ucla phd in computer science

Artificial Intelligence

The computational study of intelligent behavior. This includes research in logical and probabilistic reasoning, machine learning, causality, heuristic search and combinatorial optimization, and natural language processing.

Kai-Wei Chang Adnan Darwiche Alyson Fletcher Saadia Gabriel Aditya Grover Quanquan Gu Cho-Jui Hsieh Richard Korf Baharan Mirzasoleiman Judea Pearl Nanyun Peng Guy Van den Broeck

Computer System Architecture & CAD

The study of the structure and behavior of computer systems; development of new algorithms and computing structures to be implemented in hardware, firmware, and software; development of tools to enable system designers to describe, model, fabricate and test highly complex computer systems.

Jason (Jinsheng) Cong Tony Nowatzki Miodrag Potkonjak Glenn Reinman Majid Sarrafzadeh Yuval Tamir Blaise-Pascal Tine

Computational Systems Biology

An integrative approach to understanding biological systems, with research areas that span systems biology, bioinformatics, genomics, computational biology, and biomedical engineering.

Joseph DiStefano Jason Ernst Eleazar Eskin Eran Halperin Sriram Sankararaman

Graphics & Vision

The synthesis and analysis of images by computer. Graphics — rendering, motion capture, and geometric, physics-based and artificial life modeling/animation for the movie and game industries. Vision — texture, shape, motion and illumination, 3D reconstruction from images, object recognition, real-time vision/control for autonomous vehicles, visual sensor networks and surveillance, and medical image analysis.

Achuta Kadambi Stefano Soatto Demetri Terzopoulos Bolei Zhou

Human Computer Interaction

A multi-disciplinary approach to study, design, and build interactive systems for diverse users (e.g., scientists, artists, journalists, students) working on a broad range of applications (e.g., research, policy, fabrication, software, AI). The goal of HCI is to empower more people to use technology to live according to their values.

Xiang Anthony Chen Eunice Jun

Information & Data Management

The development of models, techniques and tools to improve the functionality, performance and usability of database management and Web systems that provide enabling technology for our information society — including Web search engines, digital libraries, big data, data mining, distributed databases, data stream management systems, and information systems for medicine and science.

Junghoo (John) Cho Yizhou Sun Remy Wang Wei Wang

Network Systems

The study and design of distributed and often mobile systems — including computers, vehicles, people, and sensors interconnected by a communications network. This includes the development of novel applications that run on these systems, new protocols that enable various network components to work together, and techniques to optimize performance and to ensure reliability.

Omid Abari Leonard Kleinrock Songwu Lu Mani Srivastava George Varghese Lixia Zhang

Software Systems

A broad array of ongoing research that spans the entire spectrum of software systems — including programing language design and implementation, software engineering, software verification, operating systems, and embedded systems.

Miryung Kim Sam Kumar Todd Millstein Jens Palsberg Yuan Tian  Harry Xu

Computer Science Theory

The use of simple and concise mathematical models to investigate computational questions and issues — including research in centralized, parallel and distributed models of computation; optimal approximate and randomized online algorithms; complexity, cryptography, games, auctions and mechanism design theory.

Eliezer Gafni Raghu Meka Rafail Ostrovsky Amit Sahai Alexander Sherstov

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2021-2022 Computer Science Overview

Computer science is concerned with the design, modeling, analysis, and applications of computer systems. Its study at UCLA provides education at the undergraduate and graduate levels necessary to understand, design, implement, and use the software and hardware of digital computers and digital systems. The programs offer comprehensive and integrated studies of subjects in computer system architecture, computer networks, distributed computer systems, programming languages and software systems, information and data management, artificial intelligence, computer science theory, computational systems biology and bioinformatics, and computer vision and graphics.

The undergraduate and graduate studies and research projects in the Department of Computer Science are supported by significant computing resources. In addition to the departmental computing facility, there are over a dozen research laboratories specializing in areas such as distributed systems, multimedia computer communications, distributed sensor networks, VLSI systems, VLSI CAD, embedded and reconfigurable systems, computer graphics, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence. Also, the Cognitive Systems Laboratory is engaged in studying computer systems that emulate or support human reasoning. The Biocybernetics Laboratory is devoted to multidisciplinary research involving the application of engineering and computer science methods to problems in biology and medicine.

The BS degree may be attained through the Computer Science and Engineering major, the Computer Science major, or the Computer Engineering major described below.

In addition, UCLA Samueli offers MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science, as well as minor fields for graduate students seeking engineering degrees. In cooperation with the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management, the Computer Science Department offers a concurrent degree program that enables students to obtain the MS in Computer Science and the MBA (Master of Business Administration).

Department Mission

The Computer Science Department strives for excellence in creating, applying, and imparting knowledge in computer science and engineering through comprehensive educational programs, research in collaboration with industry and government, dissemination through scholarly publications, and service to professional societies, the community, state, and nation.

At an Upsilon Pi Epsilon industry event, Computer Science alumni talk about what it’s like to build technology for Google.

University of California--Los Angeles

Ranked in 12 program s and 10+ specialt ies

Explore UCLA's Science School

Biological Sciences

Program and Specialty rankings

• # 17 in Biological Sciences  (tie)
• # 11 in Biochemistry / Biophysics / Structural Biology  (tie)
• # 16 in Ecology / Evolutionary Biology
• # 12 in Molecular Biology  (tie)

Graduate Programs in Bioscience Contact Information

Box 951570 , Los Angeles , CA 90095-1570

(310) 206-1845

[email protected]

Biostatistics

• # 9 in Biostatistics  (tie)

Department of Biostatistics Contact Information

(310) 825-5250

[email protected]

• # 16 in Chemistry  (tie)
• # 10 in Biochemistry
• # 14 in Inorganic  (tie)
• # 10 in Organic
• # 9 in Physical  (tie)
• # 10 in Theoretical  (tie)

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Contact Information

607 Charles E. Young Drive E , Los Angeles , CA 90095-1569

(310) 825-4219

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Computer Science

• # 13 in Computer Science  (tie)
• # 14 in Artificial Intelligence
• # 11 in Programming Language  (tie)
• # 16 in Systems  (tie)
• # 14 in Theory

Computer Science Department Contact Information

4732 Boelter Hall , Los Angeles , CA 90095

(310) 825-0060

[email protected]

Earth Sciences

• # 14 in Earth Sciences  (tie)
• # 12 in Geology

Department of Earth and Space Sciences Contact Information

595 Charles Young Drive E (3806 Geology Building) , Los Angeles , CA 90095-1567

(310) 825-3880

[email protected]

• # 7 in Mathematics
• # 9 in Algebra / Number Theory / Algebraic Geometry
• # 1 in Analysis
• # 3 in Applied Math
• # 7 in Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics  (tie)
• # 8 in Geometry
• # 10 in Topology  (tie)

Department of Mathematics Contact Information

Box 951555 , Los Angeles , CA 90095-1555

(310) 825-4701

[email protected]

• # 17 in Physics  (tie)
• # 22 in Condensed Matter  (tie)

Department of Physics and Astronomy Contact Information

Box 951547 , Los Angeles , CA 90095-1547

(310) 825-3440

[email protected]

Statistics (Department of Statistics)

• # 19 in Statistics  (tie)

Department of Statistics Contact Information

8125 Math Sciences , Los Angeles , CA 90095-1554

(310) 206-3742

[email protected]

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Computer Science

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For UCLA dissertations, search the UCLA Library Catalog :

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Full-text UC dissertations since 1996 are available from  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses . 

As of March 13, 2012, UCLA's  Graduate Division  only accepts electronic filing of theses and dissertations. Theses and dissertations filed after this date will only be accessible electronically. They can be found by searching the  UCLA Library Catalog ,  ProQuest Digital Dissertations and Theses , or  eScholarship . Authors may embargo theses or dissertations for up to two years, so the full text of recent theses and dissertations may not be available.

Non-UCLA users can obtain UCLA dissertations through  ProQuest UMI . The UCLA Library does not provide interlibrary loan service to individuals unaffiliated with UCLA. However, dissertations can be lent to institutions; see  information for borrowing institutions .

• eScholarship, University of California This link opens in a new window UC's open access repository. Contains books, journals, working papers, conference publications, postprints, theses, and dissertations.
• Center for Research Libraries (CRL) Foreign Dissertations Search the CRL Catalog for dissertations already held at the Center. If a foreign dissertation is not at CRL, UCLA's Interlibrary Loan Service will request that CRL acquire it for your use. This special issue of Focus on Global Resources describes CRL's extensive collection of foreign dissertations.
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations This international organization promotes the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic analogues to traditional paper-based theses and dissertations in order to more effectively share knowledge.
• British Library EThOS The British Library's electronic theses online service aims to provide a single point of access to all theses produced by UK higher education. It currently contains more than 250,000 records, with 25,000 open-access theses available for immediate download. Researchers can request theses not yet available electronically, which will be scanned and made freely available.
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Admissions Requirements for the Graduate Major in Computer Science

After exploring options and choosing a specific program, follow the steps on our University’s graduate application process:

Internet Pioneer Leonard Kleinrock Elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 8, 2024

Distinguished professor emeritus Leonard Kleinrock of computer science at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

The academy announced its 2024 class of 120 new members and 24 international members at its annual meeting on April 30 in Washington, D.C. The nonprofit organization recognizes distinguished and continuing achievements in science. Also elected from UCLA was physics and astronomy professor Zvi Bern. 

