USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Bandit, a robot used to encourage social development in autistic children, is just one of the numerous innovative projects USC Viterbi had on display at the seventh annual international Robotics: Science and Systems Conference, where Maja Matari´c, vice dean for research and Bandit’s lead programmer, led a session on robot-human interaction.

Courses in engineering were first offered at USC in the 1905-06 academic year in the basement of one of the oldest buildings on campus. Today, 174 full-time, tenure track faculty (and more than 300 total faculty) serve about 2,000 undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students, utilizing extensive and technically advanced laboratories, classrooms and live interactive high-speed Internet broadcast systems. Government and industry annually fund more than $168 million worth of research.

USC Viterbi is innovative, elite and internationally recognized for creating new models of education, research and commercialization firmly rooted in real world needs. The school’s first priorities are the education of outstanding students and the pursuit and publication of research.

As the school’s faculty and students extend the frontiers of engineering knowledge through their research, they also apply engineering and technology to address societal challenges. The school stimulates and encourages qualities of scholarship, leadership and character that mark the true academic and professional engineer — to serve California, the nation and the world. At USC Viterbi, we call this the enabling power of Engineering+.

The school prepares students to translate invention to innovation and advances the continuing education of engineering and scientific personnel to provide professional engineering leadership to solve community, regional, national and global problems.

Viterbi undergraduate support programs complement and strengthen the academic experience, enhancing both depth and scope. The Klein Institute for Undergraduate Engineering Life fosters leadership, cross-disciplinary activity and globalization; the Freshman Academy exposes first-year students to current research; and the Engineering Writing Program (EWP) develops communication skills.

Viterbi graduate education is outstanding preparation for advanced research and professional careers. The Ph.D. program is built around fellowships, teaching assistantships and research appointments, and has produced a steady increase in doctoral degrees. The master’s and professional programs are national and global leaders in advanced training for professional engineers.

Administration

Yannis C. Yortsos, Ph.D., Dean

John O’Brien, Ph.D., Executive Vice Dean

Herbert Schorr, Ph.D., Vice Dean

Maja Matari´c, Ph.D., Vice Dean

James E. Moore II, Ph.D., Vice Dean

Timothy Pinkston, Ph.D., Vice Dean

S. Joe Qin, Ph.D., Vice Dean

Cauligi Raghavendra, Ph.D., Vice Dean

Linda Rock, M.A., Vice Dean

Kelly Goulis, M.S., Senior Associate Dean

Louise A. Yates, M.S., Senior Associate Dean

David Murphy, Chief Financial Officer