Product Development Engineering

Program Description [back to top]

The USC Master of Science in Product Development Engineering is an interdisciplinary degree program jointly offered by the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and the Daniel J. Epstein Industrial and Systems Engineering Departments. The Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department will manage this joint degree program.

Developing new products is the essence of human intelligence in general, and engineering professions in particular. The growth of our economy has been largely determined by the engineer's performance and effectiveness in new product developments. The ever-increasing demands for product functions, coupled with low cost, high quality, and short lead-time requirements, have made product development a very complex and inter-disciplinary activity. The recent high-tech revolutions and stringent environmental concerns have further contributed to the complexity of modern product development. There exists a great human resource need in the areas of new product developments.

There are three interrelated disciplines in product development: art, management, and engineering. The M.S. in Product Development Engineering program focuses on the engineering discipline, ranging from technology to systems. From the engineering viewpoint, product development can be seen as a process from invention, design, planning, production, to service phases. Three types of knowledge are needed for an engineer to go through these phases:

• knowledge to generate new product ideas,
• knowledge to evaluate these ideas,
• and knowledge to structure and manage the development process.

This innovative degree program provides students with an integrated education experience, including modern theories and practical experiences, to acquire this knowledge systematically so that they can accomplish these phases efficiently.

The USC M.S. in Product Development Engineering program is mainly a coursework-based program; students can choose to complete the program with or without a thesis requirement. This program has two areas of specialization (AOS):

• Product Development Systems (PDS): prepares the student to become a product development manager
  
  
• Product Development Technology  (PDT): prepares the student for a professional career as a new product development engineer

Students entering this program must declare their choice of an AOS at admission, and follow the requirements of each AOS to graduate.

Application Criteria [back to top]

• Bachelor of Science degree in an area of engineering or science
  
  
• An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
  
  
• Satisfactory general GRE scores of at least 400 verbal, 650 quantitative, and 550 analytical
  
  
• Statement of Purpose (optional)
  
  
• Two Letters of Recommendation
  

Graduation Requirements [back to top]

A minimum of 27 units is required for the M.S. in Product Development Engineering degree.

• Required courses: 6 units
  
  
• Required specialization track courses: 6 units
  
  
• Specialization track technical elective courses:  6 units
  
  
• General elective courses: 9 units (must be approved by an advisor)
  
  
• Minimum number of units at the 500 level or higher from the AME and ISE departments and/or closely related department: 18 units
  
  
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required for graduation.

Course Descriptions [back to top]

Specialization Tracks [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 (Domestic)

March 15th Fall admission (International)
September 1st Spring admission
January 15th Summer admission

Please fill out the application and submit the following to the USC Office of Graduate Admission via the online application system by clicking here.

• Statement of Purpose (optional)
  • The statement of purpose should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the proposed program at the Viterbi School of Engineering, your preparation for this field of study, study interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study.




• Two Letters of Recommendation
• Letters of recommendation should be from faculty or others (supervisors, professional colleagues, etc.) qualified to evaluate your potential for graduate study. They should be written on official letterhead.

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 Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering department:

Samantha Graves
Student Services Advisor
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Tel: 213-740-1735
Fax: 213-740-7774

Email: smgraves@usc.edu

Stephen C-Y. Lu, Ph.D.,
David Packard Chair in Manufacturing Engineering
Director, Product Development Engineering Program
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Tel: (213) 740-6667
Fax: (213) 740-6668
Email: mspde@usc.edu

For the USC Distance Education Network (DEN):

Loretta Tucker
Student Services Advisor
USC Viterbi School of Engineering Distance Education Network (DEN)
Tel: (213) 740-0123
Fax: (213) 821-0851
Email: info@den.usc.edu