Master's Commencement Ceremonies - USC Viterbi

Viterbi School of Engineering

Commencement 2024

Contact Us

For all inquiries regarding Viterbi Commencement ceremonies please contact viterbi.commencement@vase.usc.edu. Make sure to include your USC ID, department, and major in your communication.

Masters Ceremony 1

Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Astronautical Engineering
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Financial Engineering
Green Technologies
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Sciences
Petroleum Engineering
Sonny Astani Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Systems Architecting and Engineering

Zohreh Khademi
Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Devices

Zohreh Khademi is a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, leading the Cloud Infrastructure Solutions & Services (CISS) function within the Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) organization. CO+I harbor all Microsoft datacenters that operate the most reliable, trusted, safe and secure cloud infrastructure in the world, Microsoft Cloud.

During her 26 years at Microsoft, Zohreh has held various technical and leadership roles within Microsoft’s product development, Manufacturing and Supply Chain and Devices business groups. Previously, Zohreh headed Microsoft Flexible Design & Manufacturing + New Product Introduction (XDM+NPI.) The Flexible Design & Manufacturing (XDM) team works to enable portfolio growth, profitability, and scalability. The New Product Introduction (NPI) team manages all aspects of cross-group programs, including manufacturing design and product engineering. Leveraging her experience to lead hardware products from development to production, Zohreh applied those capabilities across the Devices portfolio, including products from Surface to Xbox and Accessories.

Zohreh has honed her product introduction expertise by rolling out first generation devices at Microsoft and bringing them to launch and high-volume manufacturing. Additionally, she has developed and implemented numerous new engineering capabilities, process technologies and new development operations models that optimize product innovation, including gross margins and efficiencies, design for quality manufacturing, and scalability while reducing costs.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Zohreh spent +10 years in various technical & engineering roles in the manufacturing and consumer products industries that specialized in Industrial, Product & Manufacturing Engineering, automation and robotics.

Zohreh’s personal passions center on Diversity & Inclusion and recruiting and developing early career talent for Microsoft. Currently, Zohreh is the Microsoft Executive Sponsor for The University of Southern California where she is often invited as a guest lecturer and speaker at the Engineering School. She sits on the advisory board of the Industrial and Systems Engineering department at USC. From 2021 to 2023, Zohreh served as Executive Sponsor for the Asian Employee Resource Group and represented this group on the Microsoft CEO’s Inclusion Council. For the past 15 years, Zohreh has developed and created a College recruiting program targeting women and minority engineers. Zohreh currently is Executive Sponsor of D&I for the larger C+AI (Cloud + Artificial Intelligence) organization.

Zohreh is a graduate of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA where she earned a Master’s degree and Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. She also holds a Certificate in Microcomputer and Systems Networking from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Zohreh lives in the Seattle area with her husband and is a proud mother to three sons (Shawn, Ryan & Brandon).

Galen Center is located at 3400 S. Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90089

To provide a safer environment for the public and significantly expedite guest entry into the venue, the Galen Center will be implementing a “clear bag policy” that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into the arena (one clear bag no larger than 12” x 6” x 12” per person) The policy does not affect other items that guests normally bring, which can still be carried in their pockets or openly in their arms.

For increased security, all guests entering the Galen Center will walk through metal detector screening with arms raised and should remove all metal items from their pockets.

Please visit the Galen Center website for more information.

The following items are prohibited:

Backpacks
all non-clear bags
alcoholic beverages
outside food or drink
balls
frisbees
balloons
banners
horns
laser devices
boom boxes
folding or beach chairs
coolers
professional cameras (lenses longer than 3”) and video equipment
coolers
picnic baskets
fireworks
weapons
knives
explosives
cans, bottles
illegal drugs
inflatables
noisemakers
poles or sticks
umbrellas
musical instruments
strollers must be checked-in

Masters Ceremony 2 (CS/DS)

Computer Science
Data Science

Kevin Knight
Computer Scientist and Entrepreneur

Kevin Knight served on the USC faculty for 26 years and held the Chief Scientist position at Language Weaver and Didi Global. He has a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. Dr. Knight’s research interests include natural language processing, automata theory, decipherment of historical documents, and number theory. He has written more than 150 research papers in addition to the textbook “Artificial Intelligence” (1991). He served as President of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) in 2011, and he is a Fellow of both the ACL and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).

Galen Center is located at 3400 S. Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90089

To provide a safer environment for the public and significantly expedite guest entry into the venue, the Galen Center will be implementing a “clear bag policy” that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into the arena (one clear bag no larger than 12” x 6” x 12” per person) The policy does not affect other items that guests normally bring, which can still be carried in their pockets or openly in their arms.

For increased security, all guests entering the Galen Center will walk through metal detector screening with arms raised and should remove all metal items from their pockets.

Please visit the Galen Center website for more information.

The following items are prohibited:

Backpacks
all non-clear bags
alcoholic beverages
outside food or drink
balls
frisbees
balloons
banners
horns
laser devices
boom boxes
folding or beach chairs
coolers
professional cameras (lenses longer than 3”) and video equipment
coolers
picnic baskets
fireworks
weapons
knives
explosives
cans, bottles
illegal drugs
inflatables
noisemakers
poles or sticks
umbrellas
musical instruments
strollers must be checked-in

Department Receptions

For Graduates

Graduate registration for the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Commencement Ceremony is required. Registration is processed through an online platform called Marching Order. More information will be forthcoming via email.

Graduates will receive registration information via their USC email accounts from the USC Viterbi Commencement Team in February 2024. Graduates will register themselves and guests, noting any individuals with disabilities who need accommodations.

Graduate ticket: The printed Grad Card is a unique ticket into the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Commencement Ceremony and will be used to announce each graduate’s name as they walk across the stage. Details for Grad Cards distribution will be announced in April.

