GRADUATE PROGRAMS
DEAN’S MESSAGE
Did you know that Southern California graduates the largest number of engineering and computer science graduate students in the country? This tremendous talent pool is fueling the explosion in the innovation ecosystem in our area, also known as Silicon Beach.
The University of Southern California, and particularly the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, is strategically positioned in terms of both abundant human capital and physical location to creatively shape this environment. With two of our research powerhouses — the Information Sciences Institute and the Institute for Creative Technologies — located in the heart of Silicon Beach — we stand ready to serve as the premier private research university driving technology innovation in Southern California.
Yannis Yortsos Dean, Viterbi School of Engineering
45,000+ STUDENTS 750+
375,000+
SIZE OF CAMPUS
STUDENTS FROM OVER 100 COUNTRIES
22
SCHOOL AND UNITES
FOUNDED IN
VITERBI SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
USC Engineering began in 1905
60,000+ ENGINEERING ALUMNI WORLDWIDE
TENURE-TRACK FACULTY
Research Centers & Labs and a leader in federallyfunded research academic departments
Faculty members elected to the National Academy of Engineering
WHERE OUR APPLICANTS ARE FROM 35
13 junior faculty recognized by MIT Technology Review as “the world’s 35 top innovators under 35” since 2009
AN EXCEPTIONAL COMMUNITY
As a global leader in education and research, the University of Southern California attracts talented students and scholars from around the world. The Viterbi School of Engineering is a diverse and welcoming community where students are encouraged to learn and grow from their peers and mentors.
Graduate engineering students can take advantage of the wealth of resources available for an enriching student experience. The Viterbi Graduate Student Association (VGSA) promotes student interaction across engineering departments with various academic and social activities. To foster student innovation and entrepreneurship, the Viterbi Student Innovation Institute (VSI²) offers hands-on workshops, world-class mentoring, and funding support. The Viterbi Graduate Mentorship Program helps graduate students adjust to life at USC and Los Angeles by pairing new students with a current student mentor.
The Viterbi Career Gateway is a career related resource dedicated to the needs of our engineering students. It provides career-focused support to prepare students for internships and full-time employment. It also enables students to access information about engineering career events and resources. Throughout the year, the Career Gateway hosts a variety of technical companies that are actively looking to fill job openings.
In 2018, 500+ companies provided internships for over 1200 international graduate engineering students.
About 90% of our Spring 2018 graduates that participated in a voluntary survey; already had a job, were going to graduate school or had other plans. Below is a sample of where some of our 2018 graduates are working:
● Abbott
● Laboratories
● Alibaba
● Amazon
● Amgen Inc.
● Apple Inc.
● Bloomberg L.P.
● Boeing Company
● Del Amo Construction
● Electronic Arts Inc.
● Equifax Inc.
● Ernst & Young
● Facebook Inc.
● FedEx Corporation
● Genentech Inc.
● Goldman Sachs
● Jet Propulsion
● Laboratory
● Medtronic Inc.
● Microsoft Corporation
● Salesforce.com Inc.
● Samsung Electronics
● Saudi Aramco
● Siemens
● SpaceX
● Tesla Motors Inc.
● Walt Disney Company
● Visa Inc.
● Zillow Group
As a student at USC, you will become part of the Trojan Family, a worldwide alumni network that provides a lifelong connection to the University and its partners. Trojan alumni can be found in all 50 U.S. states and virtually every region of the world.
WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING...
“ I will be ever grateful to USC for the number of international students they take in. I got to interact with people from different nations and it is absolutly amazing to experience different cultures, lifestyles, food, etc.”
—AISHWARYA VENKATRAMAN, MS IN MEDICAL DEVICE AND DIAGNOSTIC ENGINEERING
“ I came in to USC with no computer science experience and walked out with a great full-time job.”
—JERRY TSUI, MS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
“ Not many universities have nice weather like this where you get to reach a skiing place within an hour. The fun thing about USC was I could switch seasons so quickly — I would be in shorts and t-shirts in the morning and within few hours would head up for volunteer [ski patrol] work and get bundled up, head to toe.”
—JONATHAN SAUDER, MS IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERING & PHD IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
“ My experience at USC was awesome. I learned the importance of networking, developed professionally, and formed lifelong friendships. I am proud to be a member of the Trojan family.”
