For Spring 2024 students, be sure to visit the VASE New M.S. Student Website and sign up for the Viterbi Orientation activities - more information will be emailed to you by VASE. Our M.S. Computer Science Orientation will be a two day event and held on Wednesday, January 3rd 2024 (online department presentation; viewing required) and Thursday, January 4th 2024 (on-campus events and sessions). All new students should plan to attend and participate in both days of orientation.

Orientation Part 1: January 3, 2024 (online)
Orientation Part I is a half-day online session curated by Viterbi departments and offices. Engage with advisors from your academic department, the VASE Office, Viterbi Career Connections, and the Viterbi Student Engagement team as you delve into the world of Viterbi resources. International students will also participate in an information session focusing on international student status policies and updates.

Orientation Part II: January 4, 2024 (in-person)
All new master's students will gather together at Orientation Part II for a day of learning and network opportunities with faculty, staff, and fellow students. Get ready for opportunities to connect, learn, and discover the boundless potential that awaits you at Viterbi.

This will be an all-day event, please do not schedule any other USC event on this day, such as ISV, ISE exam, or department advisement.

Academic Advising

Welcome to the Computer Science Department at USC!  We are the Master’s Student Advisors. Our offices are located in Salvatori Hall (SAL-104).

• Flor Martínez

• Idania Takimoto

• Norma Perry

• Erica Kim

• Steve Pham

• Kim Serrano

• Sabrina Rodriguez

• Felante' Charlemagne

• Viviana Ramirez

• Lilian Leung

• Randy Lesko

MS students are not assigned to a specific advisor and all advisors are available to assist you.
For help you can email us at vsd-csms@usc.edu (CS) or vsd-dsms@usc.edu (DS) and we will respond to your message as soon as we can, typically within one to three business days.

Group Advising
We will have group Zoom advisement the week prior to the start of school for all of our new students. Group advisement will continue through the add/drop period (first three weeks of the semester). These are optional sessions for students who have questions as they matriculate into program. More information about the Zoom sessions will be sent to you.

1:1 Advisement Appointments are available after Week 3 for course planning and other questions.
To schedule an individual advisement appointment after Week 3 of the semester, please visit myViterbi.usc.edu and click on the “Advisement Appointment (CS) tool”.

The Computer Science Department’s website (www.cs.usc.edu) provides information about the requirements for all of our programs. You can click on “Academics” and then go to “M.S. Programs” to view the links for program requirements.

In addition, if you are seeking specific resources, please visit the USC website during your free time. The search engine is particularly useful because you can enter queries, such as, “registration” or “tuition” or “housing” and a list of links will appear that provide you with relevant contact information.

For additional program information please visit our MS resource page at: https://www.cs.usc.edu/students/ms-students/

We look forward to meeting you very soon and we hope you are excited to begin the Master of Science in Computer Science program at USC!

Please feel free to email us if you have any questions.

Fight On!

CS Student Affairs Team
vsd-csms@usc.edu
vsd-dsms@us.edu

DEN (Distance Education Network) Students

The Office of Viterbi Admissions and Student Engagement (VASE) manages enrollment in DEN courses. DEN sections of CS and DS courses are designated as “DEN@Viterbi” in the “Room” column on the Schedule of Classes.

All DEN@Viterbi courses require departmental clearance (d-clearance) before you can register via the Web Registration system. The D-clearance Request form is available in the DEN Tools section of DEN’s Course Management System Desire2Learn (D2L). To request d-clearance, please follow the steps listed below:

1. Login to DEN@Viterbi
2. Click DEN@Viterbi Tools on the navigation bar
3. Click on Request D-clearance link - **On-Campus students do not have access to the DEN d-clearance request link.**
4. Select the term from the drop down menu.
5. Select your courses and submit for processing. D-clearance requests may take up to 1-2 business days to process. You can check the status of submitted D-Clearance requests via the D-Clearance Status link also located in DEN Tools.

If you do not have a DEN@Viterbi Profile, please review the New Master’s DEN@Viterbi Students website and follow the instructions to create your DEN@Viterbi Profile. On-campus students do not need to create a DEN profile.

You usually will contact your CS or DS Advisor if you have questions regarding your program requirements. Otherwise, if you have questions about enrollment in DEN courses, please email den@vase.usc.edu.

