Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science

Return to: USC Viterbi School of Engineering  

Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center 104
(213) 740-4494
FAX: (213) 740-7285
Email: csdept@usc.edu
 

Chair: Nenad Medvidović, PhD

Faculty

Chan Soon-Shiong Chair: Maja Matarić, PhD (Neuroscience Center)

Andrew and Erna Viterbi Early Career Chair: Jernej Barbic, PhD

Philip and Cayley MacDonald Endowed Early Career Chair: Yan Liu, PhD

Gordon S. Marshall Chair in Engineering: Urbashi Mitra, PhD

Jack Munishian Early Career Chair; Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Engineering: Fei Sha, PhD

Niki and Max Nikias Chair in Engineering: Shrikanth (Shri) Narayanan, PhD

Northrup Grumman Chair in Engineering: Ramesh Govindan, PhD

Fletcher Jones Foundation Endowed Chair in Computer Science: Gaurav Sukhatme, PhD

David Packard Chair in Manufacturing Engineering: Stephen C-Y Lu, PhD (Mechanical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering)

Charles Lee Powell Chair in Engineering: Viktor Prasanna, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Henry Salvatori Chair in Computer Science: Leonard M. Adleman, PhD

Fletcher Jones Professor: Ramakant Nevatia, PhD

Helen N. & Emmett H. Jones Professorship in Engineering: Cyrus Shahabi, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering and Spatial Sciences)

Seeley G. Mudd Professor of Engineering: Shanghua Teng, PhD

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor: Heather Culbertson, PhD

Professors: Leonard Adleman, PhD (Molecular Biology); Jernej Barbic, PhD; Leana Golubchik, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Ramesh Govindan, PhD; Ellis Horowitz, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Ming-Deh Huang, PhD; Laurent Itti, PhD (Neuroscience Center); David Kempe, PhD; Sven Koenig, PhD; Yan Liu, PhD; Maja Matarić, PhD (Neuroscience Center); Nenad Medvidovic, PhD; Aiichiro Nakano, PhD (Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics); Ulrich Neumann, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Ramakant Nevatia, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Cyrus Shahabi, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Gaurav Sukhatme, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Shanghua Teng, PhD

Associate Professors: Bistra Dilkina, PhD; Shaddin Dughmi, PhD; Shahram Ghandeharizadeh, PhD; William GJ Halfond, PhD; Chao Wang, PhD

Assistant Professors: Heather Culbertson, PhD; Jyotirmony Vinay Deshmukh, PhD; Robin Jia, PhD; Aleksandra Korolova, PhD; Joseph Lim, PhD; Haipeng Luo, PhD; Muhammad Naveed, PhD; Stefanos Nikolaidis, PhD; Barath Raghavan, PhD; Mukund Raghothaman, PhD; Xiang Ren, PhD; Vatsal Sharan, PhD; Swabha Swayamdipta, PhD; Jesse Thomason, PhD; Dani Yogatama, PhD; Jiapeng Zhang, PhD

Joint Professors: Murali Annavaram, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Salman Avestimehr, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Irving Biederman, PhD (Psychology, Neuroscience); Todd Brun (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Physics and Astronomy); Emilio Ferrara, PhD (Annenberg); Satyandra K Gupta, PhD (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering); Rahul Jain, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Rajiv Kalia, PhD (Physics); Carl Kesselman, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Bhaskar Krishnamachari, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); C-C Jay Kuo, PhD (Signal and Image Processing); Stephen Lu, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Urbashi Mitra, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Shrikanth (Shri) Narayanan, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Hamid Nazerzadeh, PhD (Data Sciences and Operations); Andrew Nealen, PhD (Cinematic Arts); Pierluigi Nuzzo, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Viktor Prasanna, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Konstantinos Psounis, PhD; C.S. Raghavendra, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Meisam Razaviyayn (Industrial and Systems Engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical and Computer Engineering); Benjamin Reichardt, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Remo Rohs, PhD (Computational Biology); Nicolas Schweighofer, PhD (Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy); Neil Siegel, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Mahdi Soltanolkotabi, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Tianshu Sun, PhD (Data Sciences and Operations); Francisco Valero-Cuevas, PhD (Biomedical Engineering); Priya Vashishta, PhD (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Physics); Phebe Vayanos, PhD (Industrial and System Engineering); Richard Weinberg, PhD (Cinematic Arts); John Wilson, PhD (Spatial Sciences, Computer Science)

