Dear Incoming MS Students of the ECE Dept:
Congratulations on your admission to USC and one of the MS programs offered by the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering!
This email is for incoming MS students to help get you started with planning and coordinating your registration and hopefully answer some of your questions. Please be sure to read all information thoroughly! As a courtesy we are sending this to both your USC and alternate email accounts, however, please be aware that future communications will be sent only to your USC email account.
By now, you should have received important "next steps" information for incoming Fall 2025 students from the Viterbi Admission and Student Engagement (VASE) office. If you have not read the information, please do so by visiting the VASE website at https://viterbigrad.usc.edu/academic-services/new-student-information/
On Thursday, June 18th, ECE advisors will host an ECE Academic Webinar for new incoming MS students. Please plan to attend this ECE Academic Webinar and register here to attend. A recording will be made available at a later date if you are unable to attend. We strongly encourage you to attend the live webinar as many of your initial questions should be answered in the ECE Academic Webinar, along with reviewing the information provided below.
Advisement and Course Selection:
- If you need to discuss your Fall 2025 courses for the fall term, please email your respective academic advisor based on your last/family name:
A to J: Patty Rinehart- ptrinida@usc.edu
K to L: Gabby Garcia- gabby.garcia@usc.edu
M to T: Jaimie Zelada- zelada@usc.edu
U to Z: Samantha Graves- smgraves@usc.edu
Make sure to include your USC ID number in all emails!
- We offer Virtual Drop-In Advising via Zoom on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm PST throughout the Summer 2025. Use the Zoom link below to connect with an advisor over Zoom - note that your assigned advisor may not be available at each virtual drop-in advising session:
Meeting ID: 959 7022 7791
Passcode: 882623
- Select a maximum of 3 courses in your first semester (though generally 2 courses for 8.0 units is what is STRONGLY recommended for most majors). Below is a PDF file list of the recommended first-term coursesorganized by major/degree programs and focus areas.
- The following are the list of courses and ECE degree requirements from the USC Course Catalogue. Make sure to select your appropriate course catalogue academic year (e.g., 2025-2026 once it is available online in July): https://catalogue.usc.edu/content.php?catoid=20&navoid=8264.
- List of academic programs and MSEE Flowcharts on the ECE Dept website: https://minghsiehece.usc.edu/academics/ms/
- *Please note that not all courses on the list may be offered in the upcoming term.
- This link shows the Schedule of Classes for Fall 2025 for all EE classes being offered: https://classes.usc.edu/term/20253/catalogue/school/ENGV/program/EE
- Registration Calendar with important add/drop deadlines listed here: https://arr.usc.edu/academic-calendar/#fall
- If you have a registration hold of any type, try to resolve it immediately with the appropriate department as indicated, or you may not be able to register.
- For international students, you must complete the Immigration Status Verification (ISV) and have your ISV hold lifted by the Office of International Students (OIS) before registering for classes. For more information, go to: https://ois.usc.edu/new-students/firstweeks/immigration-status-verification-isv/
- In general, new student advisement will initially focus on your 1st semester registration only. The ECE academic advisors are not able to plan out a students entire program of study. With careful review of your degree requirements and resources available online via the dept. website, USC Catalogue and Schedule of Classes, students have access to information to help with their own planning.
Prerequisite Waivers:
- Pre-req waiver requests: If you need to waive an undergraduate course prerequisite (below 400 level), please submit your request via myviterbi.usc.edu/ under the Pre- Requisite Waiver Request Manager
- DO NOTcontact your advisor via email or email our general inbox at studentservices@usc.edu for a prerequisite waiver requests. We will only be processing requests submitted by way of the MyViterbi online form - email requests will be deleted!
- Upon your request, all MS students in ECE are waived from courses below the 400-level. For example, the undergraduate prerequisite for EE-483 is EE-301. If you wish to enroll in EE-483, you will be waived from taking EE-301 should you submit the online pre-req waiver request using MyViterbi.
- You will not be able to register for the course(s) until you get the prerequisite waived manually in the university system.