DEN sections are reserved for DEN Off-campus students. On-campus students MUST submit a petition to take a DEN section as an on-campus student’ to the VASE Office. Petitions to register in a DEN section as an on-campus student are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and registration is not guaranteed. Petition decisions will be emailed to the student and if approved, D-Clearance will be issued by the VASE Office.  CS and DS Advisors cannot grant access to DEN Off-campus courses.

We recommend that DEN students working full-time only take one class each semester.

First Semester Courses

All new students will be pre-assigned courses for their first semester according to their program of study. Please note that students in our scientists and engineers program must complete CSCI 455x in their 1^st semester.

DEN students may request d-clearance through their DEN tools portal. DEN students are welcome to select any course their 1^st semester, but students in scientists and engineers must take CSCI 455x in their 1^st semester.

• Computer Science (General): CSCI 570 30395 and CSCI 571 30378
• Artificial Intelligence: CSCI 561 and CSCI 571 30079
• Data Science: CSCI 561 and CSCI 570 30395
• Computer Security: CSCI 555 and CSCI 570 30395
• Computer Networks: CSCI 555 and CSCI 570 30395
• Game Development: N/A and N/A
• Intelligent Robotics: CSCI 561 and CSCI 570 30395
• Multimedia & Creative Technologies: CSCI 420 and CSCI 580
• High Performance Computing & Simulations: CSCI 570 30395 and CSCI 580
• Scientists & Engineers*: CSCI 455 and CSCI 585
  *CSCI 455x required in first semester. Scientists & Engineers may also take EE 450 or EE 457.

D-Clearance

What’s a D-Clearance?

If your class number ends in "R" (ex: 12345R), you can register through USC Web Registration. For all courses that end in “R” you may register directly without departmental approval.

However, for courses that the class number ends in “D” (ex: 54321D), you will need D-Clearance. D-Clearance stands for Departmental Clearance and it is required for courses in the Schedule of Classes that have a “D”. D-Clearance gives you permission to register, however it does not reserve a seat for you in the class.

New students will be pre-cleared for TWO (2) on-campus courses based on the program they certified to attend.
You must enroll in these two courses. Even if you plan to switch specializations (with the exception of Scientists & Engineers) your first semester courses will still count in your CS or DS degree.

If you would like to request alternate CSCI or DSCI courses, you may do so via the http://myviterbi.usc.edu D-Clearance Request Manager beginning on January 8th, 2024. Any requests submitted by first semester students prior to this date will be deleted. We can only guarantee the courses pre-assigned for your program in the first semester. D-clearance for other courses is not guaranteed. If you receive d-clearance for an alternate course, you will be contacted via email, and then be able to change your schedule via web registration. You can check the status of any d-clearance request by visiting the "Summary Report" in the D-Clearance Request Manager.  A status of "pending" means you are in the waiting pool for the course.  You will only receive the notification email if your request is approved.

D-clearance ALWAYS EXPIRES. Be sure to read your d-clearance approval email to know when your d-clearance will expire. The department cannot extend clearance once it has expired. D-clearance granted through myViterbi is valid for two days before the semester starts, and during add/drop it is valid only for the same day it is issued.

To view the course meeting times please check the Schedule of Classes: http://classes.usc.edu/.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the CS department's d-clearance and registration policies when it comes time to request your courses in future semesters: https://www.cs.usc.edu/students/d-clearance/

How to Enroll in Courses

Most students self-register for their courses through an online tool called Web Registration. Once you receive your d-clearance to enroll in a course, you will be able to use Web Registration to add it.  You can access Web Registration through your myUSC portal.

All USC students can register once their registration appointment time begins.  Students can locate the registration appointment information at myUSC > OASIS > Permit to Register OR myUSC > Web Registration > Select Semester > myInfo > Registration Appointment. However, students DO NOT need to register at that specific appointment time. It is a system activation date/time for when a student can register online, so you can add courses beginning on that date/time and afterward until the add/drop deadline. Students can add any Open Enrollment "R" courses they meet the prerequisites for and they can add D-clearance "D" courses after D-clearance has been granted by the department.

You can learn when your registration period begins each semester by checking the information under "Permit to Register" in OASIS within the myUSC portal.  Please note that the registration calendar and D-clearance processing for Computer Science and Data Science courses is often later than the university's registration calendar for most other graduate programs.

Important dates for when you register in Computer Science courses will be sent to you directly by the CS department each semester.

We strongly recommend that you check your course list the day after you add or drop courses to ensure that all changes have been properly made. You should also receive an email confirmation for any changes to your schedule.

