Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about USP's academic programs as well as key curriculum and department updates.

Course and Major/Minor Updates

New curriculum for the USP major and minor and RED major and minor go into effect Fall 2024. Students that start at UCSD in Fall 2024 and later quarters/years are held to this new curriculum. Students that started at UCSD prior to Fall 2024 are held to the previous curriculum regardless of when they declare the USP/RED major/minor.
Effective Fall 2024 USP 5 will be a prerequisite for USP 151
Effective Fall 2024 USP 15 and USP 25 will be prerequisites for USP 152A
Effective Fall 2025 USP 5, USP 15, USP 25, and USP 50 will also be prerequisites for USP 185A along with USP 124, USP 151, USP 152A, and USP 153
Effective Fall 2025 the Technical Elective will also be prerequisites for USP 185B along with USP 185A.
Effective Fall 2025 USP 30 and USP 60 will also be prerequisites for USP 186.

Application Based Courses

The following classes are application based and students should apply via the application created for each course:
- USP 128A/USP 128B: Climate Justice/Action/Resilience Scholars (CJARS) Program (typically offered in Winter and Spring quarters with applications available in Fall)
- USP 141A: Life Course Scholars Program (typically offered in Winter quarter with applications available in Fall)
- USP 142A/USP 142B: Urban Challenges: Homelessness in San Diego (typically offered in Winter and Spring quarters with applications available in Fall)
- USP 142C: Urban Challenges: Sustainable Food Systems (typically offered in Spring, applications open in Winter)
- USP 188: Mexican Migration Field Research Program (application deadline rolling until week 1 of Fall quarter; In 2024-2025 and moving forward USP 162 and USP 163 are open to all students and students do not need to apply. Both of these courses, USP 162 and USP 163, will be prereqs for USP 188.)
- USP 159A/USP 159B: NAIOP Real Estate University Challenge (offered in Winter and Spring quarters with applications due in Fall)
- USP 190: Senior Honors Seminar (offered in Spring quarter with applications due in Winter)

Enrollment Notes for Fall 2024:

The USP Department is saving seats in the following courses for incoming students: USP 1, 2, 4, 5, 15, 25, 124, and 153.
USP 30 and USP 50 enrollment is set to zero so that the department can clear students who are USP/RED majors and minors to enroll in these courses. If you are a USP or RED major or minor and you'd like to take one or both of these classes, please add yourself to the waitlist to indicate your interest in taking these courses. Students who are not USP/RED majors/minors who are interested in taking one or both of these courses should submit a VAC message to the USP department explaining their interest in this course. Priority will go to delcared USP/RED majors and minors.

What classes should I take for my USP major?

Please check this page for the most up to date information on USP major requirements.

If you are a freshman or sophomore you can find a finish in four and finish in three year academic quarter by quarter plan here which outlines which major classes we suggest you take in each quarter.

If you are a transfer student or changed your major to USP as a junior you can find a finish in two year academic quarter by quarter plan here which outlines which major classes we suggest you take in each quarter.

Important notes:

All USP majors are required to complete the USP Senior Sequence which is typically completed in your final year at UCSD. The USP Senior Sequence consists of USP 186 in Fall quarter and USP 187 in Winter quarter. These classes are only offered once a year and have prerequisites.
The USP Senior Seqence prerequisites are USP 124 Land Use Planning, Research Methods, and Technicial Elective. These all must be completed by the end of your junior year to be eligible to enroll in USP 186 your senior year.
Effective Fall 2025 USP 30 will also be a prerequisite for USP 186.

What classes should I take for my RED major?

Please check this page for the most up to date information on RED major requirements.

If you are a freshman or sophomore you can find a finish in four quarter by quarter plan here and a finish in three quarter by quarter plan here which outlines which major classes we suggest you take in each quarter.