In 1962, as a graduate student at MIT, Kleinrock developed the mathematical theory of packet switching — a foundational technology of the internet that allows computers to exchange information across a network. A year later, he joined UCLA where he continued to refine and test this process. On Oct. 29, 1969, Kleinrock’s team directed the successful transmission of the first message over the Arpanet from a computer in his lab at 3420 Boelter Hall at UCLA, which had been selected as the first Arpanet site, to another computer in Stanford Research Institute — a seminal moment that has been recognized as the birth of the internet . 

The election to the academy is Kleinrock’s second major honor this year, following the April 1 announcement of the 2024 IEEE Computer Society Computer Pioneer Award , which honored Kleinrock for his groundbreaking contributions to computer networking.

Kleinrock has received numerous national and international awards, including the 2007 National Medal of Science, the country’s highest award for scientific achievement. He is also an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors and an inaugural member of the Internet Hall of Fame.

Still an active faculty member, Kleinrock directs the UCLA Connection Lab , where he continues to direct scholarly work and advise graduate students on computer networks and related topics, including inclusive connectivity. In 2016, he created the Internet Research Initiative at UCLA , which supports undergraduate students in independent research. He also still teaches classes, most recently a graduate course on computer queuing systems theory this past winter quarter. Plans to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the birth of the internet at UCLA this Oct. 29 are underway. The National Academy of Sciences was established by an act of Congress signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. With this year’s newly elected members, the academy has 2,617 active members and 537 international members. Together with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine, the three organizations provide science, engineering and health policy advice to the U.S. federal government and other organizations.

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AI Researcher (PhD – Summer 2024 Internship)

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What You’ll Do • Develop a research plan, implement, and evaluate models or agents that advance the field of AI as it relates to networking, security, code generation, human-machine interaction, or other related areas • Stay abreast of developments in AI and machine learning fields and existing relevant technologies • Present research work and results clearly in presentations and in writing to both internal and external audiences

Who You’ll Work With You will be part of a dynamic, newly formed AI team working with other Researchers, Engineers, Data Scientists, with the opportunity for close collaborations with subject matter experts in networking.

Who You Are You learn continuously and love to develop novel tools and technologies that fit the problem you are trying to solve. You value building solid collaborations with your colleagues and are passionate about sharing knowledge and progress. You possess strong analytical skills for research and experimental design and have the ability to communicate complex ideas in simple, actionable ways.

Minimum requirements: • Currently enrolled in a PhD degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field

Preferred Skills: • A proven track record of driving research accomplishments, as demonstrated by publications at top AI venues such as ACL, EMNLP, ICLR, ICML, NAACL, NeurIPS, or similar, or grants, fellowships, or similar awards • Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, C/C++, or Java • Knowledge of a machine learning framework (PyTorch, Jax, Tensorflow, etc.)

Why Cisco #WeAreCisco, where each person is unique, but we bring our talents to work as a team and make a difference powering an inclusive future for all.

We embrace digital, and help our customers implement change in their digital businesses. Some may think we’re “old” (36 years strong) and only about hardware, but we’re also a software company. And a security company. We even invented an intuitive network that adapts, predicts, learns and protects. No other company can do what we do – you can’t put us in a box!

But “Digital Transformation” is an empty buzz phrase without a culture that allows for innovation, creativity, and yes, even failure (if you learn from it.) Day to day, we focus on the give and take. We give our best, give our egos a break, and give of ourselves (because giving back is built into our DNA.) We take accountability, bold steps, and take difference to heart. Because without diversity of thought and a dedication to equality for all, there is no moving forward.

So, you have colorful hair? Don’t care. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots? That’s cool. Pop culture enthusiast? Many of us are. Passion for technology and world changing? Be you, with us!

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51 Best Colleges for Computer Science – 2024

May 8, 2024

The CS major is exploding at colleges and universities across the United States and gaining admission at any of the best colleges for computer science is highly competitive. The computer science explosion extends even beyond the higher education world as more and more public k-12 systems are requiring that every student learns how to code. These trends are a recognition of the tech-heavy nature of modern industry as well as modern life in general. Attending any of the Best Colleges for Computer Science that cracked our list will set graduates up for a rewarding and lucrative tech career.

Methodology 

Click here to read our methodology for the Best Colleges for Computer Science.

Salary Information

Want to know how much money graduates of the top CS schools make when they begin their careers? For each college listed (and hundreds of additional schools), you can view the starting salaries for computer science majors .

Best Colleges for Computer Science

Here’s a quick preview of the first ten computer science institutions that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.

1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2) Stanford University

3) California Institute of Technology

4) University of California, Berkeley

5) Columbia University

6) University of Michigan

7) Duke University

8) Harvey Mudd College

9) Georgia Institute of Technology

10) Princeton University

All of the schools profiled below have stellar reputations in the area of CS and commit substantial resources to undergraduate education. For each of the best computer science colleges, College Transitions will provide you with—when available—the university’s:

• Cost of Attendance
• Acceptance Rate
• Median  SAT
• Median  ACT
• Retention Rate
• Graduation Rate

We will also include a longer write-up of each college’s:

• Academic Highlights – Includes facts like student-to-faculty ratio, average class size, number of majors offered, and most popular majors.
• Professional Outcomes – Includes info on the rate of positive outcomes, companies employing alumni, and graduate school acceptances.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Cambridge, MA

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates pursue one of 57 majors and 59 minors at this world-class research institution that continues to be one of the world’s most magnetic destinations for math and science geniuses.  The student-to-faculty ratio is an astonishing 3-to-1, and over two-fifths of all class sections have single-digit enrollments, and 70% of courses contain fewer than twenty students. The highest numbers of degrees conferred in 2022 were in the following majors: engineering (31%), computer science and engineering (28%), mathematics (10%), and the physical sciences (7%).

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 saw 29% of its members enter the world of employment and 43% continue on their educational paths. The top employers included Accenture, Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Google, General Motors, the US Navy, Apple, Bain & Company, and McKinsey. The mean starting salary for an MIT bachelor’s degree holder was $95,000. The most frequently attended graduate schools are a who’s who of elite institutions including MIT itself, Stanford, Caltech, Harvard, and the University of Oxford.

• Enrollment: 4,657
• Cost of Attendance: $82,730
• Median SAT: 1550
• Median ACT: 35
• Acceptance Rate: 4%
• Retention Rate: 99%
• Graduation Rate: 95%

Stanford University

• Palo Alto, CA

Academic Highlights: Stanford has three undergraduate schools: the School of Humanities & Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. 69% of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 34% have a single-digit enrollment. Programs in engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, international relations, and economics are arguably the best anywhere. In terms of sheer volume, the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (17%), computer science (16%), engineering (15%), and interdisciplinary studies (13%).

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries in equal distribution: business/finance/consulting/retail (19%); computer, IT (19%); and public policy and service, international affairs (19%). Among the companies employing the largest number of recent grads are Accenture, Apple, Bain, Cisco, Meta, Goldman Sachs, Google, McKinsey, Microsoft, and SpaceX. Other companies that employ hundreds of Cardinal alums include LinkedIn, Salesforce, and Airbnb. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

• Enrollment: 8,049 (undergraduate); 10,236 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,833
• Median SAT: 1540
• Retention Rate: 98%

California Institute of Technology

• Pasadena, CA

Academic Highlights: Across all divisions, there are 28 distinct majors. Possessing an absurdly favorable 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, plenty of individualized attention is up for grabs. Class sizes are not quite as tiny as the student-to-faculty ratio might suggest, but 70% of courses enroll fewer than twenty students, and 28% enroll fewer than ten. Computer science is the most popular major, accounting for 38% of all degrees conferred. Engineering (30%), the physical sciences (20%), and mathematics (6%) also have strong representation.

Professional Outcomes: Caltech is a rare school that sees six-figure average starting salaries for its graduates; in 2022, the median figure was $120,000. Forty-three percent of recent grads went directly into the workforce and found homes at tech giants such as Google, Intel, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta. A healthy 46% of those receiving their diplomas in 2022 continued directly on the higher education path, immediately entering graduate school. Ninety-seven percent of these students were admitted to one of their top-choice schools.

• Enrollment: 982
• Cost of Attendance: $86,886
• Median SAT: Test Blind
• Median ACT: Test Blind
• Acceptance Rate: 3%
• Graduation Rate: 94%

University of California, Berkeley

• Berkeley, CA

Academic Highlights: More than 150 undergraduate majors and minors are available across six schools: the College of Letters and Science, the College of Chemistry, the College of Engineering, the College of Environmental Design, the College of Natural Resources, and the Haas School of Business. Many departments have top international reputations including computer science, engineering, chemistry, English, psychology, and economics. 22% of sections contain nine or fewer students, and over 55% of students assist faculty with a research project or complete a research methods course.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduating, 49% of Cal’s Class of 2022 had already secured employment, and 20% were headed to graduate school. Business is the most popular sector, attracting 62% of employed grads; next up are industrial (17%), education (8%), and nonprofit work (7%). The median starting salary was $86,459 across all majors. Thousands of alumni can be found in the offices of Google, Apple, and Meta, and 500+ Golden Bears are currently employed by Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft. The school is the number one all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers.

