Catalogue 2006-07

• The Schools
• USC Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Degrees and Requirements
  • Undergraduate Degrees
  • Graduate Degrees
  • Engineering
  • Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
  • Applied Mechanics
  • Astronautics and Space Technology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  •   Mork Family Department of Chemical
      Engineering and Materials Science
    • Chemical Engineering
    • Materials Science
    • Petroleum Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Computer-Aided Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • USC Stevens Institute for Technology Commercialization Educational Programs
  • Daniel J. Epstein of Industrial and Systems Engineering
  • Information Technology Program
  • Manufacturing Engineering
  • Multimedia and Creative Technologies
  • Product Development Engineering
  • Sustainable Cities Program
  • Systems Architecture and Engineering

Computer Engineering

Undergraduate Degree

Education Program Objectives

The undergraduate program in computer engineering and computer science has the following objectives:

(1) Graduates will design and develop computer hardware that reflects the exigencies imposed by software design and development considerations.

(2) Graduates will develop software that makes efficient use of current and developing hardware technologies.

(3) Graduates will continue to develop the scientific and engineering skills and knowledge that will enable them to design and implement computer systems that effectively and efficiently integrate developing hardware and software technologies.

(4) Graduates will be exposed to extensive work experiences in both the areas of computer engineering and computer science.

(5) Most graduates will enter employment in their field.

(6) Some graduates will undertake graduate education in computer engineering and/or computer science.

(7) Graduates will engage in lifelong learning and understand contemporary developments in the field.

(8) The reputations of the electrical engineering and computer science departments, which jointly sponsor the CECS program, for attracting quality students and producing quality graduates, will be continuously improved.

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and Computer Science

Students attaining the Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering and computer science would possess the scientific and engineering skills and knowledge that would enable them to design and implement computer systems that effectively and efficiently integrate developing hardware and software technologies. This degree is administered jointly by the Departments of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

In order to earn the Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering and computer science, the student must: (1) earn 128 class units as described below; (2) achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on all course work undertaken at USC; (3) attain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on all course work completed in electrical engineering and computer science at USC.

In addition, CECS majors must complete a minimum of 30 units of course work in humanities and social sciences.

composition/writing requirements		Units
WRIT 140*	Writing and Critical Reasoning	4
WRIT 340	Advanced Writing	3

General Education (see here)		Units
	General education*+	20

Pre-major requirements		units
Math
MATH 125	Calculus I	4
MATH 126	Calculus II	4
MATH 225	Linear Algebra and Differential Equations	4
MATH 226	Calculus III	4
EE 364	Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, or	3
MATH 407	Probability Theory	4
	400-level math elective**	4
Physics
PHYS 151L***	Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics	4
PHYS 152L	Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism	4
	Science elective****	4

major requirements		Units
Computer Science
CSCI 101L	Fundamentals of Computer Programming	3
CSCI 102L	Data Structures	4
CSCI 105	Object-Oriented Programming	2
CSCI 201L	Principles of Software Development	4
CSCI 271	Discrete Methods in Computer Science	3
CSCI 303	Design and Analysis of Algorithms	3
CSCI 377	Introduction to Software Engineering	3
CSCI 402	Operating Systems	3
Electrical Engineering
EE 101	Introduction to Digital Logic	3
EE 106L	Introduction to Computer Engineering/Computer Science	3
EE 201L	Introduction to Digital Circuits	2
EE 328Lx	Circuits and Electronics for Computer Engineers	4
EE 357	Basic Organization of Computer Systems	3
EE 454L	Introduction to Systems Using Microprocessors	4
EE 457x	Computer Systems Organization	3
Industrial and Systems Engineering
ISE 460	Engineering Economy	3
Senior Design Project
CSCI 477	Design and Construction of Large Software Systems, or
EE 459L	Embedded Systems Design Laboratory	3
Electives
Technical elective++		9
Free elective		4-5
Total units:		128

Minor in Multimedia and Creative Technologies

See listing under Multimedia and Creative Technologies.

Graduate Degrees

The graduate program in computer engineering, offered through the Department of Electrical Engineering, is designed to provide students with an intensive background in the analysis, structure, design and function of digital computers and information processing systems. In addition to giving each student a fundamental background in digital logic, computer architecture and operating systems, a wide variety of elective courses allows for study in the following specialized areas: artificial intelligence; computer architecture; computer networks; computer system performance; design automation; fault-tolerant computers; microprocessors; parallel processing; real-time systems; robotics; and VLSI design.

Master of Science in Computer Engineering

The Master of Science in Computer Engineering is earned by completing an integrated program of at least 27 units of approved course work in computer engineering and computer science. No more than three courses (maximum 12 units) may be counted at the 400 level — at least 18 advisor approved units must be taken at the 500 or 600 level.

