MS in Computer Science - Scientists and Engineers
Application Deadlines
SPRING:
Extended to: October 1
FALL:
Scholarship Consideration Deadline: December 15
Final Deadline: January 15
- Program Overview
- Application Criteria
- Tuition & Fees
- Meet Our Students
- Career Outcomes
- DEN@Viterbi - Online Delivery
- Request Information
Designed for students with a Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science but a limited background in computer science, this comprehensive program combines an introductory sequence of undergraduate preparatory and foundational coursework with all the graduate breadth requirements necessary to satisfy the traditional MS in Computer Science.
Important: Students admitted to this program are not able change to another program in computer science but may take electives from any computer science area.
View the slides from a previous webinar that discusses the MS in Computer Science (Scientists & Engineers) program:
International Students: This program is eligible for the OPT STEM extension.
- This program requires completion of 37 units of coursework
- Thesis option not available. Directed Research (research without thesis) may be requested after completing first semester
- USC Catalogue
- USC Schedule of Classes
| SEMESTER | DEADLINE |
|---|---|
| Spring | September 1 (extended to October 1) |
| Fall | December 15 (Scholarship consideration) January 15 (Final deadline) |
Visit our Ready to Apply page for more information.
Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in any engineering or engineering-related disciplines including but not limited to: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Info Engineering, Automation, Materials Science, Communication Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Telecommunication Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and BME.
Applications are reviewed holistically; simply taking these courses does not guarantee admission.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
The following materials are required to be included with your online application:
- Transcripts
- Resume/CV
- Personal Statement
- Letter of Recommendation (Optional)
NOTE: The GRE is not required for 2026 applications.
The following link will take you to an overview of the tuition & fees for graduate engineering students, including payment information. Both on-campus and DEN@Viterbi students pay the same tuition
Use the link below to download the Cost of Attendance to see a summary of tuition and fees by semester. The document is a typical example and the number of courses, and time to complete the program, will vary by student.
MEGAN BULL
Which organizations/activities have you been involved with outside of theclassroom?
I recently joined the Graduates Rising in Data Science (GRIDS) club and have been a part of their External Affairs and Outreach leadership team since the end of February! I’ve helped put on a couple of events with them, including the GRIDSHackathon and a NASA career talk.
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
I started my first NASA internship in June 2021 on the People Analytics team at NASA Headquarters and am looking forward to starting on a new project at the same location with the Earth Science Division in the Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics Focus Area.
What advice would you give future Viterbi students?
Go out of your way to make friends! Studying for a class is so much easier whenyou have a support system of other students in your program.
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KAMEL BASSEL M. GAZZAZ
What were the main reasons you chose to pursue this graduate program at USC?
I come from a cognitive science background and want to bridge that with CS to work on cognitive systems, personified AI, human-AI interactions. The CS for Scientists & Engineers program at USC is a perfect fit for this interdisciplinarity.
Tell us about an exciting and unforgettable experience from your time so far at USC.
Working on the AI digital assistant that allows astronauts to interact with their environment in AR using natural language and dialogue flow for the NASA-SUITS project has been great. It’s still ongoing, our team of USC and UA collaborators is called Team AEGIS, and we’re in the final round along with the teams from CMU, MIT, etc. The winning project will inspire the HUD for NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission!
What do you like most about living in Los Angeles?
The versatility of being able to study at a top tier university, to go to the beach or go snowboarding, to rub elbows with top class executives, creators, founders, join any community with any interest, play any sport, hike, live the way you want to live. Whatever it is you’re into, it’s happening in LA, you just have to go find it.
What advice would you give future Viterbi students?
Be curious, follow your dream, nurture your interests, and never compromise on your identity. Don’t just do LeetCode and try to become a full-stack because that’s what you think will bring success. I see so many people come here and get alienated from who they are, and so many others who find themselves here and become successful. Venture out, explore and be bold to talk to people (us engineers tend to be introverted or reserved, and it’s daunting being in a new country). The physical and metaphysical place you’re in once you get here opens all the doors for you. There are many others who share the same interests as you in each of the facets of your life. You just have to choose which one(s) you’re most excited about entering and then enjoy the rabbit hole that will lead you to an amazing life that is customized to your own passions.
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LAURA CASAS
What were the main reasons you chose to pursue this graduate program at USC?
I chose to pursue a graduate program at USC for two main reasons. First, USC offered a unique program that allowed anyone with science or engineering background to get a Masters degree in computer science. This program was specifically designed for those of us that did not have a computer science background and had not formally taken any CS courses. The program course requirements were focused on students learning the fundamentals of CS that are needed for any specialization. Second, USC offered this program through DEN [online option]. This meant that I was able to pursue my graduate degree without having to uproot my life to a new geographical location.
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
I received a BS in Physics (from USC), was in the aviation industry working as an Air Traffic Control Specialist and will be working as a Software Developer after graduating with an MS in Computer Science. Although it can be frightening/intimidating to change career paths, it is possible to do it, all it takes is a good support system, some mental determination and hard work!
What advice would you give future Viterbi students?
My advice is to read through all assignment directions thoroughly, usually there are a lot of helpful hints!
2024 First Destinations Survey - Outcomes*
Top Employers*
Amazon; Apple; Capital One; Oracle; Splunk, Inc.