Adjunct Professor: Fei Sha, PhD

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Marco Papa, PhD

Research Professor of Computer Science with Distinction: Premkumar Natarajan, PhD

Research Professors: Ewa Deelman, PhD; Aram Galstyan, PhD; Yolanda Gil, PhD; Jonathan Gratch, PhD; John Heidemann, PhD; Randall Hill, PhD; Craig Knoblock, PhD; Kristina Lerman, PhD; William Swartout, PhD; David Traum, PhD

Research Associate Professors: Jose Luis Ambite, PhD; Kallirroi Georgila, PhD; Andrew Gordon, PhD; Jelena Mirkovic, PhD; Pedro Szekely, PhD; Gregory Ver Steeg, PhD

Research Assistant Professors: Muhao Chen, PhD; Gale Lucas, PhD; Xuezhe Ma, PhD; Jonathan May, PhD; Fred Morstatter, PhD; Jay Pujara, PhD; David Pynadath, PhD; Srivatsan Ravi, PhD; Mohammad Rostami, PhD; Mohammad Soleymani, PhD; Satish Kumar Thittamaranahalli PhD; Ning Wang, PhD

Adjunct Research Professor: Christian Mattmann, PhD

Adjunct Research Assistant Professors: Rafael Ferreira da Silva, PhD; Iacopo Masi, PhD; Nanyun Peng, PhD

Professors of Engineering Practice: Victor Adamchik, PhD; Jeffrey Miller, PhD; Mark William Redekopp, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Associate Professors of Engineering Practice: Clifford Neuman, PhD; Saty Raghavachary, PhD; Wei-Min Shen, PhD; Wensheng Wu, PhD

Lecturers: Claire Bono (Senior Lecturer); William Cheng, PhD (Senior Lecturer); Aaron Cote, PhD (Senior Lecturer); Scott Easley, BA (Senior Lecturer); Andrew Goodney, PhD (Senior Lecturer); Mohammad Reza Rajati (Lecturer); Tatyana Ryutov, PhD (Senior Lecturer); Shawn Shamsian, PhD (Senior Lecturer)

Emeritus Professors: Michael A. Arbib, PhD (Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Neuroscience and Psychology); George Bekey, PhD (Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering); Jerry Hobbs, PhD; Gerard Medioni, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Aristides A.G. Requicha, PhD (Electrical Engineering); Michael S. Waterman, PhD (Biological Sciences, Mathematics)

Bachelor of Science

Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of the undergraduate program in Computer Science are expected to attain the following objectives within a few years of graduation:

1. Graduates apply the computational and analytical approaches of computer science to their chosen professions.
2. Graduates successfully engage in life-long learning to continue to be contributing members of their communities in fields within and outside the traditional scope of computer science.
3. Graduates exhibit high professional and ethical standards to become productive leaders in society.

Graduates of the Computer Engineering and Computer Science program are expected to attain the following educational objectives within a few years of graduation:

1. Graduates will apply analytical and critical thinking principles of both computer engineering and computer science to their chosen professions.
2. Graduates will successfully engage in life-long learning to continue to be contributing members of their communities in fields within and outside the traditional scope of computer engineering.
3. Graduates will exhibit high professional and ethical standards to become productive leaders in society.

Undergraduate Program Criteria

The program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science includes at least one and one-third years of computer science that covers the fundamentals of algorithms, data structures, software design, concepts of programming languages and computer organization and software; provides an exposure to a variety of programming languages and systems, including at least one higher-level language; and includes advanced course work that builds on the fundamental course work to provide depth.

The program includes at least one year of science and mathematics, including at least one-half year of mathematics, including discrete mathematics. Additional mathematics might consist of calculus, linear algebra, numerical methods, probability, statistics, number theory, geometry, or symbolic logic. The science component develops an understanding of the scientific method and provides an opportunity to experience this mode of inquiry in courses for science or engineering majors that provide some exposure to laboratory work.

