Master of Science in Computer Science
Application
Deadlines
Spring:
September 1
Fall:
December 15
- Program Overview
- Application Criteria
- Tuition & Fees
- Meet Our Students
- Career Outcomes
- DEN@Viterbi - Online Delivery
- Request Information
The MS in Computer Science provides intensive preparation in the concepts and techniques related to the design, programming, and application of computing systems. Students are provided a deep understanding of both fundamentals and important current issues in computer science and computer engineering so that they may either obtain productive employment or pursue advanced degrees.
The MS in Computer Science program requires the student to take a broad spectrum of courses while simultaneously allowing for emphasis in desired areas of specialization.
Interested in this program but did not earn a BS in Computer Science? Visit our MSCS Eligibility Criteria page.
International Students: This program is eligible for the OPT STEM extension.
- This program requires completion of 32 units of coursework
- This program has a thesis option that adds four units to the number needed to complete the program
- USC Catalogue
- USC Schedule of Classes
| SEMESTER | DEADLINE |
|---|---|
| Spring | September 1 |
| Fall | December 15 |
Visit our Ready to Apply page for more information.
Applicants are expected to have completed or be in process of completing an undergraduate degree in computer science or its equivalent. For those who do not, they should meet the eligibility criteria on our MSCS Eligibility Criteria page.
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.
SANTOSHI RAKSHITA BALIVADA
Tell us about an exciting and unforgettable experience from your time at USC.
In my 2nd semester, I got an invitation to apply for the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) conference. This is a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. This excited me so much as it was my first time attending the world's largest National conference gathering of women in computing and was a truly unforgettable experience.
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
USC has given me everything – challenges that helped me learn from my experiences, opportunities that helped me grow professionally and personally and above all a platform to showcase my talents. I started off by acquiring a good GPA, went on to become a Course Producer for one of the most popular courses of the CS department CSCI 571: Web Technologies, and secured a Summer internship as a software engineer Intern at Walmart. Being away from home for the first time in my life, USC made me responsible and taught me the value of time, people and money. I have learned to stay strong, independent, motivated, and not to take success to head or failure to heart !!
Which organizations/activities have you been involved with outside of the classroom?
Apart from academic excellence, USC has some amazing student chapters/organizations , which give students an opportunity to expand their network and build their managerial skills. I have been a part of the Hindu Student Organization (HSO) in my first semester, where I was a part of the logistics team. I had to arrange, organize and manage events. This gave me outstanding experiences, from which I learned to be more spontaneous in life. Additionally, I was a part of the USC Bookstore, where I was a student worker. This gave me countless memories, as everyday I got to meet people from different cultures all over the world, and helped me expand my network. I also got to meet a lot of celebrities during this time.
.
DIMITAR KIRILOV
Tell us about an exciting and unforgettable experience from your time so far at USC.
I did my Bachelor’s degree at the American University in Bulgaria –a small university where anyone quickly gets to know everyone. USC on the other hand is a huge university for the standards of where I come from. It has the same population as my entire hometown. I didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t know much about the area of the university. I had to be proactive to go around and learn about my surroundings and meet people. Kind of like a quest to explore the unknown land. It had its challenges, especially with COVID measures being enforced. But it was so much fun and exciting. I still look back at my first few weeks with a smile on my face. I went to all of the new student welcoming events and met so many bright and inspiring people who have a wide variety of interests and skills. I highly encourage new students to do something similar. Meeting people and participating in events and activities is how unforgettable memories are made and how opportunities open up.
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
I think I managed to meet people from all the continents now, and from so many countries. I think learning about other cultures is such an eye-opening experience in many aspects. You start to understand other people more, but you also learn more about yourself. I especially encourage internationals and people like me who come from smaller towns to explore cultural events. After all, you don’t get such chances every day. Check out an on-campus event, go to a concert, or a sports game, travel around Los Angeles. You might be surprised how much you will grow from that as a person.
Which organizations/activities have you been involved with outside of the classroom?
I am part of the Fulbright community in LA, the USC Star Wars club, and Remedy Through Music which is a volunteering club for musicians. I have also applied to be a mentor in Fall 2022.
