Every day, the amount of data (from audio to video, and from electronic health records to browsing interests and shopping preferences) continues to increase, and there is a corresponding explosion of demand from industry for engineers who are trained to extract relevant information from such data so that it can be used to improve modern technology and society. This increased demand for qualified data scientists cannot be met with the current pool of qualified engineers. To meet this need, the Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering - Machine Learning and Data Science provides students with focused, rigorous training in the theory, methods, and applications of data science, machine learning and signal, and information processing.
International Students: This program is eligible for the OPT STEM extension.
- This program requires completion of 32 units of coursework
- Thesis option and Directed Research (research without thesis) may be requested after completing first semester. Thesis option is not guaranteed
- USC Catalogue
- USC Schedule of Classes
APPLICATION DEADLINES
| 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
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Applicants to the Master of Science program in Electrical and Computer Engineering - Machine Learning and Data Science must have a bachelor’s degree or be in the process of completing a bachelor's degree. Most applicants have degrees in engineering or closely related fields, such as Computer Science, Math, Physics, and Data Science.
Applicants without a bachelor's degree in a directly related field may still be considered if they have completed and demonstrated strong proficiency in the following coursework (or equivalent):
| |
| Electrical Engineering |
| Linear Systems |
| Math |
| Programming |
This is not an exhaustive list. 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
TUITION AND FEES OVERVIEW
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; the number of courses and time required to complete the program will vary by student.
Estimated Cost of Attendance - 32 Unit Program
NISHA JACOB
What were the main reasons you chose to pursue this graduate program at USC?
Prior to coming to USC, I worked with Qualcomm in the wireless communications team. It was while I was here that I was introduced to machine learning and its many advantages in almost every field, including wireless. I found that USC offered a perfect blend of courses related to Machine Learning and the wireless domain. The flexibility to choose courses according to your interest is a big advantage. Also, you cannot deny another major factor -the awesome LA weather!
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
Getting accepted as a Directed Research student with the Wireless Devices and Systems (WiDeS) lab under Prof. Andreas Molisch. This definitely was an achievement for me since I would get to work in the wireless domain with experienced colleagues from whom I could learn a lot. Some smaller personal achievements for me have been -learning to become independent in a new country and hiking (I thought I was someone who would never try trekking through mountains :), but LA has been able to bring out the best in me!
Which organizations/activities have you been involved with outside of the classroom?
Organizations that I've been involved with are IEEE and Women in Engineering. I am a part of the Graduate IEEE committee that organized Career Talks, movie nights, and other outdoor events. Most of my remaining free time is spent working at the WiDeS lab. Other than these, I enjoy playing badminton and table tennis and listening to (or reading) crime thriller podcasts (or books.)
AMRITH COUMARAN
What were the main reasons you chose to pursue this graduate program at USC?
The coursework for my specialization (Machine Learning) under the ECE department had a very healthy mixture of both theoretical and practical elements to it. Also, having a vast and strong alumni network helps a lot. Plus how can you resist living in the beautiful city of Los Angeles?!
What are some personal achievements or experiences you’d like to share?
I got the opportunity to work on some real-world projects using Machine Learning and am part of a research team focusing on Machine Learning for Scientific research. Also won Best Project and Best Inter-disciplinary Data Scientist award.
Tell us about an exciting and unforgettable experience from your time so far at USC.
I explored new places, tried Kayaking, went on a lot of treks, and tried snowboarding, ice skating, and skiing for the first time.
2024 First Destinations Survey - Outcomes*
Alumni Employment - 2024*
Companies & Job Titles (multiple positions may be listed)
Average Reported Salary: $139,300
- Amazon - Applied Scientist
- Atos Syntel Inc. - Application Developer II
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center - Associate Data Analyst
- Cerebral Group LLC - Machine Learning Engineer
- Gino Corporation - Data Analyst and Strategist
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise - Cloud Engineer
- Second Spectrum - Computer Vision Engineer
- Shanghai Bochu - Software Development Engineer
Past Years
- Alibaba - Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer Intern
- Amazon - Machine Learning Engineer
- Amazon Web Services - Software Development Engineer
- Goldman Sachs - Analyst
- Google - Software Engineer
- Meta Platforms, Inc. - Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer
- SenseTime - Research Intern
- TikTok - Software Engineer
- TuSimple, Inc. - Software Quality Specialist I
- University of Southern California - Resource Employee
Additional career outcomes information can be found on our general MS in Electrical & Computer Engineering pages.
.Internships (Summer 2023)**
AI Camp Inc., Amazon, Cerebrone.ai, ChargeNet Stations, Fevr LLC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Lexis Nexis, Mangolytics Inc., Mphasis Corp., Orion Innovation, Rivian, Robert Bosch LLC
.
* 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 not available through DEN. For a full list of the 40+ engineering graduate programs available online, please visit Online DEN@Viterbi Offerings.
