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Our Strategic Vision
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Engineering a better
world for all humanity

Our strategic vision

The department's vision guides our work and impact. We leverage interdisciplinary research in five distinct areas.
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The Energy-Water Nexus

Sustainability expert Sanders’ focus is the energy-water nexus — the idea that producing a safe and reliable water supply requires a lot of energy, while producing a safe and reliable energy supply requires a lot of water. She has studied ways to optimize this relationship between energy and water services for nearly a decade.

News

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Just Play It Cool…Pre-Cool

Dramatically cooling homes with renewable energy in the middle of the day could reduce carbon dioxide emissions, save consumers money and prevent rolling blackouts

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VR will change the way we train for active shooter incidents

Immersive virtual environments provide healthcare workers with a highly effective method to prepare for emergencies.

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Designing an Engine Ready for Hydrogen Combustion

The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting a major USC research initiative to advance the next stage of the clean energy revolution.

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The ReWater Center will Revolutionize Resource Resilience

The Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) is at the forefront of research for the treatment and reuse of one of our greatest resources: water.

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CEE Partners with Dassault Systèmes as a Center of Excellence

USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) is recognized as a global leader in technology and innovation.

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Universities in California, Arizona, and Nevada Form Consortium to Address Clean Water Access and Sustainability Challenges

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory to Fund Academic Research to Improve Clean Water Access and Security

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Get Ready for a World of Self-Growing and Healing “Living” Materials

New research at USC Viterbi School of Engineering seeks to upcycle waste materials by harnessing the power of microorganisms.

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Wide Awake and Dreaming: USC Viterbi’s 2023 Master’s Commencement Ceremonies

The class of 2023 is “the best educated, the most representative in our history.”

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“At Heart, We’re Problem Solvers:” USC Viterbi Undergraduate Commencement 2023

This year’s ceremony at Alumni Park was headlined by alumnus and venture capitalist, Mark Stevens, who praised the power and versatility of an engineering degree

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“Attention is All You Need”: New Ph.D.s Urged to Attend to “Challenges of Earth’s Eight Billion People.”

The 2023 Ph.D. Hooding and Awards Ceremony honors 133 new graduates and Jiaoyang Li, winner of this year’s best Ph.D. thesis.

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CEE Student Voices

Research @ CEE

We are pioneering new fields of research and bringing disciplines together to tackle the grand challenges of our time.
Research Spotlights
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Building the world of tomorrow
Today!

CEE @ USC goes beyond academics.
It's a hub for sustainability-minded innovators and makers who work on bold new ideas that will transform our world.

Fees

Academics​

Explore our interdisciplinary programs.
Undergraduate
Master
Ph.D.
Undergraduate minors

Straight from the Source
Conversations with Current Faculty and Students

Have you ever wondered where a civil and environmental engineering degree will take you? Or what life in a CEE research lab is like? Or are you just curious about what your friends are working on? Be CEEN gives you the inside scoop on the world of CEE @ USC Viterbi.

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What makes us unique

What makes
us unique

  • Top 10 engineering school in the nation
  • Multidisciplinary research, integrating A.I., computing and CEE
  • Global innovation programs
  • Academia + industry partnerships
  • Los Angeles City is a living lab; it is one of the largest and most diverse metropolitan cities in the world