—ALEXIS OYETIBO, MS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
“ I joined Break On 2, the Latin Fusion Dance Team at USC, first through the student club with friends, towards the end of my first semester. After going to club for a few weeks, I was already having tons of fun and later on decided to join the performance team and actually ended up performing at Bovard this past April. The weekly practices were a great way to blow off steam after a long day of work or school, and it just felt so physically engaging and different. I would attend salsa nights that the club organizes every month where people from all around Los Angeles would gather and just dance with each other in a very relaxed and social environment.I play guitar and am constantly practicing to improve. I joined the USC eSports club and participated in collegiate Overwatch tournaments representing USC. At some point I even volunteered at a set for a short film and was the sound guy with the boom microphone for a few days and even that was an exciting different experience. I want to trying acting / voice acting too at some point. It feels like everything that’s happening around is so accessible that it only takes that “let’s do it” to experience something totally new.
—OSMAN KAAN DEMIROZ, MS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE (GAME DEVELOPMENT)
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION
USC Viterbi has been a proud base of innovation for many years and have helped transform multiple industries.
Today we are linked closely with and help anchor Silicon Beach, voted one of the top startup ecosystems in the world.
Through our Office of Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship we offer many opportunities to learn entrepreneurial skills and build a startup.
In addition to education, mentorship and accelerator programs such as Synchrotron, Summer Smasher and the Viterbi Startup Garage; Viterbi also hosts the competitions and awards including:
● Amazon Alexa Voice Prize
● Global Grand Challenges
● Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition
● Project SUNRISE
VITERBI STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
3D4E
ACM SIGGRAPH at USC
AeroDesignTeam (ADT)
American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEESS)
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE)
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) AppLab
Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering (ASBME)
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)
AthenaHacks (Project Athena)
BITS
Center for A.I. in Society’s Student Branch (CAIS++)
Chi Epsilon *Civil Engineering Honor Society*
Code the Change
Construction Management Association of America (CMAA)
Corpus Callosum
CS PhD Social Committee
Design for America—USC
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)
Engineers Without Borders (EWB)
Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) *Electrical Engineering
Honor Society* Girls in Tech
Graduates Rising in Informatics and Data Science (GRIDS)
HackSC
HackSC Jr.
Hyperloop at USC
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
Korean Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) LavaLab
Los Angeles Technical Consulting Hub (LATCH) Makers at USC
Makers of Entertaining Games Association (MEGA) MEDesign
Minority Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA)
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
Novus Think Tank
Project Athena
Queers in Science Engineering and Technology (QuEST)
Recumbent Vehicle Design Team (RVDT)
Robogals USC SC Racing
Scope
Sigma Eta Pi
Sigma Phi Delta, Social—Professional Engineering Fraternity
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
Spark SC
Special Interest Group on Graphics (SIGGRAPH)
TAMID at USC
Trojan Blockchain Society (TBS)
Trojan Consulting Group (TCG)
USC Aerial Robotics (USC AR)
USC Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team (AUV)
USC Chem-E-Car Team (CHECar)
USC Cyber Security and Digital Forensics Organization
USC eSports
USC Racing—Formula SAE Team (FSAE)
USC Rocket Propulsion Lab (RPL)
USC Rocket Society
USC Solar Car Team
VEX Robotics Team
Virtual Reality Organization
Virtual Reality SC (VRSC)
Viterbi Graduate Student Liaison (VGSL)
Viterbi Plus
Viterbi Student Graduate Association
Women in Computing (WIC)
LOS ANGELES
The University of Southern California, founded in 1880 in Los Angeles, provides a dynamic setting for students to explore a wide range of cultural and educational opportunities. This second largest metropolis in the United States is a hub of technological innovation and a global center for many industries including entertainment and digital media; biomedical research and development; and aerospace and astronautics.
Southern California’s moderate climate and varied landscape allows for year-round recreation including skiing, hiking, and surfing. Centrally located with close proximity to the ocean and beautiful beaches, the USC campus is within an hour’s drive to the desert and mountains.
Los Angeles and the region also boast numerous venues for live music, theatre, art, and dance — there’s something for every student’s taste and budget. This ethnically diverse city also hosts an abundance of cuisines from around the world. As the heart of the entertainment industry, the world often turns to L.A. for the latest trends.
L.A. STATISTICS
CLIMATE ENTERTAINMENT
average annual rainfall 15"/ 38 cm
average high 74°F/ 23°C
average sunny/ partially sunny days 292
average low 56°F/ 13°C San Diego Los Angeles
121 kilometers of coastline
theaters 200+
230+ museums
6+ amusement parks
80 kilometers of hiking trails
INSPIRING LEARNING
Interdisciplinary Environment The Viterbi School of Engineering offers over 70 Master’s and Doctoral program options in eight academic departments. Disciplines range from broad areas such as Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science to niche programs in Smart Oilfield Technologies, Medical Device & Diagnostic Engineering, Game Development, Green Technologies, Financial Engineering, Cyber Security, Data Science and Wireless Health Technology.
