Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineers design complex mechanical, thermal, fluid, acoustic, optical, and electronic systems, with characteristic sizes ranging from microns to tens of kilometers. Such systems are used everywhere, from the depths of the ocean and far underground, to near-earth, planetary, interplanetary, and galactic space.

AME students conduct basic and applied research within and across the usual disciplinary boundaries. AME students develop core and valuable problem-solving skills in the areas of aerodynamics, mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, materials and design. Our graduates are at the leading edge of academia and industry, tackling innovative, important and exciting challenges.

Hear From our Faculty

Check out our recent faculty roundtable discussion that was held with three of our Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) Faculty members – Professor & Chair Paul Ronney, Professor Geoff Spedding, and Professor Saakar Byahut. This roundtable will discuss what the major is, the courses each faculty teach, research they conduct and the discipline of join us to discuss the courses they teach, the research they conduct, and the discipline of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at USC Viterbi

Meet Other Faculty

AME On The Podcast

AME Student Blog

Learn more about Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) at USC through our student blog. These posts were written by USC Viterbi AME students during their time at USC to help you better understand the discipline and their life.

Aerospace and Mechanical

Conducting Research in the MADLab

Believe it or not, this semester is the first time I am participating in a research lab! After 3 years…

Karissa Ginoza

Staying Busy on Maui While Taking an Unconventional Path!

Checking back in after a relaxing yet productive summer! As an engineering student at a world-class institution, I initially felt…

Karissa Ginoza

My Summer Internship at Medtronic

This summer, I had the pleasure of working at Medtronic in Santa Rosa, CA (a little north of SF) as…

Hannah Fonseca

MechE-ing USC Her Home: Ella’s Experiences

This is a guest blog entry written by Karissa Ginoza about Ella Amaya, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering. Also, if…

Karissa Ginoza

Making it happen! – Mechanical Engineering by Elena Li

This is a guest blog entry written by Elena Li and edited by Mitchell Kirby. If you want to read…

Mitchell Kirby

A Viterbi Student Spotlight on Cevina Manzano

Meet Cevina Manzano, a junior mechanical engineering student at USC who’s not just surviving the rigorous coursework but thriving in…

Naya Williams

Life Update: Why I Still Choose USC

As I navigate my busy schedule as a sophomore studying mechanical engineering and pre-med, I often reflect on my journey…

Karissa Ginoza

Curriculum

A degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (AME) prepares students to work in a variety of fields involving things that move. There are two degree options in the department – check them out here!

Aerospace Engineering

Students who choose to study aerospace engineering will gain a deeper understanding of how things move through the air and fly. They take all the courses that form a foundation in mechanical principles with a focus on making things fly.

Course Plan

Mechanical Engineering

Students who choose to study mechanical engineering will gain a deeper understanding of how things move and the design of those object. They take all the courses that form a foundation in mechanical principles.

Course Plan

Have a question about Curriculum?

Research

We have a balance of programs – theoretical, computational, and experimental – which exemplify the Viterbi School’s approach to intensive and collaborative research.

AME students have the opportunity to work with the world-renowned faculty on research projects including turbulence control, emerging fuel cell technologies, computational fluid mechanics, combustion, heat transfer, automatic control systems, biomechanics, robotics, and nonlinear dynamics. Recent undergraduate research and student projects include the design of fixed and flapping wing systems for small unmanned aircraft, the search for low drag solutions for the global cargo shipping industry, sports injury and helmet design for shock reduction, and optimal control of wheelchairs for humans and hovering flight for animals.

We advance and define research frontiers that shape the future of our life in the air, on the ground, and in space. We push forward the understanding of environments both natural (oceans, atmosphere) and engineered (internal combustion, pulsed ignition). Other efforts advance our understanding of control and dynamics of autonomous systems and robotics, advanced manufacturing technology, aircraft design and flight mechanics of very small and very fast flying machines, and biodynamical systems in medical devices, natural propulsion, and evolutionary system dynamics.

Recent Projects

Check out some recent developments from our Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department.

Faculty

Faculty will be teaching all of your classes and leading research projects as well. Your opportunities to build relationships with your faculty will begin immediately in your first year, both in the classroom and the lab.

Check out a few highlighted professors with whom you may work in the future:

Dr. Paul Ronney

Combustion, Fuels, and Engine Labs

He researches combustion problems but also more generally what he calls “chemically reacting flows” such as autocatalytic chemical reactions, frontal polymerization and even studies of bacterial growth and electrical power production.

Dr. Eva Kanso

Biodynamics Lab

Her team developed an algorithm to mimic an aquatic sensory intelligence with regards to the patterns created in water. It is one of the first instances in which machine learning was applied to characterizing patterns in fluid flows.

Dr. S.K. Gupta

Center for Advanced Manufacturing

His research focuses on 1) making advances in robotics to enable deployment of robots on non-repetitive tasks in manufacturing and 2) exploiting advances in manufacturing processes to design and manufacture novel robots.

