.

To fulfill the Honors BTC requirement through research:

  • The research course must be approved by the Honors College, appear on the USC transcript and be credit-bearing.
  • Although a student may enroll in a 1 credit hour approved research course, the student must successfully complete a total of 3 credit hours of Honors BTC to fulfill the requirement.

Students can participate in research by enrolling in an Honors independent research course or a research course through their major. Students should talk to their Honors Experience Coordinator, advisor and professors to learn about current faculty-led research opportunities or check out our full list of current research and creative project opportunities.

Honors Independent Research Course (SCHC 497)

SCHC 497 is an independent research course in which a student undertakes a research project with guidance from a faculty member. This research could be part of or an extension of a faculty member’s ongoing research, or it could be a separate project developed by the student, with the faculty member providing supervision and mentorship.

SCHC 497 may fulfill the Beyond the Classroom requirement or an Honors elective. The course is also approved for USC’s Graduation with Leadership Distinction (GLD) research pathway.

Please Note: SCHC 497 will not be approved for work related to a student’s thesis project or other independent research project in the same term(s) in which a student is enrolled in SCHC 499 or departmental research/thesis courses, or receiving an SCHC research grant. If a student can demonstrate that they are pursuing significantly different projects for the research grant and the thesis/research course, concurrent enrollment may be allowed. 

SCHC 497 Policies and Procedures

  • SCHC 497 is a variable-credit course, allowing students to enroll in 1–3 credits. SCHC 497 may be repeated, but requires a unique application each semester in which a student wishes to receive academic credit.
  • If students are enrolling in this course to fulfill the Honors BTC requirement, they must complete at least 3 hours, which can be completed in a single semester or across multiple semesters. Students may combine 1-2 hours of SCHC 497 with another approved BTC experience; when the total reaches 3 or more credit hours, the BTC requirement will be fulfilled.
  • Students wishing to enroll in SCHC 497 must complete the application and contract below, in coordination with their faculty mentor.  
  • The course contract is a written agreement between the student and professor and must be approved by the Honors College, before the student can enroll in SCHC 497. This includes a research summary, list of objectives, the grading criteria and the instructor’s signature.
  • Only full-time faculty from the USC-Columbia, Floyd School of Medicine and Rice School of Law are eligible to serve as instructors of record for SCHC 497.
  • At the end of the semester in which the student is enrolled, the instructor will assign the student’s grade.

SCHC 497 Deadlines

Submission of an SCHC 497 application and contract must be completed by the student and faculty member prior to the last date to add a course, according to the university calendar.

Independent Research Course Contract Submission

Applications for SCHC 497 will open on Tuesday, November 3 for spring 2027 and are due no later than Monday, January 18 at 5 p.m.

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