About Email Addresses

The general format of an email address is username@host.domain. This generic email address is composed of the following parts:

• username -- an account name or email alias
• host -- a specific server within a network
• domain -- a unique name identifying a network.

For example, the email address ttrojan@email.usc.edu would belong to a user with the account ttrojan, on the host email, within the domain usc.edu.

Users may omit the email host name from the email address for all ITS-administered email accounts; email messages will route themselves correctly. However, several departments on campus, such as the Marshall Business School, the Law School, and the Alumni Association maintain their own email systems, which require a host to be included, such as marshall, law, or alumni; otherwise email may not be delivered correctly.

Last updated: Thursday, June 19, 2008, 11:22AM PDT