Dr. Ivan Bermejo - Moreno

Computational Aerospace Lab

He investigates turbulent fluid flows interacting with multiple physical phenomena such as shock waves, combustion and solid structures, by means of numerical simulation and diagnostic tools.

Don't stop here.

AME Dept. Website

Careers

Your engineering undergraduate degree will prepare you for many career and academic opportunities.

Your future with a degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering can see you pursue a number of future career paths at companies serving a variety of industries.

Whether you have always known “what you want to do when you grow up” or are hoping to find out, we are here to help you plan for your future beyond USC. We provide dedicated career services starting in your first year to help you find internships, co-ops, and full-time positions post graduation.

Imagine/Design and build piloted or autonomous craft for land, air, sea, and space

Join the exciting world of modern engineering where the power of smart technology is harnessed and focused to improve the human condition

Develop entirely new devices including satellites, robots, micro-scale measurement and monitoring platforms

Develop control and planning systems for robots, automated machinery and fleets of devices

Success After Graduation

Student Life

We want students who like to work hard – both in and out of the classroom. Our students know that going to college is more than attending class and completing assignments. College is about making connections and joining a community of dedicated students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Our students want to work and play with people as interesting as they are, and we have a number of ways for you to do the same.

Your life can be designed how you like it. Join a design team like SC Racing. Continue your passion for volunteering with the Society of Women Engineers. Keep making art with Corpus Callosum. On this page, we have a few student organizations we think you might be interested in, but there are so many more you can get involved in!

AeroDesign Team

AIAA Design/Build/Fly

Students design, build, and fly remote-controlled (RC) airplanes. ADT is USC's entrant in the annual AIAA Design Build Fly competition every year against other university across the U.S.

SC Racing

Formula SAE

SC Racing is USC's chapter of FSAE that designs, constructs, tests, and races high performance autocross racecars. Every year they compete against universities worldwide to test their car's abilities.

USC ASPEN

Advanced Spacecraft Propulsion and Energy Laboratory

Student-led research group focused on modeling nuclear-based spacecraft propulsion systems.

Imagine yourself on campus.

Learn more about life at USC as an engineering student at Viterbi Voices:

Viterbi Voices

Alumni

As students, these alumni worked hard in class and didn’t stop there. From start-ups to research, they took advantage of all corners of campus in order to bring their dreams to life and succeed post-graduation. See what some of our alumni are doing now and how they reflect on their time at USC Viterbi.

Peyton Thomas

B.S. Mechanical Engineering ’24

“It was a community of unique, passionate, hardworking, and caring people that I dreamed of being a part of. I saw a group of people that I wanted to be friends with and pictured these people being by my side as we challenged and helped one another to learn and grow.
I found this within a high-achieving academic environment with a great network and support systems which were both important items on my college checklist.”

Nicholas Pardo

B.S. Astronautical Engineering ’24

“Much of my success career-wise has been a result of all the preparation and opportunities provided at USC. I have gotten to have my resume reviewed by industry professionals and career advisors through SHPE (and many other organizations have similar events). The coursework is a good mix of theoretical and hands-on work, so I have both the knowledge and the experience when working in the industry.”

Victoria Pinkett

B.S. Mechanical Engineering ’24

” I was looking for a community that was welcoming, passionate, and kind. I’ve absolutely found that at USC. From starting as an online freshman to my final semester, my community at USC has continued to uplift me and encourage me to take on opportunities that would push me to grow personally, professionally, and academically. I have found this community through clubs such as the National Society of Black Engineers, through my classes, and through residential housing.”

Sienna Applebaum

B.S. Mechanical Engineering ’20

As an undergraduate,Siennawas involved in the Society of Women Engineers, the 3D printing design team, Freshmen Academy program, and various entrepreneurship competitions. She was a student researcher in Dr. Paul Ronney’s combustion lab and earned a Distinguished Paper Award in the Laminar Flames Colloquium, International Symposium on Combustion. Siena has interned at Honeywell Aerospace, Microsoft, and Apple and currently works at Tesla as a program manager on the Connectivity team. She is finishing up her Master’s Degree through the Progressive Degree Program at USC.

Ana Gabrielian

B.S. Aerospace Engineering ’19

During her time at USC, Ana founded her own
engineering organization: Girls in
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (GAME).
She also performed experiments in the Dryden
Wind Tunnel and Water Channel lab. She continues to study Aerospace as a Graduate Researcher at the Aerospace Systems Design Lab within Georgia Tech. As part of her research, Ana is exploring the implementation of biofuels and their impact on commercial aviation CO2 emissions and noise generation with the use of the FAA’s Aviation Environmental Design Tool.

More Engineering Disciplines

This area of the Viterbi School is just one of the many areas of Engineering & Computer Science. Beyond this area of study, we have ten academic disciplines spread across eight departments to make up more than thirty majors and areas of emphasis. Take some time to explore all of your interests before you apply by clicking on any area below.