Procedure to take Non-CS Courses:

CS master students can take up to 9 units of approved EE courses. The list of approved non-CS courses is given below. From this list of approved non-CS courses, you can only take one course that is not CS or EE (such as, ISE).

If you are interested in taking a course which is not in the below list of approved non-CS courses as an elective for your CS master degree, you must submit a typed letter explaining your reasons and attach a copy of the syllabus with the letter. Please submit these documents to your academic advisor so that the department can review for approval or denial. Make sure to include your full name, USC ID, USC email and your current GPA.

List of Approved Non-CS courses:

• EE 450 (3 UNITS): Introduction to Computer Networks Network architectures; layered protocols, network service interface; local networks; long-haul networks; internal protocols; link protocols; addressing; routing; flow control; higher level protocols. Prerequisite: junior standing.
  

• EE 452L (3 UNITS): Game Hardware Architectures Architectural principles underlying modern game console hardware design; introduction to the programming techniques, optimization strategies, and hardware insights to create powerful games. Prerequisite: EE 352L.
  

• EE 454L (3 UNITS):Introduction to Systems Design Using Microprocessors Operation and timing of 8-bit microprocessors; design of microprocessor-based systems; 16-bit microprocessors; bit sliced microprocessors. Prerequisite: EE102L and EE 357.
  

• EE 457 (3 UNITS): Register transfer level machine organization; MPIS instruction set architecture; performances; computer arithmetic; organization and detailed implementation of non-pipeline and pipelined processors; cache and virtual memory. (Note: Credit for this course is given only if the course is taken in Fall 2009 or later.)
  

• EE 465 (3 UNITS): Probabilistic Methods in Computer Systems Modeling Review of probability; random variables; stochastic processes; Markov chains; and simple queuing theory. Applications to program and algorithm analysis; computer systems performance and reliability modeling. Prerequisite: MATH 407.
  

• EE 477L (4 UNITS): MOS VLSI Circuit Design Analysis and design of digital MOS VLSI circuits including area, delay and power minimization. Laboratory assignments including design, layout, extraction, simulation and automatic synthesis. Prerequisite: EE 328Lx or EE 338.
  

• EE 519 (3 UNITS): Speech Recognition and Processing for Multimedia Speech production, acoustics, perception, synthesis, compression, recognition, transmission. Coding for speech, music, and CD-quality. Feature extraction. Echo cancellation. Audio, visual synchronization. Multimedia, internet use. Prerequisite: EE 483.
  

• EE 520 (3 UNITS): Introduction to Quantum Information Processing Introduces the basics of quantum computation and quantum information theory: quantum bits and registers, unitary gates, algorithms, error correction, and quantum cryptography.
  

• EE 532 (3 UNITS): Wireless Internet and Pervasive Wireless Internet access technologies, 3G cellular systems, WAP and PKI protocols, mobile computing devices, network security for mobile computing devices, network security for mobile E-commerce, software and middleware for pervasive, cluster, grid, and Internet computing. Prerequisite: EE 450.
  

• EE 544 (3 UNITS): Radio Frequency Systems and Hardware Elements of radio frequency communication systems: modulation/demodulation strategies, transmission-channel impairments, performance criteria, hardware, digital back-end, contemporary case studies. Prerequisite: EE 301, EE 348L, EE 364.
  

• EE 549 (3 UNITS) Queueing Theory for Performance Modeling Review of Poisson and Markov processes; Markovian and non-Markovian queueing systems; networks of queues; priority queueing; applications of the theory to computer systems and communication networks. Prerequisite: EE 464 or EE 465.
  

• EE 550 (3 UNITS): Design and Analysis of Computer Communication Networks Application of stochastic modeling and optimization techniques to communication network design and analysis. Data link control; performance models; multi-access channels; routing and flow control. Prerequisite: EE 450; EE 549 or EE 465.
  

• EE 552 (3 UNITS): Logic Design and Switching Theory State minimization of incompletely specified sequential circuits; asynchronous sequential circuits; races; state assignments; combinatorial and sequential hazards in logic circuits. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.
  

• EE 553 (3 UNITS): Computational Solution of Optimization Problems. Computer algorithms for system optimization. Search techniques, gradient methods, and parameter optimization in control systems. Optimization with constraints; linear and nonlinear programming. Random search techniques. Prerequisite: EE 441.
  

