University of Southern California  
University of Southern California
DEN Home Page
  Academic Programs Home Contact Us Help

Resources
Why USC?
Admission & Enrollment
Getting Started
Technical Requirements
FAQ
Request Information


USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Electrical Engineering - VLSI Design

Master of Science
Program Description Course Descriptions
Application Criteria How to Apply
Graduation Requirements Contact Information


Program Description [back to top]

The M.S. in Electrical Engineering (VLSI Design) is an area of emphasis for the electrical engineering student interested in the current and expanding field of VLSI circuit design.

 

In addition to earning the M.S. in Electrical Engineering (Multimedia & Creative Technologies) degree , students also have a choice of the following areas of emphasis:

 




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 insitution, GPA, grades earned in pre-requisite courses and GRE scores.





Graduation Requirements [back to top]

A minimum of 27 units is required for the M.S. in Electrical Engineering (VLSI Design) 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

  • Required VLSI Design Courses: 12 to 13 units

  • Elective VLSI Design Courses: 8 to 10 units (The student must take 2 courses from one of the three areas listed below and 1 course from a second area)

  • Technical Elective Courses: 4 to 6 units (must be approved by the advisor)

  • 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.

  • With explicit approval of a faculty advisor, EE 599 Special Topics and/or 3 units of EE 590 Directed Research may be used to meet requirements for any of the approved areas.

  • 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.


Course Descriptions [back to top]

Required VLSI Design Courses (12 units--13 units)
Students may choose either EE 533b or EE 577b. If a student chooses to take EE 533b as well as EE 577b, the student may either count EE 533b as one of the courses for Area 2 or EE 577b as one of the courses for Area 1 or Area 3.

Course Units
  • EE533a - Mixed-Signal VLSI Systems Design
    		• 3
  • EE533b - Mixed-Signal VLSI Systems Design
    		• 3
  • EE552 - Logic Design and Switching Theory
    		• 3
  • EE577a - VLSI System Design
    		• 3
  • EE577b - VLSI System Design
    		• 3
  • EE582 - Technical Seminar on VLSI Design
    		• 1


    Elective VLSI Design Courses (8 units--10 units)
    The students must take 2 courses from one of the three areas listed below and 1 course from a second area.

      Area One

      Course Units
    • CSCI455x - Introduction to Programming Systems Design
      		• 4
    • EE577b - VLSI System Design
      		• 3
    • EE658 - Diagnosis and Design of Reliable Digital Systems
      		• 3
    • EE680 - Computer Aided Design of Digital Systems I
      		• 3
    • EE681 - Computer-Aided Design of Digital Systems II
      		• 3


      Area Two

      Course Units
    • EE533b - Mixed-Signal VLSI Systems Design
      		• 3
    • EE536b - Integrated Circuit Analysis and Design
      		• 3


      Area Three

      Course Units
    • CSCI455x - Introduction to Programming Systems Design
      		• 4
    • CSCI570 - Analysis of Algorithms
      		• 3
    • EE557 - Computer Systems Architecture
      		• 3
    • EE577b - VLSI System Design
      		• 3
    • EE659 - Interconnection Networks
      		• 3


    Technical Electives (4 units--6 units)
    Technical Elective Courses must be approved by the advisor, and can include the courses listed below.

    Course Units
  • EE540 - Introduction to Quantum Electronics
    		• 3
  • EE554 - Real Time Computer Systems
    		• 3


    Please note that the courses listed avove are those available via DEN. Additional course choices are available on campus. Please consult the department website for a complete list of options.

    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]

    For the USC Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering:

    Diane Demetras
    Student Services Advisor
    Electrial Engineering-Systems
    Tel: (213) 740-4447
    Fax: (213) 740-4449
    Email: demetras@usc.edu


    For the USC Distance Education Network (DEN):


    Maria Mansfeld
    Student Services Advisor
    USC Viterbi School of Engineering Distance Education Network (DEN)
    Tel: (213) 740-4832
    Fax: (213) 821-0851
    Email: info@den.usc.edu
     
    :: USC :: USC Catalogue :: USC Oasis ::
    :: Schedule of Courses :: Viterbi School of Engineering :: DEN Professional Development ::
    Copyright University of Southern California. Unauthorized use by Duplication, Preparation of Derivative Works, or Distribution is illegal and punishable by law.