Any graduate who has indicated Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024 graduation terms will be invited to register for the Viterbi Commencement Ceremony through Marching Order.

Graduates can check their STARS Report for their grad terms and update them through My USC OASIS. For questions related to the grad term, please get in touch with your department academic advisor. The contact information is below.

Students have the option to purchase or rent their regalia. See below for more information.

Rent Regalia

For cap and gown (regalia) purchase information, please visit the USC Bookstore website

Rent Regalia. Students who rent regalia may keep the cap and tassel. The gown and hood should be returned immediately following the ceremony at the drop location near the ceremony or at the USC Bookstore.

Purchase Regalia

For cap and gown (regalia) purchase information, please visit the USC Bookstore website

Purchase Regalia

Grad Packs

Grad Packs are a convenient one stop shop of the most popular graduation items. Most Graduation Packages include USC Custom Gown/Hood Rental with Souvenir Cap & USC Tassel, Announcement Essentials plus a 2024 Keychain Tassel and a Diploma frame. To learn more about Grad Packs, please visit USC Grad Packs.

Special instructions for master’s degree and doctoral students: please be very clear when you inform the staff what degree you are earning, to make sure you get the right color trim on your hood. Please see below and review the color key for regalia for additional details.

The 2024 Commencement Program includes students who graduated in Fall 2023 or will graduate in Spring or Summer 2024. Please check to confirm how your name will appear in the Commencement Program Book. All correction requests must be received by Degree Progress no later than 5pm on Monday, March 18th in order to make the printed copy of the 2024 Commencement Program. Commencement Programs Books will be available online and on campus May 10, 2024.

Typically, your @usc.edu student account will be disabled six (6) months after your conferred degree date. If you are still using your @usc.edu email account, please note that USC will require you to have DUO 2-factor authentication activated by January 20, 2022. Please visit the USC ITS department page for more information on this requirement, as well as a guide on how to activate DUO 2-factor authentication. For additional information and assistance, please contact the USC ITS department via email or call (213) 740-5555.

For Guests

General Admission

Tickets will be required for the Viterbi School of Engineering commencement ceremony. More details to come.

ADA Accommodation(s)/Effective Communication

When graduates register their guests, they should note if any guest(s) require a Sign Language Interpreter for the ceremony or need accommodations for limited mobility, impaired hearing and more. Due to the venue’s space limitations, only one guest may accompany the guest in the ADA effective communication seating area.

Wheelchair Access

When graduates register their guests, they should note if any guest(s) require wheelchair seating for the duration of the ceremony. Due to the venue’s space limitations, only one guest may accompany the guest in the wheelchair seating area. Upon arrival at the wheelchair seating area, please check-in with staff with your ticket ready.

*Please note, there is a limited number of wheelchair accessible seats in the Galen Center. We will do all that we can to accommodate all guest needs.

Details are forthcoming.

All guests will go through a metal detector to enter the Galen Center.

Clear Bag Policy: To provide a safer environment for the public and significantly expedite guest entry into the venue, Galen Center enforces a clear bag policy that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into the arena for all events (one clear bag no larger than 12” x 6” x 12” per person).

Once the procession begins, standing in aisles inside the main auditorium is prohibited due to fire codes, and will be monitored by a fire marshal. A photographer will take pictures of graduates as they proceed to the stage and while on stage. We ask that all guests remain seated during the ceremony. Guests may not congregate in the aisles or open spaces due to fire codes. Large video screens are available and will make it easier for families and friends to see graduates as they process to the stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Additional Information

Graduate registration is required for the USC Viterbi Commencement Ceremony. The class of 2024 is welcome to participate and includes any student with an anticipated graduation semester of Fall 2023, Spring 2024, or Summer 2024. Graduates will receive an invitation in their USC email accounts from Marching Order at the end of January 2024.

Tickets will be required for the Viterbi School of Engineering commencement ceremony. More details to come.

Step 1: Submit your Application for Graduation

Verify that you are graduating!
- Students can verify their graduation date by checking their STARS Report on OASIS. Graduation dates will be listed by semester – fall 2023, spring 2024, and summer 2024. If this information is incorrect, please contact your department advisor.

Submit your application for graduation with your Viterbi Academic Department
- All master's students must complete a Master's Application for Graduation online at http://myviterbi.usc.edu. This application informs department advisors that you plan to complete your degree requirements in a specified term, and prompts your advisor to complete a degree check.
- Please note that this application or degree check is not automatically generated.

Step 2: Register to participate in your Viterbi Commencement ceremony via Marching Order

Submit your registration to participate in your respective graduation ceremony
- Marching Order is the online student Commencement registration platform.
- Graduates will receive an official email from Marching Order with instructions on registering to participate in your graduation ceremony starting on January 31, 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Out of Cycle Students

Out-of-Cycle students can complete the UG Out-of-Cycle Commencement Request Form 2024 or MS Out-of-Cycle Commencement Request Form 2024. Once submitted, the Viterbi Admission and Student Engagement Office (VASE) will review and provide further instructions.

Students must submit an out-of-cycle form to participate in the Viterbi Ceremonies.

- MS Out-of-Cycle Commencement Request Form 2024

Once the out of cycle is approved, the graduate will receive an email from our registration platform, Marching Order, to register for Commencement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Visa Letters

Students must submit an out-of-cycle form to participate in the Viterbi Ceremonies.

- UG Out-of-Cycle Commencement Request Form 2024
- MS Out-of-Cycle Commencement Request Form 2024

Once the out of cycle is approved, the graduate will receive an email from our registration platform, Marching Order, to register for Commencement.

Commencement registration opens on January 31st. Once registration opens the graduate can use the confirmation email for his documentation that he is participating in Commencement.

We do not generate letters of confirmation for visa purposes.