USC Web Registration Instructions and Video Tutorials

Full-Time Status and Enrollment Limit

Full-time Enrollment Status
A master's student is considered to be enrolled full-time in a semester when the student has registered for eight (8) or more units.
Units taken for audit do not apply to enrollment status calculation.

How many CS courses can I be enrolled in?
According to the department policy, you can only be enrolled in a maximum of 2 four (4) unit CSCI/DSCI courses. CSCI 590 and CSCI 591 do not count towards this limit. Traditional M.S. Computer Science students are not allowed to be enrolled in 3 four (4) unit CSCI/DSCI courses.

Grading Options and Auditing Courses

There are three grading options to choose from in web registration: Letter Grade, Pass/No Pass, and Audit.

Graduate degree courses must be taken for a Letter Grade (not for Pass/No Pass).

Auditing Courses: Prior to auditing a course, students should first seek approval from the instructor to audit the course. If there is insufficient room in the course, students taking the course for credit have priority over students wishing to audit a course.

A course taken for "Audit" will be assessed at the current tuition rate.  Audited courses are not available for degree credit and will not appear on the USC transcript or grade report and will not count for full time enrollment.

A course taken for “Audit” is not included in enrollment for purposes of receiving financial aid.  “Audit” is a grading option, and students can select it through Web Registraiton as long as they are compliant with the University’s grade option change deadlines and policies. Students cannot change to or from the “Audit” grading option after the deadline.  Consult the Schedule of Classes for the deadline to select the “Audit” grade option for a specific course.

Prerequisites, Corequisites, and Out of Sequence Policy

Some courses have prerequisites (a specific course must be completed before enrolling in the next course) or co-requisites (a course must be completed before or with its corequisite).

Once you complete a higher level course, you cannot go back and take the lower level prerequisite course. This would be considered out of sequence and the lower level prereqsuite course will not count in your degree.

The out of sequence policy also applies in cases of "OR'd" prerequisites -- where two or more courses may serve as prerequisite options for a higher level course. When you complete one of the prerequisites, then take the higher level course, you cannot go back and take any of the other prerequisites for degree credit.

More Information about CS Course Prerequisites

Directed Research and Colloquium

All graduate students have the option to engage in and explore computer science research and receive credit toward their degree programs.  There are two course options available for students. You may complete one or both. See an advisor for more details.

Option 1: CSCI 590 Directed Research, which can be taken for 1 or 2 units at a time.  Students engage in supervised research projects with a computer science faculty member. A maximum of 2 units of CSCI 590 Directed Research can be applied toward the degree. The Center for Systems and Software Engineering (CSSE) will often offer numerous opportunities for graduate students to engage in a faculty supervised research project with an external client. Additional information about Directed Research can be found on the department website at: https://www.cs.usc.edu/students/directed-research

Option 2: CSCI 591 Computer Science Research Colloquium, which can be taken for 1 unit at a time and is repeatable for a second unit.  Exploration and critical assessment of research activities in computer science. This course serves as a forum for current research presentations from academia and industry. A maximum of 2 units of CSCI 591 Computer Science Research Colloquium can be applied toward the degree.

Thesis Option

The MS thesis option is available to highly qualified students but requires the student to find an advisor willing to supervise their research. In practice, availability of advisors is extremely limited and this option is exercised rarely.

With the approval of a supervising professor, qualified students may be allowed to pursue a thesis option. Students pursuing the thesis option must satisfy all of the policies and course requirements for the master's degree and, in addition, must enroll in a minimum of two semesters of CSCI 594a, CSCI 594b, CSCI 594z for a maximum of 4 units. The thesis must comply with all requirements set by the USC Graduate School.

Total units required for the M.S. in Computer Science (General) degree with thesis is 32.

Thesis units do not count towards elective units.

Students enrolled in a CS specialization are not eligible to add a thesis to their program.

Tuition Refund Insurance

Tuition Refund Insurance is optional insurance that students may purchase for a small fee for each semester of enrollment. It provides a refund of tuition and fees to a student who must withdraw from all classes due to an illness, accidental injury, or medical emergency. Students are automatically opted in for Tuition Refund Insurance when they begin their initial registration transaction on Web Registration. If a student would like to opt out of Tuition Refund Insurance, they must opt out by following the system prompt under the Tuition Refund Insurance section on Web Registration. It is the student’s responsibility to opt out by the semester’s respective deadline. The deadline is listed on the Schedule of Classes under the Registrar Calendar. Claims are handled and processed by a third party insurance company. For more detailed information, please visit the link below or contact the Registrar’s Office directly at 213-740-8500.