The program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and Computer Science provides both breadth and depth across the range of engineering topics implied by the title. The curriculum includes probability and statistics, including appropriate applications; mathematics, including discrete mathematics through differential and integral calculus; sciences (defined as biological, chemical or physical science) to develop an understanding of the scientific method and provide students with an opportunity to experience this mode of inquiry in courses for science or engineering majors that provide some exposure to lab work; and engineering topics (including computing science) necessary to analyze and design complex electrical and electronic devices, software and systems containing hardware and software components.

The computer science portion of the curriculum covers the fundamentals of algorithms, data structures, software design, concepts of programming languages and computer organization and software; provides an exposure to a variety of programming languages and systems, including at least one higher-level language; and includes advanced course work that builds on the fundamental course work to provide depth.

Physics/Computer Science Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Science

This program is intended for students with dual interests in physics and computer science who wish to complete the essential courses for both majors within their normal four-year career. See the Physics and Astronomy  Department section for course requirements.

Graduate Degrees

The requirements listed below are special to this department and must be read in conjunction with the general requirements  of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering for master’s degrees and the general requirements  of the USC Graduate School for PhD degrees. The graduate program in computer science provides intensive preparation in the basic concepts and techniques related to the design, programming and application of digital computers. Both the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are offered.

A Master of Science degree with specialization in software engineering is also offered. The program seeks to prepare students for an industrial leadership career in software engineering. It also serves as an introduction to this area for students who wish to pursue advanced studies and research leading to a PhD.

A Master of Science degree with specialization in intelligent robotics is also offered. This program seeks to prepare students for an industrial career in the development of computer systems for CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing) and robotics. It also serves as an introduction to this area for students who wish to pursue advanced studies and research leading to a PhD. The emphasis is on the domain of mechanical, electromechanical and mechatronic products. (CAD for digital systems is covered by a separate program offered by the Electrical and Computer Engineering department.)

A Master of Science degree with a specialization in computer networks is offered. This specialization prepares students in the areas of computer communications, networks and distributed processing.

A Master of Science in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) is also offered.

A Master of Science in Computer Science (Multimedia and Creative Technologies) is also offered.

A Master of Science in Computer Science (High Performance Computing and Simulations) is also offered.

A Master of Science in Computer Science (Data Science) is also offered.

A Master of Science in Computer Science (Game Development) is also offered.

A Master of Science in Computer Science (Computer Security) is also offered.

A Master of Science in Computer Science Dual Degree with Tsinghua University School of Information Science and Technology – China is also offered.

A Master of Science in Computer Science (Scientists and Engineers) is also offered for students with limited background in computer science.

Admission and Prerequisites

Admission is determined by the Office of Admission and the Viterbi School of Engineering, in consultation with the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science. The applicant is required to have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university; satisfactory scores on the verbal and quantitative portions of the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examinations (one advanced test from computer science, mathematics or engineering is recommended); and a substantial background in computing constitutes a minimum requirement. Foreign students must earn a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Programs

Bachelor’s Degree

• •  Computer Engineering and Computer Science (BS)
• •  Computer Science (BS)
• •  Computer Science Games (BS)
• •  Computer Science/Business Administration (BS)

Minor

• •  Computer Science Minor

Joint Degree

• •  Computer Science Dual Degree with Tsinghua University School of Information Science and Technology (MS)

Master’s Degree

• •  Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) (MS)
• •  Computer Science (Data Science) (MS)
• •  Computer Science (Game Development) (MS)
• •  Computer Science (MS)
• •  Computer Science (Scientists and Engineers) (MS)

Graduate Certificate

• •  Software Architecture Graduate Certificate

Doctoral Degree

• •  Computer Science (PhD)

