USC Columbia Mission Statement
Approved by the Board of Trustees - June 2010
The primary mission of the University of South Carolina Columbia is the
education of the state's citizens through teaching, research, creative activity,
and community engagement. Among America's oldest and most
comprehensive public universities, USC Columbia is the major research
institution of the University of South Carolina system and its largest campus,
enrolling approximately 21,000 undergraduate students and approximately
8,000 students in graduate and professional programs. At the heart of its
mission lies the University's responsibility to state and society to promote the
dissemination of knowledge, cultural enrichment, and an enhanced quality of
life.
The University serves a diverse population of students with widely varying
backgrounds, career goals, and levels of aspiration. USC Columbia offers over
320 degrees at the bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional program
levels, affording students the most comprehensive array of educational
programs in the state. Additional opportunities for personal and career
development, including an associate degree program at Fort Jackson, are
provided to the citizens of South Carolina through outreach and continuing
education activities.
Through the primary method of classroom and laboratory instruction, and
through a secondary method of distance learning delivered via the Internet,
teleconference, and electronic media, degree programs are offered in the
following areas: arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing;
hospitality, retail, and sport management; mass communications and
information studies; music; public health; and social work; and in
professional programs such as business, law, medicine, nursing, and
pharmacy. The depth and breadth of its graduate programs in the arts and
sciences, international business, public health, social work, and library and
information science distinguishes USC Columbia from all other institutions of
higher learning in South Carolina.
Recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as a top research and service
institution, nationally ranked in start-up businesses, and conferring over 30%
of all bachelor's and graduate degrees awarded at public institutions in South
Carolina, the University has a profound relevance, reach, and impact on the
people of the state. As the flagship institution of the state system, USC
Columbia leads the way in providing all students with the highest-quality
education, including the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for success
and responsible citizenship in a complex and changing world through
engagement in nationally and internationally ranked research, scholarship,
community outreach, and artistic creation.