• Enrollment: 32,831 (undergraduate); 12,914 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $48,574 (in-state); $82,774 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 11%
• Retention Rate: 96%

Columbia University

• New York, NY

Academic Highlights: Columbia offers 100+ unique areas of undergraduate study as well as a number of pre-professional and accelerated graduate programs.  Class sizes at Columbia are reasonably small and the student-to-faculty ratio is favorable; however, in 2022, it was revealed that the university had been submitting faulty data in this area. It is presently believed that 58% of undergraduate courses enroll 19 or fewer students. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (22%), computer science (15%), engineering (14%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Examining the most recent graduates from Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, 73% had found employment within six months, and 20% had entered graduate school. The median starting salary for graduates of Columbia College/Columbia Engineering is above $80,000. Many graduates get hired by the likes of Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, Citi, McKinsey, and Microsoft.

• Enrollment: 8,832
• Cost of Attendance: $89,587

University of Michigan

• Ann Arbor, MI

Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges, and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) enrolls the majority of students. The Ross School of Business offers highly rated programs in entrepreneurship, management, accounting, and finance. The College of Engineering is also one of the best in the country. By degrees conferred, engineering (15%), computer science (14%), and the social sciences (11%) are most popular. A solid 56% of classes have fewer than 20 students.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school, with healthcare, education, law, banking, research, nonprofit work, and consulting being the most popular sectors. Within three months, 99% of Ross grads are employed with a median salary of $90k. Top employers include Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, EY, Morgan Stanley, PwC, Deloitte, and Amazon.  Within six months, 96% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $84k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta employ the greatest number of alumni.

• Enrollment: 32,695 (undergraduate); 18,530 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $35,450 (in-state); $76,294 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1470
• Median ACT: 33
• Acceptance Rate: 18%
• Retention Rate: 97%
• Graduation Rate: 93%

Duke University

Academic Highlights: The academic offerings at Duke include 53 majors, 52 minors, and 23 interdisciplinary certificates. Class sizes are on the small side—71% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. Computer Science is the most popular area of concentration (11%), followed by economics (10%), public policy (9%), biology (8%), and computer engineering (7%).

Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 70% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 20% continue into graduate schools, and 2% start their own businesses. The industries that attract the largest percentage of Blue Devils are tech (21%), finance (15%), business (15%), healthcare (9%), and science/research (6%). Of the 20% headed into graduate school, a hefty 22% are attending medical school, 18% are in PhD programs, and 12% are entering law school. The med school acceptance rate is 85%, more than twice the national average.

• Enrollment: 6,640
• Cost of Attendance: $85,238
• SAT Range: 1490-1570
• ACT Range: 34-35
• Acceptance Rate: 6%
• Graduation Rate: 97%

Harvey Mudd College

• Claremont, CA

Academic Highlights: While 62% of courses have an enrollment under 20, another 32% enroll between 20 and 39 students. Regardless, Mudd prides itself on offering graduate-level research opportunities and experiential learning to all undergrads. Only six majors are offered: biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and physics. All are incredibly strong. Students also have the option to combine certain disciplines into what amounts to a double major.

Professional Outcomes: Seventy-two percent of the Class of 2022 planned on entering a job right after receiving their bachelor’s degree. The highest number of recent Harvey Mudd graduates are scooped up by the following companies (in order of representation): Meta, Microsoft, and Caltech. Graduates average an impressive $117,500 starting salary, a phenomenal number even when accounting for the preponderance of STEM majors. Many Harvey Mudd grads—20% in 2022—go directly into graduate school programs.

• Enrollment: 906
• Cost of Attendance: $89,115
• Median SAT: 1530
• Acceptance Rate: 13%
• Graduation Rate: 92%

Georgia Institute of Technology

• Atlanta, GA

Academic Highlights: Georgia Tech’s engineering and computer science programs are at the top of any “best programs” list. Being a large research university, the student-to-faculty ratio is a less-than-ideal 22:1, leading to some larger undergraduate class sections. In fact, 49% of courses had enrollments of more than thirty students in 2022-23. On the other end of the spectrum, 8% of sections had single-digit enrollments. In terms of total number of degrees conferred, the most popular areas of study are engineering (51%), computer science (21%), and business (9%).

Professional Outcomes: More than three-quarters of recent grads had already procured employment by the time they were handed their diplomas. You will find graduates at every major technology company in the world. The median salary reported by that group was $80,000. Many remain on campus to earn advanced engineering degrees through Georgia Tech, but the school’s reputation is such that gaining admission into other top programs including MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, Stanford, and Caltech.

• Enrollment: 18,416
• Cost of Attendance: $29,950 (In-State); $52,120 (Out-of-State)
• Acceptance Rate: 17%

Princeton University

• Princeton, NJ

Academic Highlights: 39 majors are available at Princeton. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 31% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Engineering Department is widely recognized as one of the country’s best, as is the School of Public and International Affairs.

Professional Highlights: Over 95% of a typical Tiger class finds their next destination within six months of graduating. Large numbers of recent grads flock to the fields of business and engineering, health/science, & tech. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary ranges from $40k (education, health care, or social services) to $100k (computer/mathematical positions). Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school.

• Enrollment: 5,604 (undergraduate); 3,238 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,700
• Graduation Rate: 98%

University of California, San Diego

• San Diego, CA

Academic Highlights: There are 140+ undergraduate majors offered at UCSD, and all students join one of eight undergraduate colleges meant to forge flourishing communities within the larger university. Biology has the highest representation of all majors (19%) followed by engineering (12%), the social sciences (11%), and computer science (9%). UCSD’s computer science and engineering programs have stellar reputations in the corporate and tech communities, and programs in biology, economics, and political science are among the best anywhere.

Professional Outcomes: Employers of recent graduates included the Walt Disney Company, Tesla, NBC Universal, PwC, Northrop Grumman, and EY. More than 1,000 current Google employees are UC San Diego alumni, and Qualcomm, Amazon, and Apple all employ 500+ each. The median early career salary is $65,000 across all majors, placing the university in the top 10 public universities in the country. UCSD also fares well in measures of its return-on-investment potential.

• Enrollment: 33,096 (undergraduate); 8,386 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $31,830 (in-state); $64,404 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 25%
• Retention Rate: 93%
• Graduation Rate: 88%

University of California, Los Angeles

• Los Angeles, CA

Academic Highlights: UCLA offers 125 majors in 100+ academic departments, and more than 60 majors require a capstone experience that results in the creation of a tangible product under the mentorship of faculty members. The most commonly conferred degrees are in the social sciences (25%), biology (16%), psychology (11%), mathematics (8%), and engineering (7%). Departmental rankings are high across the board, especially in computer science, engineering, film, fine and performing arts, mathematics, and political science.

Professional Outcomes: UCLA grads flow most heavily into the research, finance, computer science, and engineering sectors. High numbers of recent grads can be found at Disney, Google, EY, Teach for America, Amazon, and Oracle. Hundreds also can be found at Bloomberg, Deloitte, Mattel, Oracle, and SpaceX. The average starting salary exceeds $55,000. 16% of recent grads enrolled directly in a graduate/professional school, with other CA-based institutions like Stanford, Pepperdine, USC, Berkeley, and Loyola Marymount being the most popular.

• Enrollment: 33,040 (undergraduate); 15,010 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $38,517 (in-state); $71,091 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 9%

Harvard University

Academic Highlights: There are 50 undergraduate fields of study referred to as concentrations; many are interdisciplinary. Even with a graduate population of over 14,000 to cater to, undergraduate class sizes still tend to be small, with 42% of sections having single-digit enrollments and 71% being capped at nineteen. Economics, government, and computer science are the three most popular areas of concentration at Harvard. Biology, chemistry, physics, math, statistics, sociology, history, English, and psychology all sit atop most departmental ranking lists.

Professional Outcomes: The Crimson Class of 2022 saw 15% of students head directly into graduate/professional school. Of the graduates entering the world of work (virtually everyone else), 58% were entering either the consulting, finance, or technology field. Over 1,000 Harvard alumni presently work for Google and over 500 for Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs. Turning our attention to those moving on to graduate school, Harvard grads with at least a 3.5 GPA typically enjoy acceptance rates into medical school of 90% or greater.

• Enrollment: 7,240
• Cost of Attendance: $79,450

Cornell University

Academic Highlights: A diverse array of academic programs includes 80 majors and 120 minors spread across the university’s seven schools/colleges. Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 55% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Most degrees conferred in 2022 were in computer science (17%), engineering (13%), business (13%), and biology (13%). The SC Johnson College of Business houses two undergraduate schools, both of which have phenomenal reputations.

Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 68% entered the workforce, 28% entered graduate school, 1% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 3% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. The top sectors attracting campus-wide graduateswere financial services (18%), technology (17%), consulting (15%), and education (10%). Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 15% were pursuing JDs, 5% MDs, and 22% PhDs.

• Enrollment: 15,735
• Cost of Attendance: $88,150
• Median SAT: 1520
• Median ACT: 34
• Acceptance Rate: 7%

University of Southern California

Academic Highlights : There are 140 undergraduate majors and minors within the Dornsife College of Arts & Sciences alone, the university’s oldest and largest school. The Marshall School of Business, Viterbi School of Engineering, and programs in communication, the cinematic arts, and the performing arts are highly acclaimed. Popular areas of study are business (22%), social sciences (11%), visual and performing arts (11%), communications/journalism (9%), and engineering (8%). Most courses enroll 10-19 students, and USC does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities.

