Why USC?

Location

• USC is situated near the heart of Los Angeles, one of the best places for studying Civil and Environmental Engineering. Los Angeles is a large modern city with an impressive civil infrastructure.
• Los Angeles acts as a natural laboratory to test and apply everyday modern concepts in Earthquake Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Air Pollution Engineering, Water Resources, Coastal Engineering, as well as other fields of civil and environmental engineering.

Excellence

• US News and World Records has consistently ranked the Viterbi School of Engineering, to which the department belongs, in the top ten engineering schools in the United States.

Job Opportunities

• The Department has developed longstanding relations with leading engineering firms, which creates many job opportunities to USC graduates. Students may gain much needed experience by participating in practical training and internship positions.
• With literally thousands of civil and environmental engineering firms and many public agencies in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, students have many opportunities of getting professional internships, further enhancing their education and practical experience.
• USC is the oldest university in Southern California. Many USC alumni are leaders in local engineering companies and agencies and create employment opportunities for USC graduates.

Professional Programs

• The Department offers a range of engineering programs, which are focused and emphasize professional practice.
• These programs involve comprehensive, real-life projects, and an interaction with practicing engineers.
• USC's location is particularly suited for getting the practical training of engineering programs.

Management Programs

• The Department has a long history of training leaders in engineering.
• It offers management-oriented programs that prepare engineers for management positions in civil and environmental engineering firms. These management-oriented programs are currently available in Construction Engineering and Environmental Engineering.
• These interdisciplinary programs build upon the strength of USC's well regarded schools of Law, Business, Architecture, and Policy, Planning, and Development.

Programs for Non-Engineers

• The Department offers programs suitable for students that have a background other than engineering.
• These programs are in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management and Construction Management.
• Students with undergraduate preparation in the sciences, planning, architecture, or the liberal arts may qualify for these programs.

High-Tech Applications

• One of the many strengths of the Department is the extent to which it incorporates advanced technologies into the course work.
• Students are exposed to information technology and industry standard software systems.

Research Funding

• USC has always prided itself on the quality of its research and level of external funding for educational and scientific research.
• According to the National Science Foundation, USC ranks among the top ten, in terms of private universities receiving federal funds for research and development activities, and in the top 20 among all universities, with a total of $300 million.
• The Viterbi School of Engineering traditionally, which ranks in the top 3 of all engineering schools throughout the United States in research funding, produces over $160 million in research funding per year.
• The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering exceeds $5 million in research funding annually.