USC Tuition Refund Insurance Program

Tuition, Fees, and Payment Questions

The Computer Science and Data Science Academic Advisors do not have access to your billing/account statements. For assistance with questions regarding your tuition and fees, you must contact Student Financial Services at 213-740-7471 or cashier@usc.edu. They are located in Parking Structure B, Suite 100.

Most questions can be answered by reviewing their website at: https://sfs.usc.edu/

Conditions of Admission

If you received a letter with conditions of admission, please be aware that these conditions were placed by the admissions committee and serve to reemphasize the importance of performing well during your first semester. If the letter indicates specific courses you need to take, then you MUST take the courses during your first semester.

Due to these conditions, you will have a restriction hold on your account (ADM 20) and this hold will not be removed until you email the advisement team in the second semester and indicate that you have satisfied the admission conditions. This hold will not prevent you from registering for your first or second semester courses, but if you do not request to have it lifted it will change to an ADM 21 hold which will prevent future registrations for your third semester and beyond.

Prior Degree Verification

All graduate students are required to verify their bachelor’s degree. Check your OASIS account to find out if Degree Verification has not yet been resolved for you: https://camel2.usc.edu/OASIS/

If you have an "Activity Restriction," identified as an ADM40 or RNR40, you must have your prior degree(s) verified.  ADM40 and RNR40 holds will not prevent initial registration, but you must resolve the degree verification by the end of your first semester.  Your registration in future semesters will be blocked if the hold escalates to ADM41 or RNR41.

Domestic Students: If you received your bachelor’s degree from an institution within the United States, you will need to submit an official transcript that lists the conferral date of your bachelor’s degree to USC directly. You can submit either an official hard-copy paper transcript or an official electronic PDF transcript.

If you are ordering an official hard-copy paper transcript, your undergraduate institution may mail them directly to USC:

University of Southern California
Degree Progress Department
700 Childs Way, JHH 010
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0912

Please note: All transcripts must be enclosed in the original envelope and must be sealed with intact security marks from the issuing institution.

If you are ordering an official electronic PDF transcript, you must set USC as the main recipient of the transcript and your undergraduate institution/transcript vendor must send the transcript directly to etrans@usc.edu. You cannot have the transcript sent to yourself and then forward it to USC, that makes the transcript unofficial.

International Students: The University of Southern California requires that ALL prior degrees from international institutions must be verified through the International Education Research Foundation (IERF).

• A special USC website has been established by the service provider, initiate the process through this website: www.ierf.org/usc    
  

What happens if a student does not complete Degree Verification?

• Students are STRONGLY encouraged to start the process as early as possible.
• Documents submitted with the graduate application are not enough to satisfy the degree verification requirement.
• Failure to complete verification prior to end of first term of enrollment will result in a restriction that prevents registration transactions. (ADM 41 or RNR 41).
• This means that registration for the following semester cannot take place.
• Late registration can result in late fees being added to your account.

Complete information can be found at:  https://arr.usc.edu/services/degree-progress/verification.html

For any prior degree verification questions, please email One Stop via their contact page.

I-20 Questions and Immigration Status Verification (ISV)

The Office of International Services (ois@usc.edu) is the point of contact for all issues and information related to I-20 and international student visa status.

International New Student Information: https://ois.usc.edu/new-students/

International students need to work with the Office of International Services for passport verification. Otherwise, you will not be able to register for your courses because you will have a PPV restriction hold (STU50) on your account. Please visit the Office of International Services (OIS) website for the most up to date instructions on how to verify your passport and resolve the PPV restriction hold.

You can sign up for passport verification and get the most up to date information by visiting the following link: https://ois.usc.edu/new-students/firstweeks/immigration-status-verification-isv/

The CS and DS Department does not handle Visa’s or I-20’s or PPV. You will need to contact OIS in regards to any I-20/PPV questions, at (213) 740-2666, Fax: (213) 740-5194, or email: ois@usc.edu

If you have not received your I-20 please contact USC Graduate Admissions using their online form at: https://ask.usc.edu/app/ask
Select an Area = Graduate Admission [Sub Area = Viterbi School of Engineering] Category = Immigration Matters [Sub Category = check status of new I-20/DS-2019]

ENGR 597x, CPT, and Internships

All international students present in the United States on a student visa who wish to do an internship in the United States are required to enroll in ENGR 597x: Internship in Engineering. ENGR 597x will cover topics such as resume writing, cover letters, business etiquette in the United States and much more! International Students only need to enroll in this course once they have received their 1^st internship. This course will be taken at the same time you are completing your internship. This course does not need to be taken before your internship.