Courses

Computer Science

• •  CSCI 566 Deep Learning and Its Applications
• •  CSCI 567 Machine Learning
• •  CSCI 568 Requirements Engineering
• •  CSCI 569 Social Media Analytics
• •  CSCI 570 Analysis of Algorithms
• •  CSCI 571 Web Technologies
• •  CSCI 572 Information Retrieval and Web Search Engines
• •  CSCI 573 Probabilistic Reasoning
• •  CSCI 574 Computer Vision
• •  CSCI 575 Quantum Computing and Quantum Cryptography
• •  CSCI 576 Multimedia Systems Design
• •  CSCI 577a Software Engineering
• •  CSCI 577b Software Engineering
• •  CSCI 578 Software Architectures
• •  CSCI 580 3-D Graphics and Rendering
• •  CSCI 581 Logic and its Applications
• •  CSCI 582 Geometric Modeling
• •  CSCI 583 Machine Learning Theory
• •  CSCI 585 Database Systems
• •  CSCI 586 Database Systems Interoperability
• •  CSCI 587 Geospatial Information Management
• •  CSCI 589 Software Engineering for Embedded Systems
• •  CSCI 590 Directed Research
• •  CSCI 591 Computer Science Research Colloquium
• •  CSCI 593 Mathematical Foundations for System Design: Modeling, Analysis, and Synthesis
• •  CSCI 594a Master’s Thesis
• •  CSCI 594b Master’s Thesis
• •  CSCI 594z Master’s Thesis
• •  CSCI 596 Scientific Computing and Visualization
• •  CSCI 598 Professional Writing and Communication for Computer Scientists
• •  CSCI 599 Special Topics
• •  CSCI 610 Advanced Program Analysis and Verification
• •  CSCI 611 Mathematics of High-Dimensional Data
• •  CSCI 612 Optimization for the Information and Data Sciences
• •  CSCI 620 Computer Animation and Simulation
• •  CSCI 621 Digital Geometry Processing
• •  CSCI 625 Program Synthesis and Computer-Aided Verification
• •  CSCI 626 Text as Data
• •  CSCI 631 Privacy in the World of Big Data
• •  CSCI 641 Computational Human-Robot Interaction
• •  CSCI 644 Natural Language Dialogue Systems
• •  CSCI 646 Coordinated Mobile Robotics
• •  CSCI 648 Advanced Information Integration
• •  CSCI 649 Haptic Interfaces and Virtual Environments
• •  CSCI 651 Advanced Computer Networking
• •  CSCI 652 Internet Measurement
• •  CSCI 653 High Performance Computing and Simulations
• •  CSCI 655 Advanced Topics in Operating Systems
• •  CSCI 656 Networked Systems in Cloud Computing
• •  CSCI 657 Advanced Distributed Systems
• •  CSCI 658 Diagnosis and Design of Reliable Digital Systems
• •  CSCI 659 Introduction to Online Optimization
• •  CSCI 661 Advanced Topics in Computer System Architecture
• •  CSCI 662 Advanced Natural Language Processing
• •  CSCI 663 Artificial Intelligence for Social Good
• •  CSCI 667 Advanced Topics in Interconnection Network Design and Analysis
• •  CSCI 668 Search and Planning
• •  CSCI 670x Advanced Analysis of Algorithms
• •  CSCI 671 Randomized Algorithms
• •  CSCI 672 Approximation Algorithms
• •  CSCI 673 Structure and Dynamics of Networked Information
• •  CSCI 674a Advanced Topics in Computer Vision
• •  CSCI 674b Advanced Topics in Computer Vision
• •  CSCI 675 Convex and Combinatorial Optimization
• •  CSCI 677 Advanced Computer Vision
• •  CSCI 678 Theoretical Machine Learning
• •  CSCI 685 Advanced Topics in Database Systems
• •  CSCI 686 Advanced Big Data Analytics
• •  CSCI 697 Seminar in Computer Science Research
• •  CSCI 698 Practicum in Teaching Computer Science
• •  CSCI 699 Special Topics
• •  CSCI 790 Research
• •  CSCI 794a Doctoral Dissertation
• •  CSCI 794b Doctoral Dissertation
• •  CSCI 794c Doctoral Dissertation
• •  CSCI 794d Doctoral Dissertation
• •  CSCI 794z Doctoral Dissertation

Robotics

• •  ROBO 601L Fundamentals of Robotics I
• •  ROBO 602L Fundamentals of Robotics II