Professional Outcomes: 96% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The top five industries entered were finance, consulting, advertising, software development, and engineering; the median salary across all majors is an astounding $79k. Presently, between 300 and 1,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, and Meta. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2022 USC grads include NYU, Georgetown, Harvard, Stanford, Pepperdine, and UCLA.

• Enrollment: 20,699 (undergraduate); 28,246 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $90,921
• Median SAT: 1510
• Acceptance Rate: 12%

Brown University

• Providence, RI

Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. Class sizes tend to be small—68% have fewer than twenty students—and 35% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Biology, economics, computer science, mathematics, and engineering are among the most popular areas of concentration at Brown; however, it is hard to distinguish any one program, because Brown possesses outstanding offerings across so many disciplines.

Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 69% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Bain & Company. The Class of 2022 saw 27% of graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Right out of undergrad, Brown students boasted an exceptional 81% admission rate to med school and an 81% admission rate to law school.

• Enrollment: 7,639
• Cost of Attendance: $84,828
• Acceptance Rate: 5%
• Graduation Rate: 96%

Carnegie Mellon University

• Pittsburgh, PA

Academic Highlights: There are a combined 80+ undergraduate majors and 90 minors available across the six schools. Impressively, particularly for a school with more graduate students than undergrads, CMU boasts a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and small class sizes, with 36% containing single digits. In a given school year, 800+ undergraduates conduct research through the University Research Office. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (21%), computer science (16%), mathematics (12%), business (10%), and visual and performing arts (9%).

Professional Outcomes: By the end of the calendar year in which they received their diplomas, 66% of 2022 grads were employed, and 28% were continuing to graduate school. The companies that have routinely scooped up CMU grads include Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Accenture, McKinsey, and Deloitte. With an average starting salary of $105,194, CMU grads outpace the average starting salary for a college grad nationally. Of those pursuing graduate education, around 20% typically enroll immediately in PhD programs.

• Enrollment: 7,509
• Cost of Attendance: $84,412

Swarthmore College

• Swarthmore, PA

Academic Highlights: Swarthmore offers forty undergraduate programs and runs 600+ courses each academic year. Small, seminar-style courses are the norm—an outstanding 33% of sections enroll fewer than ten students, and 70% contain a maximum of nineteen students. Social science degrees are the most commonly conferred, accounting for 24% of all 2022 graduates. Future businessmen/women, engineers, and techies are also well-positioned, given Swat’s incredibly strong offerings in economics, engineering, and computer science.

Professional Outcomes: 68% of Class of 2022 grads entered the workforce shortly after graduation. Popular industries included education (17%), consulting (16%), and financial services (13%); the median starting salary was $60,000. Google is a leading employer of Swarthmore grads followed by Amazon, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and a number of the top universities.  18% of 2022 grads pursued advanced degrees, with 35% pursuing a PhD, 35% entering master’s programs, 10% heading to law school, and 7% matriculating into medical school.

• Enrollment: 1,625
• Cost of Attendance: $81,376
• Median SAT: 1500

The University of Texas at Austin

Academic Highlights: UT Austin offers over 150 majors, including those at the Cockrell School of Engineering, one of the most heralded undergraduate engineering schools around, and The McCombs School of Business, which dominates in the specialty areas of accounting and marketing. The computer science department is also top-ranked. In terms of degrees conferred, engineering is tied with biology (12%) followed by communication (11%), business (11%), and the social sciences (8%). The elite Plan II Honors Program is one of the best in the country.

Professional Outcomes: Within the College of Liberal Arts, six months after graduating, 68% of Longhorns are employed and 24% have entered graduate school. The for-profit sector attracts 65% of those employed while 19% enter public sector employment and 16% pursue jobs at a nonprofit. Major corporations that employ more than 500 UT Austin grads include Google, Meta, Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, and Apple. Engineering majors took home a median income of $79k and business majors took home $70k.

• Enrollment: 41,309 (undergraduate); 11,075 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $30,752-$34,174 (in-state); $61,180-$69,310 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1430
• Median ACT: 32
• Acceptance Rate: 31%
• Retention Rate: 95%

University of California, Irvine

Academic Highlights: UCI offers eighty undergrad programs as well as many opportunities for personal connection; 56% of all sections enroll 19 or fewer students and over 60% of students conduct a research project. The most commonly conferred degrees are the social sciences (16%), business (12%), psychology (11%), and biology (9%). The Samueli School of Engineering has a solid reputation as does the Bren School, the only independent computer science school in the UC system. Programs in public health and biological sciences earn very high marks.

Professional Outcomes: Accounting, aerospace, internet and software, K-12 education, real estate, and retail are among the industries attracting the greatest number of Anteaters. Companies employing large numbers of recent grads include Boeing, the Walt Disney Company, Google, EY, and Microsoft. Hundreds of alumni are also found at Kaiser Permanente, Meta, Apple, Edwards Lifesciences, and Deloitte. The median salary is $69,000, with CS grads earning close to $120k right off the bat. UCI has a very strong reputation for premed.

• Enrollment: 28,661 (undergraduate); 7,275 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $40,202 (in-state); $72,776 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 26%
• Retention Rate: 91%
• Graduation Rate: 87%

Williams College

• Williamstown, MA

Academic Highlights: The school’s 25 academic departments offer 36 majors and a number of concentrations rather than minors. An unparalleled 40% of courses have fewer than ten students enrolled; the median class size is 12 students. Programs in economics, English, history, math, and political science are especially renowned, and the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (26%), the physical sciences (10%), math and statistics (9%), psychology (9%), and computer science (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2022, 92% were employed or continuing their educational journey within six months of graduating. Business and education typically attract the most students, with popular companies/organizations including Apple, Google, Goldman Sachs, The New York Times Co., the Peace Corps, and Teach for America. The median annual income for 2022 grads was $75,000. 75% pursue an advanced degree within five years of leaving Williams, with the most frequently attended graduate programs being Harvard, Columbia, and Yale.

• Enrollment: 2,152 (undergraduate); 53 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $81,160
• Acceptance Rate: 8%

Yale University

• New Haven, CT

Academic Highlights: Yale offers 80 majors, most of which require a one- to two-semester senior capstone experience. Undergraduate research is a staple, and over 70% of classes—of which there are over 2,000 to choose from—have an enrollment of fewer than 20 students, making Yale a perfect environment for teaching and learning. Among the top departments are biology, economics, global affairs, engineering, history, and computer science. The social sciences (26%), biology (11%), mathematics (8%), and computer science (8%) are the most popular areas of concentration.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduating, 73% of the Yale Class of 2022 had entered the world of employment and 18% matriculated into graduate programs. Hundreds of Yale alums can be found at each of the world’s top companies including Google, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. The most common industries entered by the newly hired were finance (20%), research/education (16%), technology (14%), and consulting (12%). The mean starting salary for last year’s grads was $81,769 ($120k for CS majors). Nearly one-fifth of students immediately pursue graduate school.

• Enrollment: 6,590 (undergraduate); 5,344 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,705

Johns Hopkins University

• Baltimore, MD

Academic Highlights: With 53 majors as well as 51 minors, JHU excels in everything from its bread-and-butter medical-related majors to international relations and dance. Boasting an enviable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and with 78% of course sections possessing an enrollment under 20, face time with professors is a reality. Many departments carry a high level of clout, including biomedical engineering, chemistry, English, and international studies. Biology, neuroscience, and computer science, which happen to be the three most popular majors, can also be found at the top of the national rankings.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 saw 94% of graduates successfully land at their next destination within six months of exiting the university; 66% of graduates entered the world of employment and a robust 19% went directly to graduate/professional school. The median starting salary across all majors was $80,000 for the Class of 2022. JHU itself is the most popular choice for graduate school. The next most frequently attended institutions included Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and MIT.

• Enrollment: 6,044
• Cost of Attendance: $86,065

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Champaign-Urbana, IL

Academic Highlights: Eight of UIUC’s fifteen schools cater to undergraduate students. There are 150 academic programs offered, including those at the acclaimed Grainger College of Engineering and Gies College of Business. In sheer volume of degrees conferred, engineering and business/marketing are tied at 19%, followed by the social sciences (9%) and psychology (6%). 39% of sections are capped at 19 students. 29% of undergraduates work with a faculty member on a research project; another 22% have some type of fieldwork, practicum, or clinical experience.

Professional Outcomes: 95% of the members of the Class of 2022 landed at their next destination within six months of graduation, with 38% matriculating directly into an advanced degree program. 57% were employed full-time; the most popular sectors were finance, consulting, healthcare, electronics, and education. Corporations landing the most recent Illini grads were KPMG, Deloitte, Epic Systems, EY, PwC, and Amazon. The average salary across all Class of 2022 majors was an extremely solid $75,000.

