Graduate Student Resources

Courses with a letter "D" next to the section number require D-clearance, which is a type of permission that allows a student to register for a specific course or section of a course.

On Campus Students 

The majority of AME graduate courses do not require D-clearance. If you need D-clearance for an AME graduate course that is not a DEN course, please request the clearance on myViterbi (https://myviterbi.usc.edu/) under "D-clearance Request Manager." You will receive an email notification when your request has been processed. If your request is approved, you will then be able to register for the course in Web Registration. 

Most other engineering departments also use myViterbi for D-clearance requests. To obtain D-clearance for a non-AME course, please request the clearance on myViterbi (https://myviterbi.usc.edu/) under "D-clearance Request Manager."

DEN@Viterbi Students

All DEN@Viterbi sections of classes require D-clearance. If you are a DEN student, you will always need to request D-clearance before registering for a course.

DEN students can request clearance through myViterbi.

• Click on D-clearance Request Manager to access the system.
• Under Menu, you can:
  • Submit a Request
  • View Request Status
• To request D-clearance for DEN sections, you need to select "DEN@Viterbi D-clearance Request", not "Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering" or another department. 
• You will receive a confirmation message and email after you submit your D-clearance request. You will receive an email notification when your request has been processed. If your request is approved, you will then be able to register for the course in Web Registration.
• See full instructions for DEN D-clearance here.

To register for a course that has a pre-requisite that you think you meet with prior coursework, you will need to contact the professor of the course you want to take, provide them with information about the undergraduate coursework you completed that you think satisfies the pre-requisite for the course, and ask for their approval to take their course. If you receive their approval, please forward their email to amegrad@usc.edu, and an advisor will enter a pre-requisite waiver for you.

If you waive a pre-requisite course, please note that you cannot take that course later, if you've already passed the higher-level course.

Please note: AME advisors can waive pre-reqs for all AME classes regardless of on-campus or DEN status. DEN@Viterbi students must have all applicable pre-reqs waived before requesting D-clearance for a course via myViterbi.

To request a pre-requisite waiver for a course outside of AME, please contact the department that manages the course.

Cross-listed classes are courses offered by a different department that count as AME credit for the purposes of degree requirements.

For example, SAE 549: Systems Architecting is cross-listed as AME 549. To take this course, you will register for SAE 549 and the course will appear on your transcript as SAE 549. However, the course will qualify as AME units for all applicable degree requirements. 

The following courses are cross-listed in AME:

• CE 507 = AME 507 
• CE 529 = AME 528 
• CE 543 = AME 543 
• EE 543 = AME 553
• ISE 501 = AME 501 
• MASC 551 = AME 551 
• MASC 560 = AME 560 
• MASC 583 = AME 588 
• SAE 549 = AME 549

All ASTE 500-level courses also qualify as AME units for all applicable degree requirements.

AME 590 and AME 790 are directed research (DR) courses for graduate students.

Please note: M.S. students must have at least a 3.0 GPA in order to do DR and can earn up to 3 units of AME 590 towards your M.S. degree. Ph.D. students may request up to 6 units of AME 790 per semester. DR is mainly available for on-campus full-time students only. If you have any questions regarding the directed research process, M.S. students should contact the M.S. student advisor and Ph.D. students should contact the Ph.D. student advisor.

If you wish to enroll in directed research, you will need to first set up a meeting with an AME professor to discuss this option and commit to a topic and research plan.

Once you have gotten the preliminary approval from your professor, do the following:

1. Log on to http://myviterbi.usc.edu.
2. On the main page of myViterbi, under Student Resources, select the Directed Research link.
3. Click AME and on the next page you will need to select a Term, Class (AME 590 for M.S. students or AME 790 for Ph.D. students), Units (up to 3 for M.S., typically 6 for Ph.D.), and Faculty. You will also need to include a Project Description of about 3-4 sentences. If a professor you wish to work with is not listed on the dropdown faculty menu, please email the M.S. student advisor.
4. An automatic email will be sent to the professor alerting them of your request. They will log in to myViterbi to either approve or deny your request.
5. You will receive a confirmation email that your professor has either approved or denied your request. If approved, the M.S. student advisor will provide you with D-Clearance for the course within 1-2 business days.
6. Once your D-Clearance is processed, you will receive an email notifying you that you have been given D-Clearance for the course.
7. After receiving the email, you will need to log on to Web Registration to register for the course (either AME 590 or AME 790) and the specific units requested.

Please note: If you wish to register for more or less units than previously requested, you must submit written approval from your professor to the M.S. student advisor. Written approval can come in the form of an email from your professor approving the change in units.

If you are having issues registering for classes, make sure you are registering for the correct section. DEN students must select the DEN@Viterbi section while on-campus students must select the section w/ a campus building and room number location (ex: OHE 100C or RTH 109).

Use the USC Schedule of Classes to review what is being offered by not only the AME department, but other Viterbi School of Engineering departments. Course descriptions are provided, and in many cases syllabi for the courses. You can also look at past semesters to see if a course has a syllabus posted or how frequently a class is offered.

https://myviterbi.usc.edu/

This website is an important tool which graduate engineering students must log into to request approval for Directed Research, Dept. D-clearances, submit grader applications if being hired, etc.

If a student wishes to change their major within AME or within the Viterbi School of Engineering (examples: switch from M.S. Aerospace Engineering to M.S. Mechanical Engineering program or M.S. Biomedical Engineering to M.S. Mechanical Engineering), please discuss this first with the M.S. student advisor. Changes of major can only be processed after a student has completed their first semester at USC with a minimum 3.0 GPA. The change of major form can be found here: Change of Major Form.

