Electrical Engineering

Program Description [back to top]

Graduates of the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering will have the professional skills necessary to compete effectively in a world of rapid technological change as well as to assume leadership roles within industrial, entrepreneurial, academic or governmental environments in the broad context of electrical engineering. 

The Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering is known for research and academic leadership in innovative areas such as: adaptive and reconfigurable mixed signal integrated circuits; antenna networks; bio-signal processing; computer architecture; very-large-scale integration (VLSI) and computer-aided design (CAD); computer networks; control systems; high speed switching architectures; signal, image and multimedia processing; nanotechnology; optical communications; photonics; and quantum information processing.

Under “Specialization Tracks” you will find flowcharts for the major areas of study in each EE division.  These flowcharts indicate recommended course sequences. Please contact the academic advisor for the division if you have any questions about course requirements.

Application Criteria [back to top]

• Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, math or science from a regionally-accredited institution
  
  
• Graduate Record Examination scores (less than five years old)
  
  
• International students whose native language is not English must earn a satisfactory score on the TOEFL (600 on the paper-based test; 250 on the computer-based test) or take the on-campus International Student English Examination (ISE) prior to initial registration.

ADMISSION STATISTICS**

• Average undergraduate cumulative GPA of students newly enrolled in USC graduate engineering programs is 3.37 (4.00 scale)
  
  
• Average GRE scores of students newly enrolled in USC graduate engineering programs is Quantitative 749 and Verbal 478

** These scores are averages.  Students with scores both above and below these averages were both admitted and not admitted.  The Viterbi School reviews all applications comprehensively and evaluates applicants on the entire application file with an emphasis on undergraduate institution, GPA, grades earned in pre-requisite courses and GRE scores.

Graduation Requirements [back to top]

A minimum of 27 units is required for the USC M.S. in Electrical Engineering degree.

• Minimum number of units in electrical engineering: 18 units (those not in EE are subject to written advisor approval and must be technical in nature)
  
  
• Minimum number of units in the Viterbi School of Engineering: 21 units
  
  
• No more than 9 units at the 400 level may be counted toward the degree - the remaining units must be taken at the 500 or 600 level
  
  
• To achieve a degree of breadth in their program, students are encouraged to take two technical courses outside their area of specialization but within EE
  
  
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required for graduation. 

Thesis Option: With the approval of a supervising professor, qualified students may be allowed to pursue a thesis option. For more information, please refer to the USC Catalogue.

Specialization Tracks [back to top]

Aerospace Controls
Communications
Computer Networks and Computer Systems Performance
Computer System Architecture
Control Systems
Design and Implementation of Digital Circuits
Signal and Image Processing

Electromagnetics
Integrated Electronic
Laser Systems
Microwave Systems
Optics
Photonics
Photonics Technology
RF Systems & Circuits

Course Descriptions [back to top]

How To Apply [back to top]

In order to evaluate any application for admission, application materials must be submitted by the deadlines listed:

June 15th Fall admission
October 1st Spring admission

Click here to complete the USC graduate application.

Please arrange to have the following sent to the USC Office of Admission as a hard copy (USC Graduate Office of Admission, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, CA  90089-0915):

• Official Transcript(s) from all post-secondary schools you have attended, and official translations if they are not in English.
  
  
• General GRE scores (no older than 5 years). Official scores must be sent through ETS to the University of Southern California, ETS code 4852)
  
  
• TOEFL scores (required for international students)

NOTE:  If you meet our minimum qualifications, you can get started BEFORE you are formally admitted to USC, as a "LIMITED" student! Click here for more information.

Contact Information [back to top]