• Enrollment: 35,120 (undergraduate); 21,796 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $35,926-$41,190 (in-state); $55,386-$63,290 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1440
• Acceptance Rate: 79%
• Graduation Rate: 85%

University of Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia, PA

Academic Highlights : 90 distinct degrees are available across four schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Applied Science and Engineering, the College of Nursing, and the world-renowned Wharton School. The greatest number of students pursue degrees in business (19%), social sciences (14%), biology (11%), health sciences (9%), engineering (9%), and computer science (9%). The university boasts an exceptional 26% of courses with an enrollment under ten and 59% with an enrollment under twenty as well as multiple ways for undergrads to conduct research.

Professional Outcomes: 75% of Class of 2022 grads were employed within six months of graduating, and 18% were in graduate school. Finance attracted the highest percentage of grads (30%) followed by consulting (20%), technology (15%), and healthcare (10%). Employers hiring the greatest number of 2022 grads included JPMorgan, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, Bain & Company, Meta, and Goldman Sachs. The median starting salary for all graduates is $80,000. For those continuing their educational journeys, the most popular move is to remain at Penn, followed by Columbia and Harvard.

• Enrollment: 9,760 (undergraduate); 13,614 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,028

University of Washington – Seattle

• Seattle, WA

Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across thirteen colleges/schools. Personal connections with professors abound as 55% of grads complete a faculty-mentored research project. The College of Engineering, which includes the College of Computer Science & Engineering, is one of the best in the nation; UW also boasts strong programs in everything from business to social work to environmental science. The most popular degrees are the social sciences (13%), biology (12%), computer science (11%), and business (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 73% of Class of 2022 grads were employed and 17% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2022 included Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and KPMG. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, just over half remain in state, mostly at UW itself. Large numbers of 2022 grads also headed to Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and USC.

• Enrollment: 36,872 (undergraduate); 16,211 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $34,554 (in-state); $63,906 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1420
• Acceptance Rate: 48%
• Retention Rate: 94%
• Graduation Rate: 84%

University of Maryland, College Park

• College Park, MD

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can select from 100+ majors across twelve colleges. 18% of degrees are conferred in computer science, followed by the social sciences (13%), with  criminology, government and politics, and economics being the most popular majors.  Engineering (13%), business (11%), and biology (8%) are next in line. The School of Business, the School of Engineering, and the College of Journalism are all top-ranked, as are programs in computer science and criminology. 46% of sections enroll fewer than twenty students.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 96% of Class of 2022 grads had positive outcomes. 67% found employment; the companies/organizations that hired the greatest number of grads included Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, Amazon, and EY. Meta, Apple, and Google employ more than 200 alumni each.  The mid-50% salary range for 2022 grads was $55k-$83k. 21% of the Class of 2022 headed directly to graduate and professional school; 11% entered doctoral programs, 5% entered medical school, and 5% entered law school.

• Enrollment: 30,353 (undergraduate); 10,439 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $31,540 (in-state); $60,918 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 84%
• Graduation Rate: 89%

University of Chicago

• Chicago, IL

Academic Highlights: There are 53 majors at UChicago, but close to half of all degrees conferred are in four majors: economics, biology, mathematics, and political science, all of which have particularly sterling reputations. Economics alone is the selection of roughly one-fifth of the undergraduate population. Over 75% of undergrad sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students, and undergraduate research opportunities are ubiquitous as 80% of students end up working in a research capacity alongside a faculty member.

Professional Outcomes: On commencement day, 99% of the Class of 2023 were employed or continuing their education. Business and financial services (30%) and STEM (12%) were the two sectors that scooped up the most graduates, but public policy and consulting were also well-represented. The most popular employers of recent grads include Google, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Bank of America, Citi, and Accenture. For those heading to grad school, the top seven destinations are Yale, Columbia, Penn, MIT, Stanford, UCLA, and Johns Hopkins.

• Enrollment: 7,653 (undergraduate); 10,870 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,040

University of Texas at Dallas

Academic Highlights: There are 140+ degree plans at UT Dallas which sports a 25:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Only 7% of classes are taught by graduate assistants, but classes are on the large side – 27% of course sections contain 50 or more students. The two most popular areas of study at this university are business (20%) and computer science (20%). Biology (14%), engineering (13%), and health professions (8%) also enjoy solid popularity. Even better, UT Dallas has a strong national reputation in all of these academic areas.

Professional Outcomes: The most commonly entered industries are internet and software, healthcare, accounting, IT, and higher education. Those graduating with a degree in information technology and systems had an average starting salary of $76,900 while those earning an accounting degree brought home a mean figure of $59,700. UT Dallas graduates have less undergraduate debt than the national average and receive the third-best ROI of any public university in Texas.

• Enrollment: 21,617
• Cost of Attendance: $35,960 (In-State); $51,126
• Median SAT: 1290
• Median ACT: 28
• Acceptance Rate: 85%
• Retention Rate: 87%
• Graduation Rate: 74%

Dartmouth College

• Hanover, NH

Academic Highlights: Dartmouth sports 60+ majors and a stunning breadth of course selections for an institution of its size. The learning environment at Dartmouth is extraordinarily intimate. Not only do 61% of course sections have under twenty students, but 18% have single-digit enrollments. The student-to-faculty ratio is an outstanding 7:1. Top programs offered by Big Green include biology, economics, neuroscience, and government. The social sciences are the most popular, accounting for 32% of degrees conferred, followed by computer science (10%), mathematics (9%), engineering (9%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: A great reputation along with a passionate alumni network that is 80,000 strong leads Dartmouth grads to successful transitions into graduate school and the world of work. Included in the top ten employers of Dartmouth grads are a number of investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bain & Company, Citibank, and Deutsche Bank. Right off the bat, 52% of graduates make more than $70,000 in salary. Those pursuing graduate degrees often flock to the likes of Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton.

• Enrollment: 4,458
• Cost of Attendance: $87,793

Amherst College

• Amherst, MA

Academic Highlights: A 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio allows for 66% of courses to have fewer than twenty students and 32% to have single-digit enrollments. By senior year, 98% of seniors report feeling close enough to a faculty member to ask for a letter of recommendation. Amherst possesses strong offerings across the board, most notably in economics, English, history, mathematics, and law The social sciences account for 22% of degrees conferred, while 14% are in mathematics, 11% in biology, and 7% in computer science

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 93% of the Class of 2022 had already found its way into the world of employment, graduate school, or a volunteer organization.  The largest employers of Amherst grads includes Google, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. The schools where the highest number of Amherst grads can be found pursuing advanced degrees include MIT, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania. Fifty to sixty Amherst grads apply to medical school each year, and the acceptance rate hovers around 75-80%.

• Enrollment: 1,898
• Cost of Attendance: $84,840

New York University

Academic Highlights: NYU is divided into a number of smaller (but still quite large) colleges organized by discipline; in sum, there are 230 areas of undergraduate study across nine schools and colleges. For its size, a commendable 58% of classes have an enrollment under 20 students. While all schools within NYU have solid reputations, Stern holds the distinction as one of the top undergraduate business programs in the country. For those entering film, dance, drama, or other performing arts, Tisch is as prestigious a place as you can find to study.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of exiting, 94% of Class of 2022 grads had landed at their next destination, with 78% employed and 21% in graduate school. The top industries for employment were healthcare (11%), internet and software (9%), finance (8%), and entertainment (8%). Large numbers of alumni can be found at Google, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, and Amazon. The mean starting salary is $75,336. In 2022, business, arts and sciences, and law school were the most popular grad school destinations.

• Enrollment: 29,401 (undergraduate); 29,711 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $90,222-$96,172

University of California, Santa Barbara

• Santa Barbara, CA

Academic Highlights: There are 90 undergraduate majors across three schools: the College of Letters and Science, the College of Engineering, and the College of Creative Studies. The social sciences are the most popular area of study, accounting for 27% of the total degrees conferred. Biology (10%), math (9%), and psychology (9%) are next in popularity. The school has highly regarded programs in communication, computer science, engineering, physics, environmental science, and the performing arts. More than half of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 72% enroll 29 or fewer.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of earning their diplomas, 84% of grads had found employment. The most popular industries were science/research (16%), engineering/computer programming (14%), business (13%), finance/accounting (11%), and sales (10%). Top employers of recent grads include Google, EY, KPMG, Oracle, Amazon, IBM, and Adobe. Many alumni also can be found at Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Two years after graduating, UCSB alumni make an average salary of $55k; more than half make $100k by mid-career.

• Enrollment: 23,460 (undergraduate); 2,961 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $41,289 (in-state); $73,863 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 28%
• Retention Rate: 92%
• Graduation Rate: 86%

Washington University in St. Louis

• St. Louis, MO

Academic Highlights : WashU admits students into five schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs: Arts & Sciences, the Olin School of Business, the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the Art of Architecture programs housed within the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (13%), social sciences (13%), business (13%), biology (11%), and psychology (10%). 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students, and over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. 65% double major or pursue a minor.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 sent 52% of grads into the workforce and 28% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Amazon, Bain, Boeing, Deloitte, Google, IBM, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft. Of the employed members of the Class of 2022 who reported their starting salaries, 79% made more than $60k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 8,132 (undergraduate); 8,880 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $83,760

University of Wisconsin – Madison

• Madison, WI

Academic Highlights: There are 230+ undergraduate majors offered across eight schools and colleges, including the top-ranked School of Business and College of Engineering as well as the College of Letters and Science, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the Schools of Nursing, Education, Pharmacy, and Human Ecology. Undergrads can expect a mix of large and small classes, with 44% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students. Business (18%), biology (12%), the social sciences (11%), and engineering (10%) are most popular.

