The MS 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 MS 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
- 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 MS 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.
International Students: This program is eligible for the OPT STEM extension.
Please Note: Requirements for graduation, course offerings, course availability, track offerings, and any other degree requirements are subject to change. Students should consult with an academic advisor prior to registering for any classes.- The MS in Product Development Engineering program requires a minimum of 27 units to complete
- Although it is mainly a course work-based program, students can choose to complete the program with or without a thesis requirement
- For the thesis option, 4 of the 27 units are to be thesis
- At least 16 units, not including thesis, must be at the 500 level or higher, and at least 18 units must be from the AME and ISE departments
- For the non-thesis option, 18 of the 27 units must be at the 500 level or higher from the AME and ISE departments, and/or closely related departments
- As well, students can choose to take up to 6 units of directed research (e.g., AME 590 or ISE 590)
- Students must maintain a minimal cumulative GPA of 3.0 in USC course work to graduate
Detailed Program Curriculum and RequirementsSchedule of ClassesAPPLICATION DEADLINES| SEMESTER | DEADLINE |
|---|
| Spring 2021 (Final Deadline) | September 15, 2020 |
| Spring 2021 (Scholarship Consideration Deadline) | August 31, 2020 |
| Fall 2021 (Final Deadline) | January 15, 2021 |
| Fall 2021 (Scholarship Consideration Deadline) | December 15, 2020 |
| |
Visit our
Application Deadlines page for more information.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTSBachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in any engineering or engineering-related disciplines including but not limited to: Mechanical Engineering.
The following materials are required to be included with your online application:
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS FOR INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTSEnglish Language Proficiency: In addition to application requirements above, international students whose first language is not English are required to take the TOEFL or IELTS. There is no minimum TOEFL or IELTS score required for admission to the Viterbi School. For possible exemption from additional language requirements, you must achieve an Internet Based TOEFL (iBT) score of 90, with no less than 20 on each section or an IELTS score of 6.5, with no less than 6 on each band score. Please review USC Graduate Admission – Proficiency in English.
USC GRADUATE APPLICATION
The following is an overview of the tuition & fees for graduate engineering students. Both on-campus and DEN@Viterbi students pay the same tuition.
TUITION
| Academic Year | Per Unit Rate | 3-unit Course | 4-unit Course |
|---|
| Fall 2020 - Summer 2021 | $2,148 | $6,444 | $8,592 |
| Fall 2019 - Summer 2020 | $2,075 | $6,225 | $8,300 |
TUITION & SAMPLE COURSE PLAN FOR 27 UNIT PROGRAM
STUDENT FEES
| Fee Description | Fee Amount | On-Campus | DEN@Viterbi |
|---|
| Mandatory Fees (approximate) | Fall 2019: $475
Spring 2020: $420 | | |
| Health Insurance | Fall 2019: $730
Spring 2020: $1,311 | | |
| Norman Topping Student Aid Fee | $8/semester | | |
| ENGR Computing Access Fee (On-Campus students) | $75/semester |
| |
| ENGR Computing Access Fee (DEN@Viterbi students) | $35/semester | |
|
| Exam Proctoring | $40 - $100 per course | | |
Detailed Information on Tuition & Fees
Want to find out where our graduating class of 2019 Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Master’s students did their internships and where they went after commencement? Visit our Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Employment Outcomes page.
NOTE: If you got to this page from Industrial & Systems Engineering, the MS in Product Development Engineering employment outcomes are part of AME rather than ISE.
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.
| General Requirements for Graduation Without Thesis |
| 27 units total with 3.0 GPA overall. |
| 13 units required courses |
| 6-8 units Required Technology Technical Electives |
| 9 units Approved 400 or 500 level elective courses from AME, ISE or SAE. |
| Depending on the academic background and career interests of students, the program offers two areas of specialization, product development technology and product development systems. The product development technology specialization will prepare students for a career as future product development engineers, while the product development systems specialization will prepare students as future product development managers. Students entering this program must declare their choice of an area of specialization and follow the requirements of each area of specialization to graduate. |
| Core Courses |
| Both classes required – 6 units. |
| ISE 501 | Innovative Conceptual Design for New Product Development (3 units) |
| ISE 545 | Technology Development and Implementation (3 units) |
| Product Development Technology Specialization |
| Both classes required – 7 units. |
| AME 503 | Advanced Mechanical Design (3 units) |
| AME 525 | Engineering Analysis (4 units) |
| Product Development Technology Electives |
| Select two courses. |
| AME 505 | Engineering Information Modeling (3 units) |
| AME 527 | Elements of Vehicle and Energy Systems Design (3 units) |
| AME 578 | Modern Alternative Energy Conversion Devices (3 units) |
| ASTE 523 | Design of Low Cost Space Missions (3 units) |
| ISE 576 | Industrial Ecology: Technology-Environment Interaction (3 units) |
| MASC 551 | Mechanical Behavior of Engineering Materials (4 units) |
| MASC 583 | Materials Selection (4 units) |
| SAE 549 | Systems Architecting (3 units) |
|
| Product Development Systems Specialization |
| Both classes required – 6 units. |
| ISE 515 | Engineering Project Management (3 units) |
| ISE 544 | Management of Engineering Teams (3 units) |
|
| Product Development Systems Electives |
| Select two courses. |
| ISE 514 | Advanced Production Planning and Scheduling (3 units) |
| ISE 525 | Design of Experiments (3 units) |
| ISE 527 | Quality Management for Engineers (3 units) |
|
| ISE 561 | Economic Analysis of Engineering Projects (3 units) |
| ISE 562 | Decision Analysis (3 units) |
| ISE 580 |Performance Analysis with Simulation (3 units) |
| ISE 583 | Enterprise Wide Information Systems (3 units) |
| ISE 585 | Strategic Management of Technology (3 units) |
| SAE 541 | Systems Engineering Theory and Practice (3 units) |
| SAE 549 | Systems Architecting (3 units) |
| General Electives |
| 9 units of Adviser-approved electives (Must be upper-division 400- or 500-level courses; up to 4 units can be transferred from other institutions). |
Please complete the following form for more information.