Important notes:

All RED majors are required to complete the USP Senior Sequence which is typically completed in your final year at UCSD. The RED Senior Studio Capstone consists of USP 185A in Fall quarter and USP 185B in Winter quarter. These classes are only offered once a year and have prerequisites.
The RED Senior Studio Capstone prerequisites are USP 124 Land Use Planning, USP 151 Real Estate Planning and Development, USP 152A Real Estate Development Finance and Investment, and USP 153 Real Estate and Development Market Analysis. These all must be completed by the end of your junior year to be eligible to enroll in USP 185A your senior year.
Effective Fall 2025 USP 5, USP 15, USP 25, and USP 50 will also be prerequisites for USP 185A along with USP 124, USP 151, USP 152A, and USP 153

How do I know which classes are going to be offered each quarter?

Please check the USP Department Course Offering Matrix which you can access in the upper left corner of the Courses page to see which classes are planned for Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. The department plans multiple quarters in advance and occassionally changes occur due to instructor availability.

My transfer course is not showing on my degree audit report like I think it should. What should I do?

If the transfer course in question has an articulation agreement on file which shows on assist.org please send the USP Dept a message in the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) so we can update your degree audit report.

If the transfer course in question does not have an articulation agreement on file then you will need to petition the class by completing the UCSD Undergraduate Student Petition and submitting it along with the syllabus for the class you think should count for your USP/RED requirement to the USP Department for review. These documents should be emailed to usp@ucsd.edu. Petitions can take up to two weeks to be reviewed and a response will be sent to you via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC).

I think there's an error on my degree audit report. What should I do?

If you think there's an error with your degree audit report related to your USP/RED major/minor requirements please send the USP Department a message in the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) so that we can troubleshoot the issue.

We highly recommend reviewing your degree audit report (DAR) each quarter. If you see a class showing under general electives that you think should show under your major/minor requirements or any other issues with your major/minor requirements not pulling correctly, please let us know.

If you are having issues with your gen eds/university requirements not showing correctly please reach out to your college advisors.

Why is my D grade not showing on my degree audit report?

All courses for the USP major, USP minor, RED major, and RED minor must be completed for a letter grade and only grades of C- or higher will count towards your requirements.

If you earned a D grade in a major/minor requirement we recommend you reach out the USP advising to discuss your academic progress and options moving forward.

Can I take my USP/RED major/minor requirements Pass/No Pass?

No, all courses for the USP major, USP minor, RED major, and RED minor must be completed for a letter grade and only grades of C- or higher will count towards your requirements.

Note: A few classes are only offered on a P/NP basis such as USP 30 and USP 50 and those are the only classes in which the department will accept a P grade.

How can I petition a class or request an exception to a requirement?

You will need to petition the class or request the exception by completing the UCSD Undergraduate Student Petition and submitting it to the USP Department via email to usp@ucsd.edu for review. Petitions can take up to two weeks to be reviewed and a response will be sent to you via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC).

Note: If you are requesting to count a class outside of the USP department for a USP/RED requirement you will also need to include the syllabus for the class with your petition.

I want to take a class for an upper division elective that’s not on the preapproved list, what should I do?

You will need to petition the class or request the exception by completing the UCSD Undergraduate Student Petition and submitting it to the USP Department for review. Petitions can take up to two weeks to be reviewed and a response will be sent to you via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC).

Note: If you are requesting to count a class outside of the USP department for a USP/RED requirement you will also need to include the syllabus for the class with your petition.

What classes will be offered in summer?

UCSD typically finalizes the summer schedule in mid-winter quarrter with a preview of summer classes posted in late fall. Summer classes may be a mix of in-person, hybrid, and remote course offerings. WebReg will specify how a class is offered.

We recommend students look at previous summer offerings on WebReg to get an idea of what classes may be offered in summer.

Important Note: Summer plans may change and we do not recommend USP/RED majors wait to take any of their senior sequence/capstone prereqs the summer before their senior year as not all prereqs will be offered in summer. All students should aim to complete their senior capstone/senior sequence prereqs by the end of Spring their junior year.

Learn more about summer classes at UCSD Summer Session.

Can I overlap classes between my double majors or my major and minor?

Yes. You can overlap lower division courses between a major and minor or between two majors.

You can overlap up to two upper division courses between two majors or between a major and a minor.

Please see the chart below for additional information.

Do you have a question that you think we should add to our department FAQ page? If so, please submit it via this form and we will consider it for future website updates.