Professional Outcomes: In a recent year, 46% of job-seeking grads graduated with an offer.  Top employers included UW-Madison, Epic, Kohl’s, Oracle, Deloitte, and UW Health. Across all graduating years, companies employing 250+ alumni include Google, Target, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, PwC, Accenture, and Meta. 28% of recent grads enrolled directly in graduate/professional school; the majority stayed at UW–Madison while others headed to Columbia, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon. The university is the top producer of Peace Corps volunteers.

• Enrollment: 37,230 (undergraduate); 12,656 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $28,916 (in-state); $58,912 (out-of-state)
• Median ACT: 30
• Acceptance Rate: 49%

Carleton College

• Northfield, MN

Academic Highlights: Students work closely with their professors, and the college is routinely rated atop lists of best undergraduate teaching institutions. Small classes are the norm with the average being only sixteen students. It offers 33 majors, the most popular of which are within the disciplines of the social sciences (19%), the physical sciences (14%), biology (11%), computer science (11%), mathematics (10%), and psychology (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Target, Epic Systems, Google, Wells Fargo, and Amazon all employ large numbers of graduates. Carleton is a breeding ground for future scholars as a ridiculously high number of graduates go on to earn PhDs. In fact, by percentage, Carleton is one of the top five producers in the country of future PhDs. They produce an incredible number of doctoral degree holders in the areas of economics, math, political science, sociology, chemistry, physics, biology, and history.

• Enrollment: 2,034
• Cost of Attendance: $82,167
• Median SAT: 1490
• Graduation Rate: 91%

Northwestern University

• Evanston, IL

Academic Highlights : Northwestern is home to six undergraduate schools, including Medill, which is widely regarded as one of the country’s best journalism schools. The McCormick School of Engineering also achieves top rankings, along with programs in economics, social policy, and theatre. The social sciences account for the greatest number of degrees conferred (19%), followed by communications/journalism (13%), and engineering (11%). 45% of classes have nine or fewer students enrolled; 78% have fewer than twenty enrollees. 57% of recent grads had the chance to conduct undergraduate research.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 69% of the Class of 2022 had found employment and 27% were in graduate school. The four most popular professional fields were consulting (18%), engineering (18%), business/finance (16%), and communications/marketing/media (13%). Employers included the BBC, NBC News, The Washington Post , NPR, Boeing, Google, IBM, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Northrop Grumman, and Goldman Sachs. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $73k. Of those headed straight to graduate school, engineering, medicine, and business were the three most popular areas of concentration.

• Enrollment: 8,659 (undergraduate); 14,073 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $91,290

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

• Worcester, MA

Academic Highlights: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) offers a hands-on and innovative project-based curriculum; all students complete a minimum of two long-term research projects that are focused on solving real-world problems. A staggering 52% of its classes enroll fewer than ten students, creating an incredible level of academic intimacy. The most popular majors are under the engineering umbrella (63%) and computer science (16%). The undergraduate engineering program is respected worldwide and frequently graces lists of top schools.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 94% of 2022 grads landed jobs or enrolled full-time in graduate school. Recent grads found jobs at top companies including Airbnb, DraftKings, Amazon Robotics, and NASA. Hundreds of WPI alumni are employed at Raytheon, Pratt & Whitney, Dell, and BAE Systems. The average starting salary is over $74,000 and is one of the highest in the country. Over one-quarter of grads elect to pursue an advanced degree immediately after graduation, enrolling at institutions that recently included Georgia Tech, Brown, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 5,246 (undergraduate); 2,062 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $81,751
• Acceptance Rate: 57%

Pomona College

Academic Highlights: There are 48 majors and minors to select from with the most popular being social sciences (23%), biology (13%), and computer science (12%). Majors in economics, international relations, chemistry, and mathematics receive especially high marks. More than 600 courses are on the menu at Pomona alone, but students can access any of the Claremont Consortium’s 2,700 courses. Pomona’s 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio leads to an average class size of only 15 students, and over 50% of the undergraduate population conduct research alongside a faculty member.

Professional Outcomes: 71% of the Class of 2022 were employed within six months of graduating. Overall, the largest number of alumni can be found at Google, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta. Recently, economics degree-earners have landed jobs at Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, or Accenture. Majors in the hard sciences frequently landed at top research laboratories and hospitals. Of the 21% of 2022 grads who were accepted directly into graduate school, the most frequently attended institutions included the University of Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Caltech, UChicago, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 1,761
• Cost of Attendance: $88,296

University of Virginia

• Charlottesville, VA

Academic Highlights: Undergrads can study within one of seven colleges/schools, which all offer many small classes; 15% boast single-digit enrollment and 48% contain 19 or fewer students. The McIntire School of Commerce and the School of Engineering and Applied Science have glowing reputations. Other notable strengths include computer science, economics, and political philosophy, policy, and law. The most popular degree areas are liberal arts/general studies (22%), the social sciences (14%), engineering (11%), business/marketing (8%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes:  Upon receiving their degree, 95% of the Class of 2022 immediately joined the workforce–with an average starting salary of $90k–or headed directly to graduate school. The most popular industries were internet & software, higher education, and management consulting. Capital One (85), Deloitte (46), Amazon (38), and Bain & Co. (26) scooped up the greatest number of 2022 grads. UVA itself was the most popular grad school destination followed by Columbia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Johns Hopkins.

• Enrollment: 17,496 (undergraduate); 8,653 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $39,494-49,874 (in-state); $78,214-90,378 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 19%

Northeastern University

Academic Highlights: Northeastern offers 290 majors and 180 combined majors within nine colleges and programs. Experiential learning is had by virtually all graduates, thanks to the school’s illustrious and robust co-op program. The D’Amore-McKim School of Business is a top-ranked school and offers one of the best international business programs anywhere, and both the College of Engineering and College of Computer Science are highly respected as well. Criminal justice, architecture, and nursing are three other majors that rate near the top nationally.

Professional Outcomes: Nine months after leaving Northeastern, 97% of students have landed at their next employment or graduate school destination. Huskies entering the job market are quickly rounded up by the likes of State Street, Fidelity Investments, IBM, and Amazon, all of whom employ 500+ Northeastern alums. Between 200 and 500 employees at Wayfair, Google, Amazon, Oracle, IBM, and Apple have an NU lineage. Starting salaries are above average (55% make more than $60k), in part due to the stellar co-op program.

• Enrollment: 20,980 (undergraduate); 15,826 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,821

Purdue University — West Lafayette

• West Lafayette, IN

Academic Highlights: Purdue offers over 200 majors at ten discipline-specific colleges, and 38% of course sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer. Engineering and engineering technologies majors earn 34% of the degrees conferred by the university; the College of Engineering cracks the top ten on almost every list of best engineering schools. The Krannert School of Management is also well-regarded by employers; 11% of degrees conferred are in business. Other popular majors include computer science (10%) and agriculture (5%)—both are incredibly strong.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after receiving their diplomas, 70% of 2022 grads headed to the world of employment while 24% headed to graduate/professional school. The top industries entered by grads in recent years are (1) health care, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices; (2) finance, insurance, and consulting; (3) manufacturing and machinery; (4) airline, aviation, and aerospace. Companies employing the greatest number of recent alumni were Amazon, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Labcorp, Lockheed Martin, and Microsoft. The average starting salary was $68k across all degree programs.

• Enrollment: 37,949 (undergraduate); 12,935 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $22,812 (in-state); $41,614 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1330
• Median ACT: 31
• Acceptance Rate: 53%

Rutgers University — New Brunswick

• New Brunswick, NJ

Academic Highlights: Rutgers is divided into 17 schools and colleges, collectively offering 100+ undergraduate majors. 41% of class sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in business (20%), computer science (12%), engineering (10%), health professions (10%), biology (9%), and social sciences (7%). Rutgers Business School sends many majors to top Wall Street investment banks, and programs in computer science, public health, and criminal justice have a terrific national reputation.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduation, 82% of Class of 2022 grads had secured a first job or were heading to an advanced degree program. 67% headed directly to the world of employment, where the companies hiring the largest number of grads included Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal, and JP Morgan Chase. Investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Citi also employ hundreds of alumni, as do companies like Verizon, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Novartis, Pfizer, and Google. The median starting salary across all majors was $70,000.

• Enrollment: 36,344 (undergraduate); 14,293 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $37,849 (in-state); $57,138 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1370
• Acceptance Rate: 66%

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Blacksburg, VA

Academic Highlights : Eight undergraduate colleges that offer 110+ distinct bachelor’s degrees are housed within Virginia Tech. 33% of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 21% of recent graduates report participating in some type of undergraduate research experience. Engineering is the area where the greatest number of degrees are conferred (23%), but business (20%) is a close second. Both disciplines are among the most respected at Tech, along with computer science. Other popular majors include the family and consumer sciences (8%), social sciences (8%), biology (8%), and agriculture (4%).

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 56% of the Class of 2022 were employed and 18% were in graduate school. One recent class sent large numbers to major corporations that included Deloitte (67), KPMG (44), Lockheed Martin (39), Capital One (30), EY (28), Booz Allen Hamilton (18), and Northrop Grumman (12). The median salary for 2022 graduates was $67,000. Among recent grads who decided to pursue an advanced degree, the greatest number stayed at VT, while others enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University, William & Mary, Columbia, Duke, and Georgia Tech.

