Progressive Degree Program (PDP) @Viterbi
✌️ Degrees, One Path to Success
What is PDP?
The Progressive Degree Program (PDP) allows you to earn credits toward an accelerated Master's Degree while simultaneously completing your Bachelor's Degree at USC!
This gives you, a continuing USC undergraduate student, a faster pathway to earning your Master's degree from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. PDP is a excellent way to satisfy your intellectual curiosity and prepare for your professional future in a shorter amount of time! The PDP enables you to coordinate your upper division undergraduate courses with the onset of graduate coursework, which can reduce the number of units required for you to earn a Viterbi Master's Degree.
PDP Benefits
- Strengthen your academic background & deepen your expertise in a specific concentration
- Establish a strong industry foundation and skillset early to accelerate your path to industry or PhD studies
- Opportunity to pursue relevant, cutting-edge research with leading faculty (Research positions vary per lab, with positions available on an as-need basis)
- Can open doors to career advancements & professional pedigree faster than your peers
- Position yourself for professional excellence & increased exposure to various industries
- Engage & collaborate with other graduate students, while simultaneously networking with industry professionals
- Decrease in unit count = Less Tuition Cost
- Be able to integrate and balance your graduate coursework with your ongoing undergraduate coursework, allowing you to take graduate-level courses alongside your Bachelor's curriculum
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- Expedited graduate admissions process, compared to applying for graduate programs afterwards, independent from completing your undergraduate degree
- Decrease in unit count allows you to take less graduate units than the traditional degree
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Double Trojan Talk
Fifi ThriftB.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering, Spring 2021 + M.S. Computer Science, Fall 2021
“I only needed to add an extra semester to complete my masters, which was logistically and financially one of a kind. This allowed me to focus on my extracurriculars instead of stressing about graduate applications and financing.”
Important Deadlines
Fall 2025
Priority Deadline: September 25th
Final Deadline: December 5th
Spring 2026
Priority Deadline: February 25th
Final Deadline: May 5th
*To qualify for scholarship consideration and to begin taking PDP courses in the following semester (if admissible), you must submit your application by the Priority deadline.
Upcoming Events
Next Info Session:
Virtual Viterbi PDP Info Session
When: September 9, 2025
Where: Zoom
Can't make the information session above?
Check out future information sessions here or watch one of the pre-recorded past information sessions!
If you have additional questions about Viterbi PDP schedule an appointment with on of our PDP advisors using the link below!
Eligibility Check
- Are a current undergraduate USC student in good academic standing
- Must have a minimum of 64 total units of undergraduate coursework completed (excluding AP, IB, or transfer credits prior to your high school graduation date)
Must have a cumulative USC undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher.
- Students with a GPA below 3.2
- Former students who have completed the maximum amount of credits or have already graduated from their undergraduate program
- Students who do not currently attend the University of Southern California (USC)
How to Apply
If you meet the eligibility requirements, as listed above, you may apply to Viterbi PDP by submitting the following components:
- PDP Application Form via myViterbi. All USC undergraduates have access to myViterbi
- Current STARS Report
- Transfer Credit Report
- 1x Letter of Recommendation (If applicable; see below for details)
- If your undergraduate GPA is below 3.5, you are required to submit one letter of recommendation from an instructor in a relevant academic field.
- If your undergraduate GPA is above 3.5, you will not be required to submit a letter of recommendation. (Please note: If you have above a 3.5 GPA, your PDP application will say it is "Incomplete" with the letter of recommendation. Please disregard this message, if you have successfully submitted all other PDP application materials through myViterbi. We will consider your application complete.)
To apply, please follow the steps below:
Please note: all materials, including letters of recommendation must be received by the deadline in order to be considered for that application term.
Additional Circumstances
There are a few additional key pieces of information to be mindful of, if you are in one of the following circumstances. Please review the information below to be informed of any additional criteria or materials you may need to provide.
Program Requirements
Once admitted to the Progressive Degree Program (PDP), admitted students are required to adhere to the following:
- PDP students must fulfill all specified degree requirements for both their bachelor's degree and master's degree, respectively. The required number of course units for the PDP Master's degree may be reduced by up to a maximum of 1/3 of the total units of the traditional master's degree program.
- PDP students will be subject to undergraduate academic progress standards while classed as undergraduate students and master's graduate academic progress standards once classed as graduate students. For more information about the change in status from undergraduate to graduate please see the PDP Financial Aid Page.
- The time limit for completing a Progressive Degree is 12 semesters starting from the student's first term in college, regardless of whether that term was at USC or elsewhere.
- The bachelor's degree may be awarded separately, but must be awarded before the graduate degree.
Degree Offerings
The Viterbi School of Engineering offers the following Master's of Science degrees via PDP.
Please note the Program Page hyperlink will route you to additional information about the traditional degree program, where requirements and deadlines may differ from PDP. The Course Plan Template hyperlink will route you to the proposed Progressive Degree curriculum information within a specific program.
All programs with a *** next to the program title are available to students who have undergraduate degrees outside of Viterbi.
| Master's Program | Program Page | Course Plan Template |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | General M.S. Information | AE CP Template |
| Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering (Fluid & Solid Mech) | General M.S. Information | AMFS CP template |
| Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering (Dynamics & Control) | General M.S. Information | AMDC CP Template |
| Mechanical Engineering | General M.S. Information | ME CP Template |
| Product Development Engineering (Technology Track) | General M.S. Information | PDE CP Template |
| Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Management (Dual M.S.) | General M.S. Information | AEMT CP Template |
| Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Management (Dual M.S.) | General M.S. Information | MEMT CP Template |
| Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) | General M.S. Information | AMAI CP Template |
| Mechanical Engineering (Energy Conservation) | General M.S. Information | MEEC CP Template |
| Mechanical Engineering (Quantitative Medical Engineering) | General M.S. Information | MEQM CP Template |
| Smart Manufacturing | General M.S. Information | SMMA CP Template |
If you have any specific questions regarding the coursework or course plan, please reference the AME PDP Departmental Page. For advisors contact information please use the AME Advisor Contact Page or contact Amegrad@usc.edu directly.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
To gain a better understanding of how PDP will affect your current financial aid package and learn more about our Progressive Degree Program Scholarship, please click on the button below.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the Progressive Degree Program (PDP), please don't hesitate to chat with us! Our PDP advisors are ready to assist you with everything from available programs, your candidacy for PDP, how to apply, and more! USC Viterbi PDP hosts on-campus and virtual (Zoom) office hours each week — Tuesdays (in-person & remote), Thursdays (in-person & remote), and Fridays (remote only) — to provide you with the utmost flexibility within your own schedule.
To meet with one of our Viterbi PDP advisors and schedule a 1-on-1 appointment, please click below on the "Schedule Appointment" button. This will take you to a pop-up window, where you can view and register for available appointments.
Alternatively, if you prefer to communicate through emails, please send your questions and concerns to: pdp@viterbi.usc.edu
Meet our PDP Advisors
Tawfiq Wolff
Senior Director, Graduate Admission
Kannan Muralidharan
Associate Director, Graduate Admission
Bailey Schmidt
Assistant Director, Graduate Admission