Please note: Only fill out the top 3 lines of this form (name, USC ID and date and sign) and send to the M.S. student advisor via email indicating what major you would like to change to.

If you are interested in switching your major from AME to another department, you will need to contact the other department's graduate advisor directly: Viterbi Graduate Advisement.

M.S. students who have registered for their final class(es) must submit a graduation application in order to be cleared to graduate, have their STARS report updated, and ensure they receive their diploma at the end of completing the degree. You can complete the application through myViterbi.

USC can accept up to 6 units of graduate transfer coursework to be applied towards our M.S. programs. USC does not conduct pre-admission transfer credit evaluations for prospective graduate applicants. The first step is to request a Transfer Credit Report from USC's Registrar Office. Afterward, evaluation is conducted on a case-by-case basis by our faculty by reviewing syllabi; not all courses may be transferred for credit. For information and policies pertaining to graduate transfer credit, please refer to the University catalogue here.

If you are a M.S. student please contact the M.S. student advisor to discuss if you are eligible for graduate transfer credit approval. To request Transfer Credit Reports from USC's Registrar Office, please visit this website:

Domestic: Graduate Transfer Credit Information

International: The Graduate and International Admissions Office reviews course work taken at international institutions. Students must complete the International Graduate Transfer Credit Request Form and submit it to the Registrar Office.

USC can accept up to 30 units of transferred coursework to be applied to our Ph.D. programs. If you are a Ph.D student, please contact the Ph.D advisor to discuss if you are eligible for graduate transfer credit approval.

Students are required to be enrolled at USC for every Fall and Spring semester until all degree requirements have been satisfied. If you will not be enrolling in classes during an upcoming Fall or Spring semester, you are required to submit a Leave of Absence Form to maintain your status in our program and allow you to return the following semester. Students must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to request an authorized LOA. The forms for LOA’s can be found here:

Domestic students: Leave of Absence Form (Domestic Students)

International students: Leave of Absence Form (international students)

LOA requests must be received by the add/drop deadline of each semester. Please send your completed LOA request to the M.S. student advisor if you are a domestic student. If you are an international student, please send the completed form to the VASE Office at masters@vase.usc.edu.

If you do not meet the minimum GPA requirement for an authorized LOA, please contact the M.S. student advisor to discuss your options.

Please note: When declaring a Leave of Absence, students are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office to determine if there are any financial implications for those with outstanding student loans, scholarships, etc.

International M.S. students: if you plan to register in less than 8 units during any fall or spring semester due to academic difficulty (only allowed in the first semester), medical emergency, or because you need less than 8 units to finish your degree in your final semester, you must file a Reduced Course Load (RCL) form with the VASE Office before the end of the third week of classes for the semester. You must submit this form in order to maintain your visa status! The RCL form and more information can be found here: VASE International Student Services

Please note: AME Academic Advisors cannot sign off on RCL paperwork. All forms must be signed by an advisor in the VASE Office.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is work authorization that allows F-1 international students to participate in paid off-campus academic internships during their degree program. The purpose of CPT is academic, not just for employment purposes, and the internship must be considered an integral part of a student’s degree program. Students must have a specific job/internship offer to apply. If the internship is an unpaid or volunteer position, CPT is not required. Students CANNOT accept any kind of compensation for work performed in an unpaid internship.

More information and the CPT form can be found here: OIS/VASE RCL.

Please note: AME Academic Advisors cannot sign off on CPT paperwork, all forms must be signed by an advisor in the VASE Office.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a benefit given to F-1 international students who are completing a Bachelor's or graduate degree in the United States. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for employment experience in a student’s field of study. OPT is approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

For more information regarding the necessary paperwork and online workshop to start the application process, more info can be found here: OIS OPT information.

Please note: AME Academic Advisors cannot sign off on OPT paperwork, all forms must be signed by an advisor in the VASE Office.

The most common account restrictions include:

ADM21: Condition of admission – A condition was placed on your record at the time of admission. Please contact the M.S. student advisor if you are a M.S. student or the Ph.D. student advisor if you are a Ph.D. student to review your holds. The hold can be lifted if you met the conditions outlined when you were admitted.

ADM40 or RNR 40: Prior Degree Verification – these holds do NOT stop you from registering. They are a warning that USC still needs you to complete degree verification as part of your admission process. However, if you neglect to resolve the hold, the hold will likely be elevated to a RNR41 or ADM41 restriction which will block you from registering in the future. For information on how to resolve degree verification, see here.

ENGR 01: Advisement hold – please contact your academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss why this hold was added to your record. Most M.S. students will see this hold if their overall GPA is below a 3.0.

SCH10: Missing Proof of Immunizations – USC requires that all students submit proof of receiving two doses of MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella) vaccine, or show proof of Measles and Mumps immunity, and two other vaccinations prior to their first semester of enrollment at USC. More information can be found here: Immunization Requirements.

Take care of any “holds” as soon as possible if you have these or any other type of restrictions on your student account. Restrictions are clearly posted on the first page after you log into MyUSC and includes the issuing office of the hold and their contact information to resolve the issue.

The screening exam is one component of the overall screening procedure that involves each Ph.D. student’s complete academic/research record. The screening exam is offered once a year and only to students who are already admitted to the AME Ph.D. program.

Information about the AME Ph.D. screening exam:

• Screening Exam procedures are outlined on p. 7 - 10 of the AME PhD Handbook.
• Sample Exam: Part 1; Part 2.

Please view the following AME PhD Handbook and reach out to your PhD faculty or staff advisors if you have any follow up questions.