THE THOMAS LORD DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Computer scientists design and implement efficient software solutions to computer-solvable problems. They are involved in the development of areas such as high-speed networks, multimedia and creative technologies, systems design, virtual reality, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics.
Students who choose this branch of engineering learn to apply the computational and analytical approaches of computer science to their chosen professions and become contributing members of their communities in fields within and outside the traditional scope of computer science.
Hear Directly from Faculty
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.
CS On The Podcast
CS Student Blog
Learn more about Computer Science (CS) at USC through our student blog. These posts were written by USC Viterbi CS students during their time at USC to help you better understand the discipline and their life.
Curriculum and Emphases
There are several different options within the computer science program to pursue. Check them all out!
Computer Science, B.S.
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.
Computer Science (Games), B.S.
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.
Computer Engineering & Computer Science, B.S.
(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.
Computer Science/Business Administration, B.S.
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.
Research
We have a balance of programs - theoretical, computational, and experimental – which exemplify the Viterbi School’s approach to intensive and collaborative research.
The Computer Science department 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.
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. Nora Ayanian
Automatic Coordination of Teams
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!
Dr. Heather Culbertson
The Haptics Robotics and Virtual Interaction
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.
Dr. Leonard Adleman
Number Theory
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!
Dr. Yan Liu
USC Machine Learning Center
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.
Don't stop here.
Learn more about the cool faculty and amazing research being done at the Computer Science Department at their website:
Careers
Your engineering undergraduate degree will prepare you for many career and academic opportunities.
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.
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 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!
Code the Change
Service Organization
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.
Association for Computing Machinery
Professional Organization
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.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Design Team
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.
Imagine yourself on campus.
Learn more about life at USC as an engineering student at Viterbi Voices:
Alumni
At the Viterbi School of Engineering, our students can do it all. From start-ups to research, everything is available to them to bring their dreams to life and succeed post graduation. See what our alumni have to say about the Viterbi program.
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.
