Electrical and Computer Engineering (BS)

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The requirement for the degree is 128 units. A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required for all courses taken at USC as well as all upper-division courses applied toward the major, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken. See also the common requirements for undergraduate degrees section.

University Requirements (28 units)

Composition/Writing Requirements (8 units)

WRIT 150 Writing and Critical Reasoning–Thematic Approaches Units: 4
WRIT 340 Advanced Writing Units: 4

General Education (20 units)

General education Units: 20

Pre-Major Requirements (30 units)

Math Requirement (12 units)

MATH 126g Calculus II Units: 4 or
MATH 127 Enhanced Calculus II Units: 4 or
MATH 129 Calculus II for Engineers and Scientists Units: 4 *
MATH 226g Calculus III Units: 4 or
MATH 227 Enhanced Calculus III Units: 4 or
MATH 229 Calculus III for Engineers and Scientists Units: 4 *
MATH 245 Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I Units: 4

Physics Requirement (12 units)

PHYS 151Lg Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics Units: 4 or
PHYS 161Lg Advanced Principles of Physics I Units: 4
PHYS 152L Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism Units: 4 or
PHYS 162L Advanced Principles of Physics II Units: 4
PHYS 153L Fundamentals of Physics III: Optics and Modern Physics Units: 4 or
PHYS 163L Advanced Principles of Physics III Units: 4

Biology Requirement (4 units)

Each of the following courses will satisfy both the BS ECE biology requirement and the General Education GE-D requirement. Choose one from this list:

BISC 104Lgx How the Body Works Units: 4
BISC 120Lg General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution Units: 4
BISC 121Lg Advanced General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution Units: 4
BISC 220Lg General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology Units: 4
BISC 221Lg Advanced General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology Units: 4
BISC 230Lgx The Biology of the Brain Units: 4
HBIO 205Lgx The Science of Sport Units: 4

Engineering (2 units)

ENGR 102 Engineering Freshman Academy Units: 2

Major Requirements (60 units)

Electrical and Computer Engineering (44 units)

EE 105 Introduction to Electrical Engineering Units: 4
EE 109L Introduction to Embedded Systems Units: 4
EE 141L Applied Linear Algebra for Engineering Units: 4
EE 155L Introduction to Computer Programming for Electrical Engineers Units: 4
EE 202L Linear Circuits Units: 4
EE 250L Distributed Systems for the Internet of Things Units: 4
EE 301 Linear Systems Units: 4
EE 355x Software Design for Electrical Engineers Units: 4
EE 364 Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Units: 4
EE 370L Electromagnetics for Engineering Systems Units: 4
EE 460 Machine Learning for Engineers Units: 4

Electrical and Computer Engineering Electives (16 units)

Students must fulfill a minimum requirement of 16 units of adviser-approved upper-division elective courses in electrical engineering. Of these 16 units, 3-4 units must be selected from the following list of capstone design courses:

EE 434Lx Digital Signal Processing Design Laboratory Units: 4
EE 447Lx Mixed Signal Electronic Circuits Units: 4
EE 459Lx Embedded Systems Design Laboratory Units: 4
EE 484x Communication System Design Units: 3
EE 492a Undergraduate Project Units: 2
EE 492b Undergraduate Project Units: 2
EE 494a Undergraduate Thesis Units: 2
EE 494b Undergraduate Thesis Units: 2
EE 496 Capstone Design Units: 4
Students may use EE 492a and EE 492b Undergraduate Project 2+2 units or EE 494a and EE 494b Undergraduate Thesis 2+2 units to satisfy the capstone design requirement.

Free Electives (10 units)

Free elective courses are used to complete the university minimum 128-unit requirement. Students are encouraged to investigate minor options when satisfying this requirement.

Total units: 128

*MATH 129 and MATH 229 is the preferred calculus sequence for electrical engineering students. Students advised to begin with MATH 125 as a prerequisite to MATH 129 have 4 fewer units of free electives in their programs.