• Enrollment: 30,434 (undergraduate); 7,736 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $37,252 (in-state); $58,750 (out-of-state)
• Median ACT: 29

University of Minnesota–Twin Cities

• Minneapolis, MN

Academic Highlights: There are 150 majors available across eight freshman-admitting undergraduate colleges. 65% of class sections enroll 29 or fewer students. The most commonly conferred degrees are in biology (13%), business & marketing (11%), engineering (10%), the social sciences (10%), computer science (9%), and psychology (8%). The College of Science and Engineering and the Carlson School of Management have strong national reputations, and the chemistry, economics, psychology, and political science departments are also well-regarded.

Professional Outcomes: The top seven companies snatching up the largest number of recent grads are all companies headquartered in the state of Minnesota: Medtronic, Target, 3M, United Health Group, US Bank, and Cargill. Google, Apple, and Meta all employ hundreds of Twin Cities alumni. The mean starting salary for recent grads was $50k. With 130 graduate programs in science, art, engineering, agriculture, medicine, and the humanities, the University of Minnesota retains many of its graduates as they pursue their next degrees.

• Enrollment: 39,248 (undergraduate); 15,707 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $33,032-$35,632 (in-state); $54,446-$57,046
• Acceptance Rate: 75%
• Retention Rate: 90%

Pennsylvania State University — University Park

• State College, PA

Academic Highlights: Penn State offers 275 majors and a number of top-ranked programs in a host of disciplines. The College of Engineering is rated exceptionally well on a national scale and is also the most popular field of study, accounting for 15% of the degrees conferred. The Smeal College of Business is equally well-regarded, earning high rankings in everything from supply chain management to accounting to marketing. It attracts 15% of total degree-seekers. 61% of classes have an enrollment below thirty students.

Professional Outcomes: By graduation, 70% of Nittany Lions have found their next employment or graduate school home. 98% of College of Business grads are successful within three months of exiting, flocking in large numbers to stellar finance, accounting, consulting, and technology firms. Hundreds of alumni work at Citi, Salesforce, and Meta, and more than 500 currently work at each of IBM, Deloitte, PwC, Amazon, EY, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Google, and Oracle. 75% of 2022 grads employed full-time earned starting salaries greater than $50k.

• Enrollment: 41,745 (undergraduate); 7,020 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $32,656 (in-state); $52,610 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1300
• Acceptance Rate: 55%

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Academic Highlights: 110 majors are offered across eight undergraduate colleges, including the highly ranked Isenberg School of Management. Programs in sports management, architecture, computer science, and nursing are top-rated. Of all degrees conferred in 2022, business/marketing diplomas accounted for 14%, followed by biology (11%), social sciences (10%), psychology (8%), health professions (7%), engineering (7%), and computer science (7%). 47% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students, and 30% engage in undergraduate research.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 65% of newly minted 2022 grads were employed full-time and 26% were attending graduate school part-time. The most populated industries are health/medical professions (13%), internet & software (10%), biotech & life sciences (4%), and higher education (4%). Companies presently employing 100+ Minutemen and Minutewomen include Oracle, Mass Mutual, Amazon, IBM, Google, Intel, Microsoft, PwC, Wayfair, and Apple. Boston is the most popular landing spot for graduates.

• Enrollment: 23,936 (undergraduate); 7,874 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $37,219 (in-state); $59,896 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1380
• Acceptance Rate: 58%
• Graduation Rate: 83%

University of Colorado Boulder

• Boulder, CO

Academic Highlights: CU Boulder offers 90 bachelor’s degree programs across seven different schools and colleges; the College of Engineering & Applied Science and the Leeds School of Business both possess excellent national reputations. Business/marketing is the discipline where the greatest number of degrees (15%) were conferred in 2022. Engineering (13%), biology (12%), social sciences (12%), and journalism (10%) are next in popularity. 41% of classes have fewer than 20 students, and only 19% of courses enroll 50 or more students.

Professional Outcomes : Within six months of leaving CU Boulder, 91% of recent grads were working or in graduate school. Those employed earned an estimated median salary of $54k, with the greatest number working at Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, Deloitte, Qualcomm, Northrop Grumman, KPMG, Charles Schwab, and Boeing. More than 100 alumni can also be found at Google, Oracle, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. 20% of new grads immediately jumped into an advanced degree program, and 80% were accepted into their first-choice school.

• Enrollment: 31,103 (undergraduate); 7,110 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $31,744 (in-state); $60,118 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1280
• Retention Rate: 88%
• Graduation Rate: 75%

Texas A&M University — College Station

• College Station, TX

Academic Highlights: With nineteen schools and colleges and 130+ undergraduate degree programs, Texas A&M is a massive operation. As the name implies, there is a heavy emphasis on agriculture, engineering, and business, which all place well in national rankings and garner deep respect from major corporations and graduate/professional schools. Class sizes trend large, but 24% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students and personal connections with professors are entirely possible, particularly through the research-oriented LAUNCH program.

Professional Outcomes: On graduation day, 54% of students had already received at least one job offer and 22% were heading to graduate/professional school. Many Aggies go on to work at major oil, tech, and consulting firms; more than 500 are employed at each of ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Chevron, EY, Amazon, Microsoft, Intel, Accenture, and PWC. Starting salaries were strong—on average, College of Engineering grads made $80k and College of Agriculture & Life Sciences grads netted $54k. A&M is also the eighth-largest producer of law students in the entire country.

• Enrollment: 57,512 (undergraduate); 16,502 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $31,058 (in-state); $59,336 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1270
• Acceptance Rate: 63%

Stony Brook University (SUNY)

• Stony Brook, NY

Academic Highlights: Stony Brook offers 60+ majors and 80+ minors across six undergraduate colleges. 38% of all sections contain nineteen or fewer students. A popular and locally well-regarded nursing program leads to the largest number of degrees being conferred in health professions (14%). Strong majors in biology (14%), math (10%), business (9%), engineering (7%), and computer sciences (6%) also draw many students. The school’s reputation in the hard sciences, particularly math, chemistry, and biomedical engineering, is aided by the affiliated Stony Brook University Hospital.

Professional Outcomes: Within two years of graduation, 61% of Stony Brook graduates are employed, and 34% have entered graduate/professional school. The organizations and companies employing the greatest number of Seawolves are Northwell Health, JPMorgan Chase, Google, Amazon, Citi, Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, Apple, Bloomberg, and Microsoft. Among those pursuing further education, common choices include Stony Brook itself, other SUNY or CUNY institutions, and NYC-based powerhouses like Columbia, Fordham, and NYU.

• Enrollment: 17,509 (undergraduate); 8,201 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $33,008 (in-state); $52,798 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1410
• Graduation Rate: 78%

The Ohio State University — Columbus

• Columbus, OH

Academic Highlights: There are 200+ undergraduate majors and 18 schools and colleges housed within OSU. Business sees the greatest percentage of degrees conferred at 18% followed by engineering (15%), health professions (10%), and the social sciences (9%). It makes sense that so many flock to the business and engineering schools as they are among the highest-rated undergraduate programs in their respective disciplines. 40% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and approximately 20% of students gain research experience.

Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their diplomas, 56% of Class of 2022 graduates were entering the world of employment while 17% were already accepted into graduate or professional school.  Hordes of Buckeyes can be found at many of the nation’s leading companies. More than 2,000 alumni work for JPMorgan Chase, more than 1,000 are employed by Amazon, and more than 600 work for Google and Microsoft. Of the grads who directly matriculate into graduate or professional school, many continue in one of OSU’s own programs.

• Enrollment: 45,728 (undergraduate); 14,318 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $27,241 (in-state); $52,747 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1340-1450
• Median ACT: 29-32

We hope you have found our list of the Best Colleges for Computer Science to be useful and informative as you continue your college search process. We also invite you to check out some of our other resources and tools including:

• AP Score Calculators 
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• Best Summer Programs 
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• Best Colleges by Major

Andrew Belasco

A licensed counselor and published researcher, Andrew's experience in the field of college admissions and transition spans two decades. He has previously served as a high school counselor, consultant and author for Kaplan Test Prep, and advisor to U.S. Congress, reporting on issues related to college admissions and financial aid.

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Speakers | 2024 Beyond the PhD Conference

University Park Campus Conference Speakers

Welcome remarks, laura denbow, interim executive director, usc career center.

Laura Denbow Interim Executive Director , USC Career Center

Laura Denbow is the interim executive director of the USC Career Center. She has over thirty years of higher education experience in the fields of career services and alumni relations, working at USC (Career Services) for the past three years, at Cornell University (Alumni Affairs and Development) for ten years, Bucknell University (Career Services and Alumni Relations) for twelve years, and Georgetown University (Careers Services) for seven. She began her career in higher education at the University of Virginia (careers services at the McIntire School of Commerce), where she received her master’s in counselor education.