If you have any further questions, please visit the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for USC Viterbi Students and then contact the Viterbi Career Connections office for further questions vcareers@vase.usc.edu.

Domestic students do not need to enroll in an internship course and can accept employment offers directly without university approval.

Internship courses are not eligible for elective credit toward the degree.

Reduced Course Load (RCL)

International Students
F-1 international students are required to enroll and complete a full course load each semester in order to maintain valid non-immigrant student status. There are only a few exceptions to the full-time enrollment requirement for the fall and spring semesters. One of the allowable exceptions is due to academic difficulty. If a student meets the requirement, they must apply for a Reduced Course Load (RCL) through the Office of International Services prior to dropping below full-time status.

International students may only request a Reduced Course Load for academic difficulty reasons during their first semester at USC. First semester students are encouraged to opt for the Reduced Course Load if they have concerns about workload while acclimating to a new environment.

A Reduced Course Load based on a documented Illness or Medical Condition and a Final Semester Reduced Course Load are still possible in future semesters, but the Academic Difficulty Reduced Course Load can only be used in the first semester.

Note: Approval for an RCL comes from the Viterbi Admission & Student Engagement Office (VASE) and the Office of International Services (OIS). The CS and DS Department advisors are not authorized to sign for an RCL.

Instructions for Requesting a Reduced Course Load

Domestic Students
United States citizens and permanent residents are eligible to enroll part-time (less than 8 units) at their discretion. However, domestic students receiving financial support should confirm with the Financial Aid Office or their scholarship administrator to ensure they will still be eligible for their financial awards if they are not enrolled in a full-time load.

American Language Institute (ALI) / International Student English (ISE) Exam

This information applies to international students with an English proficiency admission requirement.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) 
USC accepts only Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) test scores. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:

90 or above, with 20 or above in each section.

If you did not receive sufficient scores on your TOEFL exam (for international students), you are required to take the ISE (International Student English) exam. You can register for the ISE exam by registering on the ALI (American Language Institute) website: http://ali.usc.edu/.

Some students retake the TOEFL exam and receive better scores. If this is your case, you need to contact ALI to see if your restriction hold (ALI01) can be removed based on improved results. Otherwise, you will NOT receive authorization to register for your CS or DS courses until you obtain the results from your ISE exam. The results should be available in about one week after you take the test. Once you register in courses, your ALI restriction hold (ALI01) will not allow you to drop courses via web registration. You will need to make any schedule changes with the Registration Office.

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
USC only accepts the IELTS Academic scores. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:

6.5 or above, with 6 or above on each band.

Sending official scores to USC: USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores from the testing service are not acceptable.

Select “University of Southern California” from the list of available institutions when you register to take the IELTS test. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after you have taken the test. Contact information for the USC department to which you are applying is not required.

Your scores are considered valid only if earned within two years of your intended first term at USC. (For example, no earlier than August 1 two years prior if applying for the fall term.)

GSG Professional Development Fund

At this time the CS Department does not provide funding for M.S. candidate professional development or conference attendance. However, all USC graduate students who pay the Student Programming Fee are eligible to apply for the USC Graduate Student Government's Professional Development Fund.

The GSG Professional Development Fund aims to support USC graduate and professional students in activities related to the development of skills necessary for success post-graduation. Eligibility criteria is intended to be flexible, and funds may be used for activities such as: travel to conferences, organization membership fees, and online workshops. All students who have paid the “Graduate Student Programming Fee” are eligible to apply for this fund. Awards are received as direct deposits and can be applied to future expenses or used to offset the cost of a recent expense. Each award is $500 and students should propose activities that take advantage of the full award. Students are eligible for a maximum of one award per academic year.

Grants for child care and emergency assistance through the Graduate Student Government are also available.

Application Procedures and Guidelines

General Policies You'll Need to Know

Degree Requirements: To learn about the course requirements for your graduate program, please visit the CS M.S. Program’s main resource page at: http://www.cs.usc.edu/students/ms-students/

Prerequisites: Prerequisite courses are courses that need to be completed prior to registering for an advanced course. To learn about prerequisites for specific courses, please review the course descriptions in the academic catalogue and the CS department’s policy on prerequisites and out of sequence courses. If courses are taken out of the proper order, they become ineligible for degree credit.