All applicants must have taken the entrance requirement courses (or equivalent in other institutions) in order to be admitted to the program. Entrance requirement course credit cannot be applied toward the degree. A fundamental courser may be waived by taking a placement exam. In case a placement exam is not offered, a fundamental course may be waived by a designated faculty member. At least 18 units must be taken at the 500-level or above. At least 18 units must be taken in electrical engineering, 15 of which must be taken at USC. Units taken outside of electrical engineering or computer science must be approved in advance by a computer engineering advisor and must be substantive in content and related to the degree objective. Up to 3 units of Directed Research (EE 590) with a computer engineering faculty member may be applied toward the degree.

Entrance Requirement Courses		Units
CSCI 455x	Introduction to Programming Systems Design	4
EE 357	Basic Organization of Computer Systems	3

Students must take or waive all four of the following fundamental courses (with the option of EE 450 or EE 465):

Fundamental Courses		Units
CSCI 402x	Operating Systems	3
EE 450	Introduction to Computer Networks, or
EE 465	Probabilistic Methods in Computer Systems Modeling	3
EE 457x	Computer Systems Organization	3
EE 477L	MOS VLSI Circuit Design	4
Students must take at least two of the following core courses (with the option of EE 550 or EE 555):

Core Courses		Units
EE 550	Design and Analysis of Computer Communication Networks, or
EE 555	Broadband Network Architectures	3
EE 557	Computer Systems Architecture	3
EE 577a	VLSI System Design	3
Students must take at least 6 units from the following list of elective courses (cannot overlap with the core courses):
Computer Science: CSCI 545, CSCI 546, CSCI 547, CSCI 551, CSCI 555, CSCI 558L, CSCI 561, CSCI 565, CSCI 570, CSCI 584, CSCI 585, CSCI 595
Electrical Engineering: EE 532, EE 533ab, EE 536, EE 549, EE 550, EE 552, EE 554, EE 555, EE 557, EE 558, EE 560, EE 577ab, EE 579, EE 630, EE 650, EE 652, EE 653, EE 657, EE 658, EE 659, EE 677, EE 680, EE 681

A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (A = 4.0) must be earned on all course work applied toward the master’s degree in computer engineering. This average must also be achieved on all 400-level and above course work attempted at USC beyond the bachelor’s degree. Transfer units which count as credit (CR) toward the master’s degree are not computed in the grade point average. All other Viterbi School of Engineering requirements for the Master of Science apply.

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Engineering

The requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in computer engineering are in strict conformity with the requirements of the Graduate School. Program requirements for the Ph.D. in computer engineering are the same as those for the Ph.D. in electrical engineering except that the major field is computer engineering. See general requirements for graduate degrees.

Screening and qualifying examinations are administered by the computer engineering faculty. Students should contact the Electrical Engineering-Systems Department Office for further information.

Major Areas in Computer Engineering and Relevant Courses (not applicable to Master of Science, Computer Engineering requirements)

Computer Systems Architecture		Units
EE 457x	Computer Systems Organization	3
EE 554	Real Time Computer Systems	3
EE 557	Computer Systems Architecture	3
EE 653	Advanced Topics in Microarchitecture	3
EE 657	Parallel and Distributed Computing	3
EE 659	Interconnection Networks	3

Artificial Intelligence		Units
CSCI 544	Natural Language Processing	3
CSCI 561	Foundations of Artificial Intelligence	3
CSCI 574	Computer Vision	3
CSCI 674a	Advanced Topics in Computer Vision	3
EE 559	Mathematical Pattern Recognition	3

Robotics		Units
AME 541	Linear Control Systems II	3
AME 548	Analytical Methods in Robotics	3
CSCI 545	Robotics	3
CSCI 547	Sensing and Planning in Robotics	3

Computer Networks and Distributed Systems		Units
CSCI 551	Computer Communications	3
CSCI 555	Advanced Operating Systems	3
EE 450	Introduction to Computer Networks	3
EE 532	Wireless Internet and Pervasive Computing	3
EE 549	Queueing Theory for Performance Modeling	3
EE 550	Design and Analysis of Computer Communication Networks	3
EE 555	Broadband Network Architectures	3
EE 650	Advanced Topics in Computer Networks	3

Digital Systems Design		Units
EE 552	Logic Design and Switching Theory	3
EE 560	Digital System Design -- Tools and Techniques	3
EE 577ab	VLSI System Design	3-2
EE 658	Diagnosis and Design of Reliable Digital Systems	3
EE 680	Computer Aided Design of Digital Systems I	3
EE 681	Computer-Aided Design of Digital Systems II	3

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