My Schedule Throughout the Years as an ISE Major

As an Industrial and Systems engineering student, I’ve had the chance to take some pretty cool classes. When I was deciding a major to apply to, I wondered what my day-to-day and semester-to-semester schedule would actually look like. To illuminate one example of what it looks like to an ISE major, here are the classes I’ve taken every semester (so far) at USC. 

Credits coming in: I tested out of Calc 1 and Calc 2 with AP Calc BC. I had other credits, but these were the main ones that impacted my schedule.

• MATH226: Calculus 3
• • • I tested out of Calc 1 and Calc 2 with AP Calc BC

• WRIT150: Writing and Critical Reasoning: Technology and Society

• • • A required writing class themed on technology and society. The classes are around 15 people, so you really get close with your classmates. 

• CTWR211: The Television Writer: An Agent of Change

• • • A general education class about screenwriting. We watched television episodes and analyzed the scripts. 

• ISE105: Introduction to Industrial and Systems Engineering

• • • An introduction to my major with guest speakers and some fun projects.

• ENGR102: Engineering Freshman Academy

• • • A mentorship class to explore the engineering profession and all of the different majors.

• GESEM130: Seminar in Social Analysis

• • • These tend to be reading and writing intensive. Mine was about food and relationships, so we did things like watch Ratatouille and bring our favorite snacks!

• BISC103: General Biology for the Environment and Life

• • • A biology class to fulfill a general education requirement. 

• MATH225: Linear Algebra and Differential Equations

• • • Self-explanatory. This class really challenged me.

• ISE150: Programming (Python)

• • • One of my favorite classes at USC. A python class specifically for ISE majors.

• ITP320: Enterprise Information Systems

• • • Another one of my favorites. Around half of the semester was spent in a simulation competition on SAP. 

• AMST135: People and Cultures of the Americas

• • • General education class about history and culture.

• PHYS151: Physics 1

• ISE460: Engineering Economy

• • • This was an economics class with an emphasis on project management.

• DANC155A: International Style Ballroom Dance

• • • My favorite class! I had zero dance experience before joining, and this class taught me how to salsa, rumba, waltz, cha cha, swing, and more!

• ISE220: Probability in Engineering

• • • Foundation of a lot of ISE classes in the future.

• PHYS152: Physics 2: Electricity and Magnetism

• MASC110: Materials Science

• • • Required chemistry class. You can choose from materials science or chemistry.

• ISE330: Operations Research – Deterministic Modeling

• • • This class is the basis of linear optimization and machine learning. I really loved it, and we worked on some cool projects to apply the concepts to a real-world problem

• ISE225: Engineering Statistics

• • • This class is built off of ISE220. Currently working on a statistics project and report!

• ISE331: Operations Research – Stochastic Modeling

• • • Another class built on probability from ISE220 and linear algebra.

• WRIT340: Advanced Writing: Engineers

• • • A writing class filled with engineers. I write papers and speeches about engineering and ethics.  

• ISE382: Database Systems

• • • A class for my information systems emphasis. It teaches SQL, ER diagramming, and database logic.

• DANC155B: International Style Ballroom Dance – Advanced

• • • Loved it so much that I came back for the second in the series 🙂