Good Academic Standing: All graduate students are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (“B” average), as well as a 3.0 (“B” average) in your applied major courses. You may be dismissed from the program if this is not achieved. Please review the academic policies at: https://viterbigrad.usc.edu/academic-policies/

Approved Non-CS Courses: CS master students are allowed to take up to 4 units of approved non CS courses to count towards their CS master degree. Always check with an advisor before choosing a non-CS course. A list of approved courses is available at: https://www.cs.usc.edu/students/ms-students/approved-non-cs-courses/

Course with Credit restrictions: A class number with an “X” means it may not count towards the CS master degree (such as: CSCI 455x).

400-level Unit Courses: CS master students are allowed to take up to 4 units of approved 400 level courses; however, some must be taken before the advanced course. For example, CSCI 420 must be taken before CSCI 520 because CSCI 420 is a prerequisite for CSCI 520.  Always check with an advisor before choosing a 400 level course. A list of approved courses is available at: https://www.cs.usc.edu/students/ms-students/approved-400-level-courses/

Holds: A registration hold is usually given for several reasons and should be resolved as soon as possible. Some holds may prevent you from registering for classes. For example, you may have been admitted into the program with special conditions (such as maintaining a 3.0 GPA during first semester, or completing specific courses during the first semester, prior degree verification, passport verification etc.).

Leaves of Absence: Graduate students are expected to be enrolled in courses every Fall and Spring semester.  If you need to take a semester off, you must apply for a Leave of Absence.

International Students must contact VASE to apply for a Leave of Absence.  International Students should review the information at: https://viterbigrad.usc.edu/graduate-student-international-services/#loa
Domestic Students must contact the CS department to apply for a Leave of Absence.

Enrollment during the Summer is optional. If you do not file for a leave of absence and break continuous enrollment in the program, then you must apply for readmission to the program when you want to return to USC.  Readmission is not guaranteed. A maximum of 4 semesters of leave can be approved by the department.

Substituting Courses: Required course substitutions are rarely approved. CSCI 570 Analysis of Algorithms can be substituted with CSCI 670 Advanced Analysis of Algorithms. Any exceptions to your degree requirements must be approved by the department. Please talk to an advisor if you have any questions about your curriculum.

Course Registration Limit: Students who started the program in Spring 2020 or later are no longer eligible to enroll in 3 CSCI/DSCI courses (12 units) in the same semester. Students seeking to complete their degree in 3 semesters should meet with an advisor after week 3 to plan their courses accordingly.  Students should only be only enrolled in 2 CSCI/DSCI courses per semester. CSCI 590 and 591 do not count towards this limit.

Scientists and Engineers: Students in this program are not eligible to switch into any other programs such as the general program or a specialization. CSCI 455x is required in their 1^st semester and cannot be waived under any circumstance. Failure to enroll in CSCI 455x for the 1^st semester may result in dismissal from the program. Scientists and Engineers are not eligible to take CSCI 402,  CSCI 561, CSCI 566, or CSCI 567  in the 1^st semester. Scientists and Engineers may only take 8 units of 400 level coursework towards their degree (455x is not counted towards your degree so it is not part of the 8 units). Students are encouraged to take CSCI 402 in their 2^nd or 3^rd semester as this course is highly beneficial to other CSCI courses and helps build your programming skills for your internship/job search.

EE 450 Placement Exam

Please note that some CSCI courses like Communication Networks (CSCI 551) require the passing of the placement exam for “Introduction to Computer Networks (EE 450).”  For additional information about the EE 450 placement exam please visit the following link:

http://minghsiehee.usc.edu/placement-exams/

***If EE 450 was not completed at USC with a grade of “C“ or higher, then you are required to pass the placement exam to satisfy the prerequisite requirements or complete the prerequisite course at USC.***

Online Resources

CS Department Master’s Student Resources: http://www.cs.usc.edu/students/ms-students/
USC Academic Catalogue: http://catalogue.usc.edu/
USC Student Handbook (SCampus): https://policy.usc.edu/scampus/
USC Counseling Services: https://studenthealth.usc.edu/counseling/
USC Student Affairs & Campus Life: https://studentaffairs.usc.edu/
USC Temporary Housing: https://ois.usc.edu/living-in-la/housing/