About the USC Viterbi School
View stats on our most recent incoming class
Our perspective on an engineering education
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A Broad Spectrum of Academic Programs
in a small, flexible environment
Our curriculum combines learning theory with getting your hands dirty by practicing real world solutions. Our flexible programs allow you to begin engineering classes during your freshman year and you can change your major at any time. You can also take advantage of the rest of the university through minors or just take other classes for fun. Beyond classes, you can assist faculty with research as an undergraduate, study abroad, or even pursue an accelerated BS/MS combined degree.
You will face new academic challenges and find new ways to have fun. Through it all, we are here with resources and support to help you succeed. We know you want more than engineering. That’s why our philosophy is “Engineering Plus”.
Women in Engineering
Your generation is going to even out the engineering experience, and we are leading the way. Every year for the past four years, over 45% of our incoming class has been women, including 50% of our 2021 incoming class–more than double the national average. We also have dedicated space and programs in our center for engineering diversity to support women.
National Average
USC Viterbi
*Data is for our most recent incoming class.
Diversity in Engineering
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.
Our Most Recent Incoming Class
Latine Students
National Average
USC Viterbi
Black / African American Students
National Average
USC Viterbi
Native American / Indigenous Students
National Average
USC Viterbi
*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.
Our Philosophy
Engineers make stuff, and we want you to develop the skills necessary to create new solutions to our problems. That’s why we operate at the intersection of innovation, communication, and collaboration- to create more innovative engineers.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Start ups require technology. Innovation and the ability to bring your ideas to life and also market them is at the core of what we do. We want you to develop the technologies of tomorrow, and we will help you do that. Our Viterbi Student Institute for Innovation (speaker series, workshops, mentoring) and our Maseeh Entrepreneurship Price Competition ($100,000 in prize money each year), as well as student organizations like SparkSC, Lavalab, and more, help sustain an ecosystem for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Collaboration
In the real world, engineers work in teams. We foster a collaborative, non-competitive environment to simulate what working post college will be like. You’ll never worry about staying in a class, or competing on a harsh grading curve. There will be group projects and team work throughout your curriculum, and we foster interdisciplinary projects as well, because it never takes just one engineer to solve a problem.
Communication
The best engineer is the one who can articulate their ideas to the world. Because of this, we want to foster your ability to communicate your ideas well to other engineers, and also in a nontechnical way. You will still have to take writing courses, and in your classes you will write papers, give presentations, and learn how to communicate through your projects. You will learn how to respond to RFPs, and write those proposals as preparation for your future. You will also get practice communicating with team members and other people you are collaborating with.
The bottom line? Engineers Solve Problems. Check out some of the problems engineers solve and the majors that might help create solutions for them.
Student Life
Do more than class. You can have a life as an engineering student (really!).
After College
USC Viterbi has a wide variety of resources to help support you in finding the right job or head to grad school after your time here. Learn more about our career services, progressive degree program, and success after undergraduate.