.
LINSHENG JI
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
I'm joining the camera sensor industry this summer as an Intern! As a photography enthusiast, I have always wanted to make some contribution to the industry.
What do you like most about living in Los Angeles?
I love riding motorcycle in Los Angeles. World famous San Gabriel Canyons arewithin 30 minutes ride from town. The weather is always sunny and temperature is never too low in winter. With legal lane splitting in California, It is a paradise for riders.
What advice would you give future Viterbi students?
Look at the curriculum first and see if the school offers courses to your interest before you make a decision. Don't buy a car if you live near the campus. You will not drive it often. Begin preparing for job interviews as early as possible.
.
KANIKA JINDAL
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
Getting an internship in one of the best companies in the world -Microsoft along with three other best offers, shocked me of my own abilities.
Which organizations/activities have you been involved with outside of the classroom?
I hold the position of Senator for the Viterbi Graduate Student Association for two semesters and participated in USC Thorton musical school’s choir - Oriana.
What do you like most about living in Los Angeles?
L.A. is a perfect combination of amazing beach sunsets and morning hikes, and during the day, it has a lot of world-class stores where we can shop.
2022 First Destinations Survey - Outcomes*
Top Employers*
- Amazon
- Meta Platforms, Inc.
- Microsoft
- Salesforce
.
Alumni Employment - 2022*
(Companies & Job Titles)
- Accenture - Data Science Consultant
- AcuityMD - Full-Stack Software Engineer
- Adobe - Software Engineer
- Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. - Silicon Infrastructure Design Engineer
- Amazon - Applied Scientist, Software Development Engineer, Software Development Engineer II, Software Engineer, System Development Engineer I
- Amazon Robotics - Software Engineer Intern
- Amazon Web Services - Business Intelligence Engineer, Data Engineer I, Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer
- Apple - Security Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, Software Engineer, Software Engineer II, Software Engineer III, Telephony Software Engineer
- Authentik Studios Inc. - Backend Developer
- Autodesk, Inc. - DevOps Software Engineer Intern
- BeaconFire Solution Inc. - Java/Software Developer
- Blizzard Entertainment - Associate Gameplay Engineer
- Boeing - Software Engineer
- Bytedance - Machine Learning Systems Engineer, Software Engineer
- Calsoft Systems - Application Developer
- Circle Internet Financial, LLC - Software Engineer
- Cisco Systems - Software Engineer, Software Engineer II
- Coinbase - Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer
- Corporate Travel Management - Senior Engineer
- Coursera Inc. - Software Engineer
- Authentik Studios Inc. - Backend Developer
- Autodesk, Inc. - DevOps Software Engineer Intern
- BeaconFire Solution Inc. - Java/Software Developer
- Blizzard Entertainment - Associate Gameplay Engineer
- Boeing - Software Engineer
- Bytedance - Machine Learning Systems Engineer, Software Engineer
- Calsoft Systems - Application Developer
- Circle Internet Financial, LLC - Software Engineer
- Cisco Systems - Software Engineer, Software Engineer II
- Coinbase - Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer
- Corporate Travel Management - Senior Engineer
- Coursera Inc - Software Engineer
- Goldman Sachs – Associate, Controllers-DALLAS-Analyst-Software Engineering
- Google - Research Intern, Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer, Software Engineer Health Research, Software Engineer II, Software Engineer (Site Reliability)
- Gopuff - Software Engineer
- GrayMatter Robotics - Software Engineer
