Electrical and Computer Engineering (MS and PhD)

University of Southern California USC Viterbi School of Engineering · Los Angeles, CA

• Field: Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Degrees: Master's, PhD
• Application fee: $120
• GRE: Not required
• Letters: 3 (recommendations)

Deadlines

• ECE PhD pre-application (strongly encouraged): Nov. 20, 2026
• PhD application, Fall 2027, 11:59 p.m. Pacific (also deadline for assistantship and fellowship consideration): Dec. 15, 2026
• MS in ECE, fall: scholarship consideration deadline: Dec. 15, 2026
• MS in ECE, fall: final deadline: Jan. 15, 2027

Essays

Personal statement

Resume or CV

Demonstrated research ability and experience (PhD)

Letters of recommendation (master's: optional)

Editor's notes

• For the PhD, the ECE pre-application (due November 20) comes before the December 15 application, and December 15 is also the cutoff for assistantship and fellowship consideration. USC lists demonstrated research ability among PhD requirements and wants letters from faculty who know your research directly, so the personal statement should give specifics about past research. Faculty contact is encouraged, but generic emails are generally ignored, so write only after reading a professor's recent work. PhD applicants are not automatically considered for the MS; add it as a second program if you want both.

Sources

1. USC Viterbi: How to Apply, Doctoral (PhD) Programs
2. USC Viterbi: Doctoral Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering
3. USC Viterbi: PhD FAQ
4. USC Viterbi: MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering
5. USC Viterbi: Doctoral funding and fellowships
6. USC Graduate Admission: English Proficiency
7. USC Graduate Admission: Fee Waivers
8. USC ECE faculty directory