- Important note- we DO NOT waive pre-reqs that are 400 level or higher, you MUST take the pre-req first! For example, EE-588 has a pre-req of EE-510. You must take EE-510 first and successfully pass the class before taking EE-588 in a future semester.
On-campus courses for Fall 2025 Only: Registering for EE Classes & D-Clearance Request
For New Fall 2025 On-Campus students only, please read the following instructions:
- Review your registration appointment day/time on my.usc.edu in your OASIS account.
- To register for classes, visit the Web Registration site from my.usc.edu, or at https://webreg.usc.edu/Login
- If the section number of a class on Web Registration you wish to take ends with an R, you may register for this course (once the prerequisite has been met or waived, if there is a prerequisite for the course).
- If the section number ends with a D, you must request Departmental Clearance (D-Clearance) through myviterbi.usc.edu. You will need to create a profile on myViterbi first before requesting D-Clearance.
- If a class you would like to register is full, you may submit a request to be added to the Waitlist on myviterbi.usc.edu by clicking on the D-Clearance request. If you are already registered for 3 classes, you will not be able to request additional classes or be put on the waitlist.
- Again, for international students, you must complete Immigration Status Verification (ISV) before registering for classes.
DEN@Viterbi (Off-Campus Students, Part-Time Online): Registering for EE Classes & D-Clearance Request
For New Fall 2025 DEN students only, please read the following instructions:
- Information specific to new DEN students can be found here:https://viterbigrad.usc.edu/ms-denviterbi-new-student-information/
- DEN students will be notified via email with instruction in early June when Fall 2025 D-Clearances requests will open. DEN D-clearances requests are submitted through myviterbi.usc.edu
- Note that only classes on the USC Schedule of Classes with the location "DEN@Viterbi" are offered via the DEN@Viterbi network.
- For any questions about DEN D-clearance, please email the DEN Office at vaseden@usc.edu
No CSCI Courses in the 1st Semester: As a first semester ECE graduate student, you are not allowed to register in a CSCI course. No d-clearance will be granted to you. Only continuing ECE students (2nd semester or above) may request d-clearance from the CSCI Department.
Counting a Non-EE Class Toward the MS Degree:
If you would like to take and count a Non-EE class toward the MS degree, please be sure to complete the Special Request form found here: https://minghsiehece.usc.edu/students/registration/ms-special-request-form/.
You must receive approval before registering/enrolling for the class.
However, specific major programs that allow for non-EE classes as part of prescribed/approved courses do not need the special request form. If you have questions about this form or approved/non-approved courses, please contact your ECE academic advisor.
Placement Exams:
- Some higher-level courses (500 or 600-level) require students to either complete the fundamental/prerequisite course at USC or pass the placement exam. Please note that notall EE courses have placement exams.
- For more information about taking the online placement exam and to register, visit https://minghsiehee.usc.edu/placement-exams/
- The ECE dept. offers placement exams for EE 450, EE 457, and EE 477
- Students are NOT required to take the placement exams. You should only take the placement exam if you feel you know the content of the course already. If you pass, then you will be waived from having to take EE 450, 457, or 477 and be able to proceed on to the higher level class that has one of these courses listed as the pre-req.
The date for the Fall 2025 placement exams will be in August 14th and you must register for the exam by August 11th. A separate announcement will be sent via email later this summer with registration instructions.
Important Dates:
6/18 ECE Academic Webinar (online session for both on-campus and DEN students)
7/23 DEN Orientation Part I - VASE and DEN (online session for DEN students)
7/24 DEN Orientation Part II - ECE dept. (online session for DEN students)
8/11 Placement Exam Registration Deadline
8/13 Orientation Part I (online session for on-campus students)
8/14 Placement Exams administered online
8/15 Orientation Part II (in-person for on-campus students)
8/22 Deadline to be registered in at least one course and settle account without late fee
8/25 First day of classes for Fall 2025 semester
9/1 Labor Day, University holiday, no classes
9/12 Last day to add classes and/or drop classes with a full refund
ECE Student Services Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Check out the following link to review information to some of our most frequently asked questions-
https://minghsiehece.usc.edu/students/student-services-faqs/
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your assigned academic advisor. Thank you!