• EE 554 (3 UNITS): Real Time Computer Systems. Structure of real time computer systems; analog signals and devices; scheduling, synchronization of multiprocessors; reliability, availability; serial/parallel computations; real time operating systems and languages; design examples. Prerequisite: EE457x and CS455x.
  

• EE 555 (3 UNITS): Broadband Network Architecture ATM and BISDN, switch designs, high speed local, campus and metropolitan area networks, light wave and photonic networks, network management techniques, application and gigabit testbeds. Prerequisite: EE 450 and EE 465.
  

• EE 557 (3 UNITS): Computer Systems Architecture. Comparative studies of computer system components: the CPU, memory, and I/O; analytical modeling techniques to allow comparative evaluation of architectures; parallelism and supercomputers. Prerequisite: EE 457x and CS 455x.
  

• EE 559 (3 UNITS): Mathematical Pattern Recognition Distribution free classification, discriminant functions, training algorithms; statistical classification, parametric and nonparametric techniques, potential function; non-supervised learning. Prerequisite: EE 464. Corequisite: EE441.
  

• EE 569 (3 UNITS): Introduction to Digital Image Processing Image sampling, 2-D image transform, image enhancement, geometric image modification, morphologic processing, edge detection, texture analysis, image filtering and restoration. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.
  

• EE 579 (3 UNITS): Wireless and Mobile Networks Mobile ad hoc networks: ad hoc and geographic routing, resource discovery, medium access control, IP-mobility, mobility modeling, wide-wireless networks. Lab: wireless LAN measurement, mobile-IP, ad hoc routing. Prerequisite: CS 551 or EE 550 or EE 555.
  

• EE 619 (3 UNITS): Advanced Topics in Automatic Speech Recognition Advanced topics in automatic speech recognition, speaker recognition, spoken dialogue, conversational multimedia interfaces. Recommended preparation: EE 464, EE 519, CSCI 544.
  

• EE 653 (3 UNITS): Advanced Topics in Microarchitecture Current research topics related to microprocessor architecture. Dynamically/statically scheduled processors, multithreading, chip multiprocessors, systems on a chip. Power performance, complexity, dependability issues. Impact of technology. Prerequisite: EE 557.
  

• EE 657 (3 UNITS): Parallel and Distributed Computing Parallel programming models/software tools, multiprocessor systems, multicomputer cluster, latency tolerance, multithreading, fast message passing/middleware, interconnection networks, SMP, cluster, and grid computing applications. Prerequisite: EE 557.
  

• EE 658 (3 UNITS): Diagnosis and Design or Reliable Digital Systems Fault models; test generation; fault simulation; self checking and self testing circuits; design for testability; fault tolerant design techniques; case studies. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
  

• EE 659 (3 UNITS): Interconnection Networks Theory, design and analysis of interconnection networks for multiprocessor systems. Study of direct and indirect topologies, deadlock-free routing, flow control, network interfaces, optical interconnects. Prerequisite: EE 557. .
  

• MATH 458 (4 UNITS): Numerical Methods Rounding errors in digital computation; solution of linear algebraic systems; Newton’s method for nonlinear systems; matrix eigenvalues; polynomial approximation; numerical integration; numerical solution of ordinary differential equations. Prerequisite: linear algebra and calculus.
  

• MATH 501 (3 UNITS): Numerical Analysis and Computation Linear equations and matrices, Gauss elimination, error estimates, iteration techniques; contractive mappings, Newton’s method; matrix eigenvalue problems; least squares approximation, Newton-cotes and Gaussian quadratures; finite difference methods. Prerequisite: Linear algebra and calculus.
  

• MATH 502ab(2-3 UNITS) Numerical Analysis Computational linear algebra; solution of general nonlinear systems of equation; approximation theory using functional analysis; numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equation. Prerequisite: MATH 425a and MATH 471.
  

• MATH 504ab(3 UNITS): Numerical Solution of Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations. A: Initial value problems; multistep methods, stability, convergence and error estimation, automatic stepsize control, higher order methods, systems of equations, stiff problems; boundary value problems; eigenproblems. B: Computationally efficient schemes for solving PDE numerically; stability and convergence of difference schemes, method of lines; fast direct and iterative methods for elliptic equations. Prerequisite: MATH 501 or MATH 502a or departmental approval. .
  