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise - Cloud Software Engineer
- High Moon Studios - Associate Software Engineer
- Huawei - Software Development Engineer, Software Engineering
- IMC Financial Markets - Jr Quantitative Trader
- Information Sciences Institute (USC) - Research Assistant
- Intel - Product Marketing Engineer
- J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. - Software Engineer
- K2 Partnering Solutions - Full Stack Engineer
- KTT International Inc. - junior software developer
- Leadfusion Incorporated - Senior Software Engineer
- LinkedIn - Software Engineer
- Lockheed Martin Corporation - Software Engineer III
- Macy's, Inc. - Software Engineer
- Mercedes Benz Research and Development North America - Software Engineer
- Meta Platforms, Inc. - Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer
- Microsoft - Data Scientist, Senior Software Engineer, Software Engineer, Software Engineer II, Software Engineer Intern
- miHoYo Co., Ltd. - Associate Game Designer
- Moloco - Software Engineer
- Mortgage Management Solutions, LLC - Software Engineer II
- NetApp, Inc. - Software Engineer
- Netease Games - Game Developer
- Northrop Grumman Corporation - Software Engineer
- NVIDIA - Senior Software Engineer, Software DevOps Engineer, Software Engineer, System Software Engineer
- Oracle - Applications Engineer, Member of Technical Staff, Senior Software Applications Engineer, Software Developer IC2, Software Engineer
- Orka - Software Development Engineer
- Oxide Interactive, Inc. - 3D Graphics Engineer
- Palo Alto Networks - Software Engineer, Staff Software Engineer
- PayPal, Inc. - Software Engineer 2, Technical Product Manager
- PlayStation - Software Engineer
- Ponyai - Software Engineer
- Qualcomm - Camera Algorithm Engineer, Engineer
- Robinhood - Backend Engineer, Software Engineer
- Roku Inc. - Software Engineer
- Ryzlink Corporation - Software Engineer
- Salesforce - AMTS Software Engineer, Associate Member of Technical Staff, MTS Software Engineer, Software Engineer
- Sam's Club - USA Software Engineer II
- Sift - Software Engineer (Machine Learning Platform)
- Snap Inc. - Software Engineer, Software Engineer C
- Sony Pictures Entertainment - Software Engineer II
- Splunk Inc. - Software Engineer
- Spotify - Backend Engineer
- Stripe - Machine Learning Engineer Identity Team, New Grad Software Engineer
- Summit Technology Laboratory - Computer Vision Engineer
- Susquehanna International Group, LLP - Software Developer
- Tencent - Software Engineer
- Tesla - Software Engineer
- TigerGraph - Software Engineer
- TikTok - Software Engineer
- Trellisware Technologies - Software Engineer
- Unity Technologies - Software Engineer
- University of Southern California - Adjunct Lecturer, Developer Intern, FTE Information Technology Analyst, Technical Assistant, Resource Employee, Teaching Assistant, Design & Construction of Large Software Systems
- Verily Life Sciences - Software Engineer
- Veritas Technologies LLC - Software Engineer
- Verkada - Software Engineer
- Visa - Sr. Software Engineer
- VMWare - Member of Technical Staff – Propel, Software Engineer
- W.W. Grainger, Inc. - Applied Machine Learning Scientist
- Walmart - ML Scientist, Software Engineer, Software Engineer 3, Workday Software Application Engineer
- YouTube - Software Engineer
.
Internships (Summer 2023)**
