Check out our recent faculty roundtable discussion that was held with three of our Computer Science Faculty members – Dr. Barath Raghavan, Dr. Saty Raghavachary, and Dr. Tatyana Ryutov. This roundtable will discuss what the major is, the courses each faculty teach, research they conduct and the discipline of Computer Science at USC Viterbi.
There are several different options within the computer science program to pursue. Check them all out!
The computer science program prepares students to work in the areas of software design, development, application and maintenance. It provides intensive study in algorithmic design and analysis as well as the theory of computing.
This major offers technical and creative training for the video game industry. The curriculum brings numerous core areas of advanced computer science – including artificial intelligence, graphic interfaces, modeling, algorithm design – together with creative and artistic training from the School of Cinematic Arts and the Roski School of Fine Arts and Design.
(Jointly administered by the Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering departments)
This program trains students to integrate hardware and software processes to design solutions to problems arising in complex domains such as atomic reactors, guidance systems, and manufacturing systems. These students graduate ready to design and build complex systems of hardware, software, and networks.
This combined degree program allows students to study both Computer Science and Business in four years. In addition to the core computer science courses, students take courses from the Marshall School of Business such as Organizational Behavior, Marketing Fundamentals, Business Finance, and Strategic Management.
The Thomas Lord Department of Computer has more than 40 research faculty members from the world-renowned Information Sciences Institute (ISI) – a major player in the creation of the Internet- and from the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT). Its faculty includes pioneers in modern cryptography, Internet technologies, software engineering, databases, computational neuroscience, robotics, natural language processing, computational biology and network sciences, and it has an innovative education program, including the new interdisciplinary Informatics Program as well as one of the nation’s first programs in game development.
In addition, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering offers one of the best environments for interdisciplinary research and international collaboration in the nation. There is a strong record of innovation in the department and its affiliated centers: the Domain Name System and the TCP/IP protocols, the invention of DNA computing, and historic interdisciplinary studies relating brains, machines and mathematics. For example, a former student wrote one of the first computer viruses and led the theoretical study of the computer virus concept. The accomplishments of our current faculty include path-setting results in artificial intelligence, computer vision, data science, privacy and security, robotics, software engineering, and the Academy Award winning work in computer graphics.
Her research group, the ACT lab, conducts research in the area of coordinated multi-robot systems, where they provide theoretically sound solutions to practically motivated problems. You may also recognize them from the drones performance at the 2017 Super Bowl Half-Time Show!
Her research focuses on the design and control of haptic devices and rendering systems, human-robot interaction, and virtual reality. Particularly she is interested in creating haptic interactions that are natural and realistically mimic the touch sensations experienced during interactions with the physical world.
His research focuses on algorithms, computational complexity, cryptography, DNA computing, number theory and molecular biology. He's known famously for the RSA algorithm, which allows data to be encrypted; it is one of the bedrocks of security on the internet. He's also writing a book about memes!
Her research interests include machine learning and data mining with applications to biology, climate science, health, and social media. She is currently working on deep learning for health care applications like phenotyping and healthcare prediction tasks.
Learn more about the cool faculty and amazing research being done at the Computer Science Department at their website:
Your future with a degree in Computer Science 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.
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 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. Continue your passion for volunteering with Code the Change. 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!
This community of student technologists designs and builds software to empower philanthropic organizations to help them alleviate various problems facing our world like assisting the homeless in finding job training.
ACM is USC's largest Computer Science organization, providing many events and opportunities for students to develop their professional and technical skills like learning how to code from upperclassmen or meeting industry reps.
By employing industry standard programs and techniques, USC AUV ensures that all members have a hands-on, practical engineering experience outside of the classroom that can be utilized in their future careers.
Learn more about life at USC as an engineering student at Viterbi Voices:
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.
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