Collaboration among the Viterbi School’s departments, as well as with the entire university —including the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences; the Sol Price School of Public Policy; the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; the Marshall School of Business; the School of Cinematic Arts and the Keck School of Medicine — enables Viterbi students to enjoy all the advantages of a first-class research institution.
Master’s Programs The Viterbi School offers a wide range of Master’s Programs to meet your educational and career objectives.
Graduates of our Master’s programs will:
● solve engineering problems requiring advanced-level skills and strategies
● be prepared to assume leadership roles within industry, government or as an entrepreneur
● engage in effective communication as leaders of multidisciplinary teams in a diverse global economy
Doctoral Programs With a vibrant academic community that strongly supports interdisciplinary education and research, USC is an ideal place for innovative thinkers to earn their Ph.D. degree. We seek to bring the most talented doctoral candidates worldwide to USC, to encourage and assist them in the pursuit and publication of their research.
Graduates of our doctoral programs will:
● apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to undertake teaching at the most advanced levels
● engage in engineering research to solve critical issues facing modern society
● be equipped to assume leadership roles in academia, industry, and public policy
USC VITERBI SCHOOL FIRSTS
● Basic research establishing the basis of JPEG and MPEG compression standards
● Co-creation of the Domain Name System and TCP/ICP protocols
● The first FDA-approved artificial retina (Argus II)
● Viterbi Algorithm — the theoretical basis for wireless communication systems, developed by alumnus Andrew Viterbi
● The first man on the moon — USC engineering alumnus Neil Armstrong
● Quantum Computing Center — the world’s first operational quantum computing system at an academic institution
RESEARCH
● The Viterbi School is home to over 45 research centers and labs
● Our Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), a partnership between academia, the U.S. Army and the entertainment industry is a prime example of interdisciplinary research. ICT has produced technology prototypes found on close to 70 military installations that have benefited more than 50,000 troops. The LightStage capture device and image-based facial rendering system earned USC professor Paul Debevec a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award®
● Bridging the disciplines of engineering and medicine, the USC Ming Hsieh Institute for Research on Engineering Medicine for Cancer’s goal is to translate cancer discoveries into effective therapies for patients. It illustrates the critical synergy of healthcare and technology that has the potential to dramatically change the lives of cancer patients
E-LEARNING
● A leader in distance learning since 1972, the Viterbi School offers more than 40 Master of Science degree programs via DEN@Viterbi, our innovative online delivery method
OUR FACULTY
ANDREA HODGE
Professor of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science and Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
FRANCISCO VALERO-CUEVAS
Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, Neuroscience, and Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy
STACEY FINLEY
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, and Biological Sciences
ANDREA ARMANI
Profesor of Chemical Engineering 7 Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering–Electrophysics, aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, and Chemistry
BEHROKH KHOSHNEVIS
Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, and Civil & Environmental Engineering
In partnership with the world’s leading wildlife conservation groups, professor BISTRA DILKINA and her graduate students are developing algorithms to help address several pressing environmental needs, from predicting where poachers are likely to strike next, to designing optimal wildlife reserves and preventing the spread of invasive species.
Autonomous cars have difficulty identifying obstacles in fog, smoke or rain. In professor JAYKANTH RAVICHANDRAN’s lab they have discovered a material with the chemical formula,BaTiS3, that may work in a type of thermal imaging system that could identify movement even in the absence of visibility — a crucial function for self-driving cars.
Since the 1950s, shunt implants have been used in pediatric patients with hydrocephalus (condition that causes excessive fluid in the brain). Shunts are a type of tube that acts as “plumbing” to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid from the patient’s brain into their stomach. Unfortunately, the devices are purely mechanical and are unable to detect any issues with a patient’s shunt which have a 40-50% failure rate due to clogging within the first year.
Professors ELLIS MENG and TUAN HOANG thought it high time to invent a “self-aware” device that could inform doctors with a sense of the shunt’s condition in real-time. Four years later Senseer came to life — a start-up specializing in biomedical devices with patented microsensing technologies for the world’s first-ever multi-sensor “smart” shunt system.
EARN YOUR DEGREE WHILE PURSUING YOUR CAREER
Educating the Working Professional Over 40 of the Viterbi School’s graduate programs can be earned on a full or part-time basis, entirely online via DEN@Viterbi. It is an ideal option for those who are working full-time or are unable to pursue their studies in the Los Angeles area. DEN@Viterbi students participate in the same curriculum, lectures, homework, and of course, earn the same diploma as their on-campus counterparts.