1st Prototype LLC; Active Motif, Inc.; Activision; Actonia Inc,; Adaptamed LLC; Addepar; Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Age of Learning, Inc.; Agot Co.; Aireon; AllSourcePPS @ NBCUniversal; Altomni Corp.; Amazon; Ansys; AppFolio Inc.; Apple Inc.; Aptean; Aquavit; Arista Networks Inc.; Arm, Inc.; Atrium Payroll Services - New York Life; Autodesk, Inc.; AutoZone; Barclays; Beyond Limits, Inc.; Bezant Technologies, LLC; BlackRock, Inc.; Bloomberg L.P.; Boston Consulting Group; Bytedance Inc.; C3.ai; Canoo Technologies Inc.; CapsicoHealth Inc.; Care.coach; Catenate Corp.; CBRE; Charles Schwab; Chime; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Citigroup Global Markets Inc.; Clearstone Capital Partners LLC; Code Ninjas; Cohesity; Convai Technologies Inc.; COY; CTIS, Inc.; CVS Health; Cyber Space Technologies, LLC; CyClean222; Data Axle; Deeproute.ai Ltd.; DeGirum Corp.; Deloitte; Deutsche Bank; Dish Network; Dotdash Meredith; Dragonfruit AI, Inc.; Eagleview; Eastridge Workforce Solutions; EdGems Math; Electronic Arts Inc.; Elekta; Equinix, Inc.; Esri; Exabeam Inc.; Execusource; Experian; EY; FedML, Inc.; First Solar Inc.; Ford Motor Company; FormFactor, Inc.; FYI.FYI, Inc.; Galileo Financial Technologies; Goldman Sachs & Co.; GoodRx; Google; Grammarly; Green Street Power Partners; Handle Delivery Inc.; Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Hotspring Inc.; Hybridge Capital Management, LLC; Incedo Inc.; InduPro, Inc.; InMapz; InnoPeak Technology, Inc.; Intel Corporation; Interactive Brokers Group (IBGLLC); Iris Software Inc.; Jane Street; Juniper Networks, Inc.; Kenko Keyu Tech LLC; LanzaTech Inc.; Lexis Nexis; LinkedIn Corporation; Litepoint; LOGIS; Lucid USA, Inc.; MathWorks; McKinsey & Company; Meta; Microsoft Corporation; Millennium; Moichor Inc.; Morgan Stanley; MPG Operations LLC; Myriad Genetics Inc.; NBC Universal; Netflix; Nokia; Nomura America Services, LLC; Nutanix, Inc.; NXP; Odoo; Oracle; OSI Systems, Inc.; PayPal, Inc.; Populus Group; Provenir; PTC Inc.; Qualcomm; Ria Money Transfer; Rocket Mortgage LLC; ROKU; RTI International; Rubrik, Inc.; Salesforce; Samsung; SAP America Inc.; Sayari Labs, Inc.; Sconcept; Siemens Corporation; Sigma Computing, Inc.; Skyworks Solutions, Inc.; Snap Inc.; Softweb Solution Inc.; SolarWinds Corporate; Sony; Stout Risius Ross, LLC; Suna Solutions; SupplyFrame, Inc.; Symbotic; Synopsys, Inc.; Tech Mahnidra (Americas) Inc.; TechStyleOS; Tencent America; Teradata Corporation; Terra Worldwide Logistics; Tesla, Inc.; The Trade Desk; TikTok Inc.; Tradeweb Markets LLC; TuneIn; UCLA Anderson School of Management; UL Solutions; United Parcel Service (UPS); Uplight Inc.; Uptycs; UST; Veeva Systems Inc.; Verveware; Walmart; Weride.ai; Whatnot Inc.; WW International Inc.; Yahoo; Yami; Yardi Systems; Zoftec, LLC dba Veras Retail; Zoox Inc.
.
.
* Information is based on a voluntary survey and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive view of the 2022 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.
| Core Requirement |
| 1 Course Required - 4 units total. |
| CSCI 570 | Analysis of Algorithms (4 units) |
| Additional Course Work |
| 28 units of additional course work required. |
| The remaining elective units necessary to earn the degree are completed by selecting additional 500-level CSCI courses. |
| Note: A maximum of 2 units of CSCI 590 and a maximum of 2 units of CSCI 591 may be applied. Furthermore, up to four units may be 400-level, and up to eight units may be 600-level. Approval for enrollment in 600-level courses must come from the faculty instructor and department adviser. With adviser approval, one non-Computer Science course may be selected from the approved list. |
| CSCI Courses Available on DEN@Viterbi |
| CSCI 402x | Operating Systems (4 units) |
| CSCI 455x | Introduction to Programming Systems Design (4 units) |
| CSCI 530 | Security Systems (4 units) |
| CSCI 531 | Applied Cryptography (4 units) |
| CSCI 551 | Computer Networking (4 units) |
| CSCI 561 | Foundations of Artificial Intelligence (4 units) |
| CSCI 567 | Machine Learning (4 units) |
| CSCI 568 | Requirements Engineering (4 units) |
| CSCI 570 | Analysis of Algorithms (4 units) |
| CSCI 572 | Information Retrieval and Web Search Engines (4 units) |
| CSCI 576 | Multimedia Systems Design (4 units) |
| CSCI 577a | Software Engineering (4 units) |
| CSCI 578 | Software Architectures (4 units) |
| CSCI 585 | Database Systems (4 units) |
