USC participates in the InCommon Federation’s InCommon certificate service which offers SSL (secure socket layer) website and application certificates to websites and applications throughout the university. USC Secure Certificates (also known as USC Secure Certs) can be requested for all website domains wholly owned by USC, whether they are *.usc.edu, .net, .org, .com, or .edu.
Features
- Standard SSL/TLS server certificates
- Extended validation (EV)
- Multi-domain certificates supporting up to 100 Subject Alternative Names (SAN)
- Wildcard certificates are available, but generally discouraged except under specific circumstances.
NOTE: As of April 2019, USC does not yet do S/MIME certificates.
Eligibility
All active USC faculty and staff can request USC Secure Certs. Schools, units, or research groups may apply for these through ITS.
Requesting a USC Secure Certificate
ITS provides USC Secure Certs to hosts and websites primarily in the *.usc.edu domain. ITS will delegate subdomains to UTC members or designates from their teams.
To request a USC Secure Cert, create a Service Request. (USC NetID login is required).
NOTE: ServiceNow requests are generally processed by ITS within two to three business days.
Upon ITS approval, you will receive an email from InCommon which contains a link to the certificate collection form. The SSL certificate can be downloaded from this link and installed for the usc.edu domain.
Requesting Departmental RAO Status over Subdomains
ITS is the Registration Authority Officer (RAO) for the USC domain. ITS can create departments (e.g., “Viterbi School of Engineering”) and Subdomains (e.g., “vsoe.usc.edu”) within the USC domain and attach these subdomains to a department. A department may nominate departmental RAOs (DRAOs), who are then able to manager SSL certs for the domains within that department.
DRAOs may only officially be created by the RAO (i.e., ITS). Typically, a DRAO is either a USC Technology Council (UTC) member or a designate. If you are a DRAO and need to log in to manage your subdomain, click here.
To request DRAO status or the delegation of appropriate subdomains for your department, please fill out the Service Request.
To see if your school or unit already has a subdomain and what that subdomain is, check the table below:
| Secure Cert Department Name | Subdomains |
| USC Enterprise | *.usc.edu |
| Ostrow Biokinesiology & PT | |
| Office of the Provost | |
| USC Medical Enterprise | |
| Chan Division of Occupational Therapy | |
| School of Cinematic Arts | |
| Los Nettos | |
| ISI | |
| Gould School of Law | |
| USC Libraries | |
| School of Social Work | |
| Viterbi School of Engr. | |
| Dornsife College | |
| Marshall School of Business |
To find out who the DRAO is for your school or unit, please contact your local IT support for your school or department.
Support
Technical support and troubleshooting for USC Secure Certs are provided by Sectigo, the InCommon SSL certificate service vendor, via email, a web ticketing system, and telephone.
The Sectigo website includes a Knowledge Base and step-by-step troubleshooting guide for registered users.
The Sectigo website also provides extensive technical documentation for InCommon program customers.
The InCommon Federation’s Certificate program website also includes helpful documentation and additional resources.
For additional assistance, please contact the ITS Customer Support Center at 213-740-5555, or create a
Pricing
SSL certificates are offered to schools and administrative units at no additional cost.