For over 40 years, DEN@Viterbi has provided thousands of engineers the opportunity to earn their Master’s degree without setting foot on the USC campus. In addition, non-credit and short courses are offered via this innovative online delivery method.
How it Works
● DEN@Viterbi uses an online delivery system that enables students to access classes live, on-demand or by download. Students view the same lectures as on-campus students, with fresh content every semester.
● Live instruction is highly interactive — students can communicate with professors and fellow classmates via web conferencing, telephone, live chat and virtual meetings. Students have access to a wide variety of web-based tools for communicating with professors and other students during and outside of class hours.
● Homework is submitted electronically and exams are proctored at testing centers near the student’s home or work.
Industry Connections Thousands of engineers working for global organizations, such as the following, have completed their M.S. degrees as DEN@Viterbi students:
● Amgen
● BAE Systems
● The Boeing Company
● Cedars Sinai Medical Center
● Chevron Corporation
● Cisco Systems, Inc.
● GE Energy
● General Dynamics
● Google, Inc.
● Edison International
● EMC Corporation
● ExxonMobil
● Intel Corporation
● Kaiser Permanente
● Korean Air
● Kuwait Oil Company
● Lockheed Martin
● Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
● Medtronic, Inc.
● Motorola
● Microsoft
● MITRE Corporation
● NASA
● Nokia
● Northrop Grumman Corp.
● Occidental Petroleum Corp.
● Oracle
● Qualcomm
● Raytheon Company
● SPACEX
● United States Armed Forces
● United Technologies Corporation
● Walt Disney Imagineering
● Yahoo! Inc.
DEPARTMENTS & PROGRAMS
AEROSPACE & MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
ASTRONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
CHEMICAL & PETROLEUM ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS SCIENCE
CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATICS
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL & SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
AEROSPACE & MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED
Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace Engineering/Engineering Management (dual degree)
Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering specializations:
Computational Fluid & Solid Mechanics, Dynamics & Control
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Management (dual degree)
Mechanical Engineering — Energy Conversion
Product Development Engineering
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The department has PhD programs in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. Below are some of the primary research areas for the department and its PhD students.
Computational Engineering and Information Technology
Combustion and Heat Transfer
Design and Manufacturing
Dynamical Systems and Controls
Fluid Mechanics
High-Performance Advanced Materials
Microgravity Studies
Multi-Phase Flows
Solid and Applied Mechanics
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM OFFERED Astronautical Engineering
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The department has a PhD program in Astronautical Engineering. Below are some of the primary research areas for the department and its PhD students.
Advanced Spacecraft Propulsion Astronautics
Atomic and Molecular Interactions
Hypersonic and Supersonic Flows
Kinetic Theory of Gases and Plasmas
Micropropulsion Devices
Monte-Carlo Simulations
Nanosatellite Applications
Non-Equilibrium in High-Temperature Gases
Plasma and Material Processing
Heliosphere and Planetary Magnetospheres
Space Plasmas
Space Exploration and Space Instrumentation
Spacecraft Technologies
Statistical Physics
Transport in Particles and Radiation
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering (Neuroengineering track)
Biomedical Engineering — Medical Imaging & Imaging
Informatics
Medical Device and Diagnostic Engineering
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The department has a PhD program in Biomedical Engineering. Below are some of the primary research areas for the department and its PhD students.
Neural Engineering and Computation
Biosignals & Biosystems Engineering
Medical Devices
Biomedical Imaging
Systems Cellular-Molecular Bioengineering Biomechanics
Biomedical Microelectromechanical Systems (BioMEMS)
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED
Chemical Engineering
Materials Engineering
Materials Science
Petroleum Engineering
Petroleum Engineering specializations: Smart Oilfield Technologies, Geoscience Technologies
Petroleum Engineering/Engineering Management (dual degree)
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The department has PhD programs in Chemical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering and Materials Science. Below are some of the primary research areas for the department and its PhD students.
Engineering of Viruses, Proteins, and Membranes
Smart Oilfield Technologies
Materials for Optical Devices and Energy
Ultra-High Performance Computing and Simulation
Composites, Polymers, and Films
Systems and Synthetic Biology
Reaction Engineering and Simulation
Mechanical Behavior at the Nano and Micro Scale
CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED
Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering specializations: Construction Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Transportation Systems, Water & Waste Management
Construction Management
Environmental Engineering
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The department has PhD programs in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering. Below are some of the primary research areas for the department and its PhD students.