.Alumni Employment - 2024*
Companies & Job Titles (multiple positions may be listed)
Average Reported Salary: $132,100
- AFB Enterprise, Inc. dba Greenshower Nursery - Software Engineer
- AIC - Product Manager
- Amazon - Software Development Engineer / Software Development Engineer 1
- Antra Inc. - Java Developer
- Apple - AR/VR Engineer / Software Engineer in Natural Language Processing & ML
- Arista Networks - Software Engineer
- Artera - Technical Support Engineer
- AWS - Software Development Engineer
- BeaconFire Solution, Inc. - Java Full Stack Developer
- Bloomberg - Software Engineer
- Cadence Design Systems - Software Engineer II
- Capital One - Java Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer
- Chevron Corporation - Data Engineer
- Chime - Software Engineer
- Coinbase - Software Engineer
- DeepTempo - Deep Learning Engineer
- DOCOMO Innovations, Inc. - Visiting Researcher
- DoorDash - Software Engineer
- Dragonfruit AI - Software Engineer Intern
- Easley-Dunn Productions, Inc. - software engineer
- eBay, Inc. - Software Engineer 2
- Envidern Technologies - Field Services Engineer
- Epirus - Software Systems Engineer
- ESRI - Software Engineer
- Experian - Frontend Developer
- Forward - Software Engineer
- Google DeepMind - Software Engineer
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise - Network Engineer
- IBM - DevOps Engineer
- involve.AI, Inc. - Solutions Architect
- J-TechDigital, Inc. - Software Engineer Intern
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory - Senior Mechanical Systems Engineer
- Juniper Networks, Inc. - Software Engineer 2
- Latent AI - Data and Machine Learning Engineer
- Lockheed Martin Corporation - Senior Software Engineer
- Meta Platforms, Inc. - Software Engineer
- Microsoft - Software Engineer II
- Netease Games - Game Producer
- Northrop Grumman - Engineer
- Nutanix - Member of Technical Staff 2
- Octoch, Inc. - Software Engineer
- Oracle - Member of Technical Staff / Software Engineer
- PC Warehouse - Software Engineer
- Perceptronics Solutions, Inc. - Software Engineer
- RVO Health - Data Scientist
- Ryzlink Corporation - Software Engineer
- Salesforce - Software Engineer
- Sofi - Software Engineer
- South Coast Air Quality Management District - Systems Analyst
- Spectro Cloud, Inc. - Software Development Engineer
- Splunk, Inc. - Software Engineer
- TikTok - Machine Learning Engineer
- The Trade Desk - Software Engineer I
- tvScientific - JavaScript Engineer
- United States Air Force - Software Engineer
- University of Southern California - Research Assistant
- Wander Project - Data Analyst, Data Engineer
- Ziyan Zeng - CEO
.Internships (Summer 2023)**
Amazon; ArcBest Technologies; Arista Networks Inc,; Aurora Innovation, Inc.; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Coinbase Inc.; Confluent, Inc.; Cowbell Cyber, Inc.; DoorDash Inc.; Dragonfruit AI, Inc,; eBay; Environmental Systems Research Institute; Esri; Fox and Bear Global Inc.; Juniper Networks, Inc.; KLA Corporation; Lacework, Inc.; Lions Floor; MathWorks; Meta; Motorola Solutions; Movn Health; MultiNet; NBC Universal; NewsBreak; Oracle; Qualcomm; Regeneron; RVO Health; Salesforce; Siemens Corporation; South Coast Air Quality Management District; Spectro Cloud, Inc.; Splunk Inc.; Statsig; SupplyFrame, Inc.; Tesla, Inc.; The Trade Desk; TikTok Inc.; Veeva Systems Inc.; Veritas Technologies LLC
.
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* Information is based on a voluntary survey and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive view of the 2024 graduating class.
** Internship data is from CPT internships done by our international student population.
This program is also available online to professional engineers through DEN@Viterbi. Because the DEN@Viterbi program provides a fully equivalent academic experience, the degree a USC engineering student earns is the same whether they are on-campus or online. If you are interested in beginning classes as a DEN@Viterbi student next semester, explore the requirements and steps to enrolling as a Limited Status Student. Learn More About DEN@Viterbi
Detailed Program Curriculum and RequirementsSchedule of Classes
DEN@VITERBI ONLINE COURSE OFFERINGS The following courses and program requirements serve as program planning for DEN@Viterbi students. Course offerings and availability are subject to change. Please consult with advisor if you have any questions.
| Preparatory Programming Requirement |
| 1 Course - 4 units total. |
| CSCI 455 | Introduction to Programming Systems Design (4 units) |
| The preparatory programming requirement and foundational requirements must be completed at USC and cannot be transferred in or waived. |
| CSCI 455 is a preparatory requirement for this program, but the units for this course do not count toward the 33 units required for the degree. |
| CSCI 455 is a preparatory requirement for this program and must be completed in the student's first semester. |
| Foundational Requirements |
| 2 Courses Required - minimum 8 units total. |
| EE 457 | Computer Systems Organization OR EE 450 (4 units) |
| EE 450 | Computer Networks OR EE 457 (4 units) |
| CSCI 402 | Operating Systems (4 units) |
| Emphasis Electives |
| Select the remaining units of approved 500- to 600-level course work from Computer Science. Recommended options include: |
| CSCI 561 | Foundations of Artificial Intelligence (4 units) |
| CSCI 571 | Web Technologies (4 units) |
| CSCI 576 | Multimedia Systems Design (4 units) |
| CSCI 577a | Software Engineering (4 units) |
| CSCI 577b | Software Engineering (4 units) |
| CSCI 585 | Database Systems (4 units) |
| CSCI 591 | Computer Science Research Colloquium (1 unit) |
| See departmental advisor for more approved electives. |
Course Intro:
CSCI 571 (elective course)Web Technologies