usc computer science phd application

The Doctor of Philosophy with a major in computer science is awarded in strict conformity with the general requirements of the USC Graduate School. See Requirements for Graduation   . Departmental requirements for this degree consist of a concentrated program of study and research and a dissertation. Consult a separately published guide, available from the department office and Website, for more information concerning course requirements, the screening procedure, the teaching requirement, the qualifying examination, the thesis proposal and other requirements.

Course Requirements

Each student is required to complete two semesters of CSCI 697    (1 unit each, 2 maximum) and CSCI 670    (4 units). In addition, students are required to pass two semesters of CSCI 698    (1-2 units each, no maximum) as part of a teaching requirement.

Elective courses: In addition to the mandatory courses, each student must complete five CSCI courses at the 500 level and above, 4 units each. No more than two of these courses (8 units total) may be at the 500 level; the remaining must be CSCI courses at the 600 level. Directed Research units or thesis credits do not satisfy this requirement. Students are strongly advised to take at least one of their elective courses in an area of computer science that is different from their proposed area of research. The PhD adviser is expected to provide guidance on this matter to the student.

The CSCI 670    course requirement may be waived by examination only. Each course in the department has a faculty member who is designated as the course “owner.” The owner of CSCI 670    is in charge of creating and grading the waiver examination. CSCI 697    and CSCI 698    may not be waived.

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We are very excited about the future of our education program here at the Department of Computer Science and we hope you are interested in joining us!

Many students choose to come to USC because of our academics and innovative programs, but we also offer:

• Outstanding, well-paid, career opportunities in California's high-tech economy.
• Personal contact with a top-ranked faculty who are both world-renowned researchers and experienced engineers.
• A modern and challenging curriculum which constantly evolves with the latest research.
• Collaboration with other top students who are attracted to Los Angeles' international economy from around the world.
• Exemplary leadership in computer science research.

Our graduates find employment opportunities with numerous organizations, such as: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Inc., Amazon Web Services, Cisco Systems, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation), Oracle Corporation, Salesforce, Intel, Expedia, Inc., Visa Inc., Apple Inc., LinkedIn, VMWare, Adobe, Bloomberg L.P., Yahoo! Inc., Oath, PayPal, Inc. and many more!

Please review the USC catalogue and the CS Department website to find detailed information about our academic programs in computer science and data science .

Important: The Computer Science department does not accept application materials, transcripts, test scores, or any other documents from applicants.  Please do not mail, fax, or email any documents to us.   For information on how and where to submit application materials, see the links below.  Furthermore, the CS Department does not make decisions of admission for the B.S. Program or the M.S. Program and will not be able to provide application status updates.

Undergraduate Applicants: For further questions about the undergraduate application process, please visit: Prospective Undergraduate Students or contact [email protected]

Master's Applicants: For further questions about the graduate application process, please visit Prospective Graduate Students: How to Apply or the Viterbi Graduate Admissions Contact Form

Ph.D. Applicants:  For further questions about the graduate application process, please visit: How to Apply or contact [email protected]

REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates): Various research experiences for visiting undergraduates exist at the Viterbi School of Engineering, the Department of Computer Science, the Information Sciences Institute, and the Institute of Creative Technologies.  Visit the link above to view more information about these programs and their specific admission requirements.

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