USC Viterbi gives students space to explore how ideas become practical solutions. Through a mix of coursework, minors, and hands‑on innovation programs, students learn how to design, build, and test technologies that respond to real needs. The approach emphasizes creative problem‑solving, collaboration, and applying concepts beyond the classroom. Students also gain experience with the process of developing and launching ventures—whether technical, entrepreneurial, or socially focused—while engaging with an ecosystem that encourages ethical and inclusive innovation.

USC offers an exceptionally rich ecosystem for entrepreneurial undergraduates, backed by hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual funding and world‑class support. Students can compete in flagship programs like the New Venture Seed Competition, which awards more than $150,000 each year to early‑stage ventures, or the engineering‑focused Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition, offering $100,000 in prizes for breakthrough technologies.

At USC Viterbi, students don’t just study engineering, they make headlines with it. From record‑setting rockets to innovative prototypes featured in the news, Viterbi students turn ideas into impact.
Clubs like LavaLab, USC Makers, and the Rocket Propulsion Lab create a hands‑on culture of design and innovation, giving students the space to build, test, and launch what they imagine. It’s a community where creativity and engineering thrive side by side.