• MATH 505ab(2-3 UNITS): Applied Probability A: Populations, permutations, combinations, random variables, distribution and density functions conditional probability and expectation, binomial, Poisson, and normal distribution; laws of large numbers, central limit theorem. B: Markov processed in discrete or continuous time; renewal processes; martingales; Brownian motion and diffusion theory; random walks, inventory models, population growth, queuing models, shot noise. Prerequisite: Departmental approval.
  

• MATH 533: (3 UNITS): Combinatorial Analysis and Algebra. Advanced group theory; algebraic automata theory; graph theory; topics in combinatorial analysis.
  

• MATH 541ab: (3-3 UNITS): Introduction to Mathematical Statistics A: Parametric families of distributions, sufficiency. Estimation: methods of moments, maximum likelihood, unbiased estimation. Comparison of estimators, optimality, information inequality, asymptotic efficiency. EM algorithm, jackknife and bootstrap. Prerequisite: Math 505a or Math 407 or Math 408. B: Hypothesis testing, Neyman-Pearson lemma, generalized likelihood ratio procedures, confidence intervals, consistency, power, jackknife and bootstrap. Monte Carlo Markov chain methods, hidden Markov models. Prerequisite: Math 541a.
  

• MATH 578 (3 UNITS): DNA and Protein Sequence Analysis.
  

• MATH 587ab(2-3 UNITS): Mathematical Models of Neurons and Neural Networks A: Dynamics of discrete and analog neural networks; qualitative and numerical analysis; computer simulation; learning algorithms and convergence; Kolmagorov theory of feed-forward networks. B: Nernst-Planck and Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equations; Hodgkin-Huxley theory; cable theory; compartment models of dendritic structures; McCulloch-Pitts networks perceptron theory. Prerequisite: a: MATH 465 and either MATH 501 or MATH 5022, b: MATH 587a.
  

• PHYS 495: (2 UNITS) Senior Project An original project will be constructed applying computer technology (in either hardware or software) to produce a result useful in the physics classroom or laboratory. Prerequisite: Departmental approval. .
  

• ISE 511: (3 UNITS): Computer aided manufacturing. Modern industrial automation, numerical control concepts, programmable controllers, robotics, computer-process interfacing, automated process and quality control, flexible manufacturing systems, introduction to computer-integrated manufacturing systems.
  

• ISE 520: (3 UNITS): Optimization: Theory and Algorithms. Conditions for optimality. Nonlinear programming algorithms for constrained and unconstrained problems. Special problems such as quadratic, separable, fractional, geometric programming. Prerequisite: MATH 225 or EE 441, or departmental approval.
  

• ISE 532 (3 UNITS): Network Flows Tree, path flow problems and solution techniques. Methods for minimal cost flows. Applications. Prerequisite: ISE 330 or ISE 536 or departmental approval.
  

• ISE 536: (3 UNITS) Linear Programming and Extensions Linear programming models for resource allocation; simplex and revised simplex methods; duality; sensitivity; transportation problems; selected extensions to large scale, multiobjective, and special structured models. Prerequisite: MATH 225 or EE 441 or departmental approval.
  

• ISE 538 (3 UNITS): Elements of Stochastic Processes Random variables stochastic processes, birth-and-death processes, continuous and discrete time Markov chains with finite and infinite number of states, renewal phenomena, queueing systems.
  

• ISE 571 (3 UNITS): Human Factors Issues in Integrated Media Systems Psychological, cognitive, physical and social characteristics of human factors and how they affect information technology design, development and evaluation for integrated media systems. .
  

• ISE 575 (3-6 UNITS) Topics in Engineering Approaches to Music Cognition Computational research in music cognition, including computational methods for music analysis, such as the abstracting and extracting of pitch and time structures. Computational research in expressive performance, the manipulation of parameters (e.g., tempo, loudness, articulation) to focus attention, facilitate parsing, and create emotional affect. Open to graduate engineering students only. Recommended preparation: programming experience (C++ or Java), basic signal processing and music theory.