Tsunami and Coastal Engineering
Climate and Particulate Air Pollution
Structural Control and Health Monitoring
Construction IT and Human-Building Interaction
Water Quality, Delivery and Access
Optimization and Control of Networked Systems
Probabilistic Modeling and Uncertainty Quantification
Water, Energy and Environment
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED
Computer Science & Informatics
Computer Science specializations: Computer Networks, Computer Security, Data Science, Game Development, High Performance Computing & Simulation, Intelligent Robotics, Multimedia & Creative Technologies, Software Engineering
Computer Science for Scientists & Engineers (developed for students who do not have a BS in Computer Science)
MS in Cyber Security Engineering
Master of Communication Informatics
MS in Data Informatics
MS in Spatial Informatics
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The department has a PhD program in Computer Science. Below are some of the primary research areas for the department and its PhD students.
Artificial Intelligence, Agents, Natural Language, and Vision
Databases and Information Management
Graphics, Games, and Multimedia
Robotics, Brain Theory, and Computational Neuroscience
Software Systems and Engineering
Systems, Distributed Systems, and Communication Networks
Theory and Computational Sciences
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS
OFFERED
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Electrical & Computer Engineering — Machine Learning and Data Science
Electrical Engineering/Engineering Management (dual degree)
Electrical Engineering specializations: Computer Architecture, Computer Networks, Electric Power, Multimedia & Creative Technologies, VLSI Design, Wireless Health Technology, Wireless Networks
Financial Engineering
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The department has PhD programs in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. Below are some of the primary research areas for the department and its PhD students.
Communications and Networks
Computer Engineering
Control Systems
Electromagnetics and Energy Conversion
Integrated Circuits and Systems
Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems and Nanotechnology
Photonics and Quantum Electronics
Plasma
Quantum Information Processing
Signal and Image Processing
ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING
MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED
Analytics
Engineering Management
Industrial & Systems Engineering
Manufacturing Engineering
Operations Research Engineering
Systems Architecting & Engineering
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
T he department has PhD program in Industrial & Systems Engineering. Below are some of the primary research areas for the department and its PhD students.
Risk Modeling
Energy Systems
Decision Analysis
Medical Informatics
Stochastic Modeling
Transportation Research
Medical Decision Making
Optimization Methodologies
Production and Operations Management
Nanomanufacturing and Nanoinformatics
Rapid Automation Fabrication Technologies
GRADUATE PROGRAMS:
MASTER’S PROGRAMS
*Not all Master’s programs have a spring admission. Visit the specific program pages at uscengineer.com for details.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
FINANCIAL SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION International applicants (those who are, or will be, in the United States on a non-immigrant visa) must submit documented evidence of financial support
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT USC graduate applicants are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores to demonstrate English-language proficiency as part of the application process
Visit uscengineer.com for complete details on application requirements for international applicants
GENERAL APPLICATION CRITERIA FOR MASTER’S PROGRAMS
1
2
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in engineering, math or hard science
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and, if an international student, TOEFL or IELTS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Visit viterbi.usc.edu/gradscholarships for information on funding opportunities
Detailed information on the following can be found at uscengineer.com:
● Application criteria & tips for applying
● Tuition & Funding
● Frequently Asked Questions
3 4 5 6
Online application and fee
Official academic transcripts
CV/résumé
Visit uscengineer.com for additional requirements for your program of interest
HOW TO APPLY
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The Viterbi School fully funds all candidates admitted to the PhD program through fellowships and assistantships that cover tuition, and provide a stipend and a health benefits package.
● Most PhD candidates at USC complete the degree program in 5-6 years
● 60 course units are required for completion of the PhD program
TYPICAL DOCTORAL PROGRAM PROGRESSION AT USC*
COURSEWORK
SCREENING EXAM
TAKEN AFTER THE 1ST YEAR
QUALIFYING EXAM
TYPICALLY TAKEN IN YEAR 3 OR 4
PH.D. DISSERTATION AND DEFENSE
TYPICALLY DONE IN YEAR 5 OR 6
*This information is provided as a general guideline, but the Ph.D. timeline may vary by academic discipline
GENERAL APPLICATION CRITERIA FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
1 2 3 4
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in engineering, math or hard science is required
Demonstrated research experience
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and, if an international student, TOEFL or IELTS
Online application and fee
5 6 7
Official academic transcripts
Letters of Recommendation, CV/ Résumé and Personal Statement
Visit viterbi.usc.edu/PhD to review research areas and specific requirements for your program of interest
The online application and all other required materials including test scores must be received by: December 15
Commencement at the University of Southern California