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Diversity in Engineering

Find your Community

Unique Qualities Create Powerful Collaborations

We are dedicated to promoting diversity of backgrounds in our engineering programs. Today, the USC Viterbi Center for Engineering Diversity is home to the National Society of Black Engineers, Queers in Science and Technology, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers. We still have a lot of work to do, and we are committed to helping create an even more diverse engineering student body at USC.

1500
Square feet of spaced dedicated for the Center for Engineering Diversity (CED)

CED is a dedicated space on campus for you to interact with your peers, study, or just hang out.  We also offer a computer lab, printers, study tables, office supplies, and more to facilitate academic excellence, and you can talk to a number of CED advisors here as well.

5
Organizations make up the Center for Engineering Diversity

The student chapters of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Queers in Engineering, Science and Technology (QuEST), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and an Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA) are the main parts of CED.

Our Most Recent Incoming Class

Latine
Students

USC Viterbi

National Average

Black /
African American Students

USC Viterbi

National Average

Native American / Indigenous Students

USC Viterbi

National Average

*National Data is from the American Society for Engineering Education’s 2019 Report (https://ira.asee.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2018-Engineering-by-Numbers-Engineering-Statistics-UPDATED-15-July-2019.pdf). Viterbi Data reflects our most recent incoming class.

Student Stories

Hear from USC Viterbi Students

JP Morgan Chase & Co. Advancing Black Pathways

“It was a program exclusively for African-American freshman and sophomores, and it went above and beyond my expectations… I watched seminars on different topics, including career development. In the afternoon, I was either working with my team on our “business sprint,” meeting with my mentor, or taking educational modules on the topics we were learning that week.”

Get Involved with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

“Being surrounded by so many hispanic engineers has given me a community where I feel accepted and supported. The best part is that when I don’t feel like working on school things I know I can always take a break to laugh or cry with my SHPE familia.”

Being Gay at USC

“One of the many things that drew me to USC was that I knew it would be a large community full of accepting people, in a place as diverse as Los Angeles. …there are few better places to be yourself than at USC, whether that’s related to your sexuality, gender identity, or even just your personality.”

SHPE Chisme Hour!

“We recently created a new event series titled “Chisme Hour,” and for those of you that do not know what Chisme means, it is the Spanish word for Gossip! The premise of the virtual event is to have a space where the members can come together and interact with each other and share whatever is going on in their lives at the moment.”

USC NSBE Takes On Detroit! – NSBE 45th Annual Conference

“The best part of the trip was seeing so much black excellence in one room, with over 14,000 engineering students and professionals in attendance. I am thankful of what this organization has showed me and can’t wait to attend next year’s conference!”

USC as a First-Generation College Student

“Sitting here as a junior, it’s crazy to think about how stressed I was. I’m not saying the transition from high school to college was easy, however the resources and community I had available to me at USC helped make the transition go very smooth.”

 

Supporting Diversity in Engineering

It Starts with Family

The center is focused on you and your family of peers, faculty, staff, and industry partners with whom you can live, work, study, research, and play.

In your first semester we will place you in a CED Circle.  Your circle is your first group of family members here at the Viterbi School led by an upperclass engineering student. You and your circle will form study groups, explore Los Angeles, and begin to establish your foundation towards a successful future, both in college and beyond.

As family, we want you to not only work hard, but have a place you can call home.  You will be given 24-hour access to the Center for late night study sessions as well as access to printing and collaboration spaces.

Your Path to Success

Our job is to help move you to the next step.  We are available to assist students with academic-related issues and to provide advice on engineering trends, research opportunities, career options, and graduate education.

The Viterbi Career Connections office sponsors events and programs designed to connect our outstanding students with top employers.  VCC helps to prepare students for life after graduation by holding engineering career fairs, resume reviews, job and internship search strategy workshops, and sponsoring the Engineering Career Conference.  Additionally, students have access to the Viterbi Academic Resource Center (VARC).  VARC provides free peer tutoring and supplemental instruction as well as organized review sessions in chemistry, math, physics, and many other engineering courses.

Student Life

In addition to the vast number of co-curricular opportunities at USC, CED students actively participate in a number of engineering related organizations and events. The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and the Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA) regularly tutor local high school students in math and science, sponsor mentor programs which bring local students to campus, hold corporate luncheons to bring students and industry representatives together, plan beach and ski trips, organize barbecues before football games, and host an annual banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of students involved in CED.

Corporate Connections

We actively develop industry relationships, funding, and the sharing of technical expertise for your personal and professional development.  Representatives from Microsoft, Boeing, Xerox, Raytheon, Intel, Cisco Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and others are some of our most active members of the CED Industry Advisory Board (IAB).

IAB members work with student leaders, serve as guest speakers, offer summer internships, and provide networking opportunities to CED student. Our industry partners also provide scholarships for a number of our students each year. Eligibility for scholarships is based on a variety of factors such as the applicant’s participation with CED or affiliated student organizations, academic progress, and leadership potential.

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