Dr. Andrew Stott, Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School, USC

Dr. Andrew Stott Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School, USC

Andrew McConnell Stott serves as Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School. Charged with advancing academic excellence and supporting academic achievement across USC’s more than 900 programs, his areas of responsibility include curriculum development, academic advising, equity, diversity and inclusion programs, experiential learning, honors, fellowships, and awards, and helping all USC students attain their academic goals, from first year freshmen to Ph.D. Within the Graduate School, Dean Stott works to ensure graduate education is accessible, student-centered, and focused on successful outcomes. Under his leadership, the Graduate School partners with schools and programs across campus to deliver best practices in recruitment, admissions, mentoring, funding, academic policy, and all facets of graduate student success. Originally from the UK, Dean Stott is a professor in the English department specializing in British popular culture from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. He is the author of numerous books, including  What Blest Genius? The Jubilee that Made Shakespeare  (2019), which won the National Award for Arts Writing, and The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi: Laughter, Madness and the Story of Britain’s Greatest Comedian (2009), which won the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award for Non-Fiction, the Theater Library Association’s George Freedley Award, and the Sheridan Morley Prize for Biography. He has been a fellow of the British Academy, the American Council on Education, and the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

Keynote Address

Dr. alison trope, clinical professoru003c/emu003e, usc annenberg school for communication and journalism, u003cemu003edirector of undergraduate studies, u003c/emu003eusc school of communication, u003cemu003efounder and director, u003c/emu003ecritical media project.

Dr. Alison Trope Clinical Professor , USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Director of Undergraduate Studies, USC School of Communication Founder and Director, Critical Media Project

Alison Trope, PhD, is a clinical professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and director of undergraduate studies for the School of Communication. She is founder and director of Critical Media Project , a web based media literacy resource focused on representation and identity (gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, religion, age). Critical Media Project is used in Los Angeles Unified School District and other secondary and higher education institutions across the country. Trope serves on the Board of the National Association of Media Literacy Educators (NAMLE) and is faculty director of the Institute for Diversity and Empowerment at Annenberg (IDEA). Trope is the author of Stardust Monuments: The Saving and Selling of Hollywood (Dartmouth, 2012), which explores the enduring efforts to memorialize and canonize the history and meaning Hollywood takes on in our everyday lives. She has also written about the history and current state of Hollywood philanthropy and activism. Trope received her PhD in Critical Studies from the School of Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California in 1999, and has since taught a range of courses in the Annenberg School for Communication in media and digital literacy, popular culture, visual culture, fashion, gender and social change.

Breakout Session 1

How to sell your phd: navigating your worth, dr. glenn r. fox , assistant professor of clinical entrepreneurship, usc lloyd greif center for entrepreneurial studies, marshall school of business.

Dr. Glenn R. Fox Assistant Professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship, USCLloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Marshall School of Business

Dr. Glenn Fox is a faculty member at the University of Southern California’s Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, in the Marshall School of Business. His current projects focus on neural systems for emotion regulation, high stakes training, and developing entrepreneurial mindset skills in founders and business leaders. Glenn received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from USC, where he focused on the neural correlates of gratitude, empathy, and neuroplasticity. Following graduate school, he started a company, PhD Insight L.L.C., which focused on providing data science consulting for small businesses and early stage startups. Prior to joining Marshall as a faculty member, Glenn lead the Performance Science Institute at USC where he worked with the United States Marine Corps, Army Research Laboratories, Seattle Seahawks and numerous Olympic athletes and Fortune 500 companies to examine the role of mindset in business and high stakes pursuits. Currently, Glenn is the Director and Founder of the USC Found Well Initiative which aims to understand and promote entrepreneurial mindset in founders and business leaders. He also serves as a Principal Investigator at the USC Sensorimotor Assessment and Rehabilitation Training in Virtual Reality Center ( SMART-VR ) and a fellow of the Brain and Creativity Institute. Outside of USC, Glenn serves as the Chief Science Officer of the C4 Foundation , which serves to strengthen and protect Navy SEAL families. Glenn is also currently on the advisory board of the Flow Research Collective , where he works with Steven Kotler on projects related to gratitude, flow, and high performance. He consults regularly with companies and media outlets on topics ranging from small business management, gratitude, and high performance. Glenn is an avid maker and restorer of things old and metal. He lives in LA with his wife and son.

Intersection of Mental Wellbeing and Career Transitions

Mariah perry , m.s. student , usc rossier school of education.

Mariah Perry M.S. Student, USC Rossier School of Education

I am a Sacramento, CA native. I obtained my bachelor’s in psychology from California State University, Sacramento. While obtaining my bachelor’s I worked as a crisis counselor. I recently moved to Los Angeles, CA to pursue a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at USC Rossier. While completing my Master’s, I work as a Graduate Assistant for USC Counseling and Mental Health Services. My job entails providing administrative support, community engagement, community programming, and collaborating with campus partners to promote positive mental health. We work to disseminate information about mental health and mental illness.

Risa Morris , M.S. Student , USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Risa Morris M.S. Student, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Risa Morris (she/her) is pursuing her Master’s in Social Work at USC’s Suzanne Dwork-Peck School of Social Work, where she is in her final year. As a trainee at USC’s Counseling and Mental Health center, Risa practices individual and group psychotherapy. Prior to her work in mental healthcare, Risa was a practicing employment attorney for 15 years. Risa received her law degree from Stanford University School of Law and BA in History from UC Berkeley. 

Meagan Morales , M.S. Student , USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Megan Morales Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Instructor, USC Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Keck School of Medicine

Meagan Morales (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who received her Master’s in Social Work the University of Southern California in 2015 and is a current Clinical Instructor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Keck School of Medicine of USC. Meagan’s professional interests include: crisis intervention/prevention, individual and group psychotherapy, and treatment of mood disorders, psychosis, personality disorders and trauma. Meagan is certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT). She also has a particular interest in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). 

Finding Meaningful Jobs in Sustainability

Dr. chelsea graham , experiential learning manager, usc office of sustainability.

Dr. Chelsea Graham Experiential Learning Manager , USC Office of Sustainability

Chelsea is the Experiential Learning Manager in the Office of Sustainability. In this role, she collaborates and supports faculty in designing and delivering sustainability-based learning experiences and curriculum to USC students. Chelsea also oversees the President’s Sustainability Internship Program (PSIP) which provides students an opportunity to contribute to the university’s 2028 sustainability goals through a wide range of tasks such as data collection and analysis, content creation, and communication strategy. Chelsea views sustainability and climate as fundamentally intersectional issues that should be engaged across university departments and offices. In 2016, Chelsea received her Ph.D. in communication studies and rhetoric from the University of Kansas. Her research focused on popularized, historical narratives of national parks and their impact on contemporary discourses surrounding climate change. Additionally, to this role she brings over a decade experience in curriculum design and has received multiple awards for her teaching. Prior to joining the office of sustainability, Chelsea held faculty positions in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC as well as Oregon State University where she specialized in environmental communication, rhetoric of science, rhetorical theory and criticism, and argumentation at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Chelsea’s teaching philosophy emphasizes the need to center experiential learning as a mode of empowering students to effect change in their communities.

Dr. Jiachen Zhang , Manager, Mobile Source Technology Assessment and Modeling Section, California Air Resources Board, Lecturer , University of Southern California

Dr. Jiachen Zhang Manager , Mobile Source Technology Assessment and Modeling Section, California Air Resources Board Lecturer , University of Southern California

Dr. Jiachen Zhang will be joining the University of Southern California (USC) in the Civil and Environmental engineering Department as a tenure-track assistant professor in Spring 2024. Her research group will investigate the interactions of air quality, climate, and society, quantifying the impacts of strategies aimed at mitigating climate change and air pollution. Dr. Zhang holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from USC and a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from Peking University. During her doctoral and postdoctoral studies, she utilized and enhanced various climate and air quality models to assess the environmental impacts of adopting solar reflective cool surfaces and promoting the adoption of renewable energy. Currently, Dr. Zhang is the manager of the Mobile Source Technology Assessment and Modeling Section at the California Air Resources Board, where she leads a team of scientists and engineers to conduct original research projects, develop emissions inventory, and inform first-of-their-kind policies aimed at promoting electric vehicles and reducing air pollution emissions. Additionally, she chairs the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee of the Chinese-American Engineers and Scientists Association of Southern California and serves as the secretary of the Air & Waste Management Association West Coast Section.

Dr. Lily Momper , Environmental Scientist, Exponent

Dr. Lily Momper Environmental Scientist , Exponent

Dr. Lily Momper received her PhD from USC in 2016 from the Marine and Environmental Biology section. After completing postdoctoral fellowships at MIT and Northwestern University, she joined Exponent, Inc. in January of 2020. Dr. Momper uses her expertise to aid clients in matters of regulatory compliance, state water quality regulations, and litigation involving Natural Resources Damages (NRD). She has also assisted clients in matters of sustainability, soil health, soil water and carbon holding capacity, and implemented innovative solutions to improve clients’ drought resilience. She continues to publish articles in scientific journals and attend conferences as part of this work.

Breakout Session 2

Enhancing your story: networking, linkedin, and other strategies, lester larios , account director, talent solutions, linkedin.

Lester Larios Account Director, Talent Solutions, LinkedIn

Lester is a FirstGen Latino professional with years of experience in higher education, non-profit organizations, community development, and program management, and recently transitioned into the Tech Industry. Born and raised in the South East cities of Los Angeles to two immigrant parents, Lester knows the challenges and resilience of navigating a world where you don’t know what you don’t know and is a resource and advocate for anyone looking to advance and grow holistically. Lester is passionate about building connections, empowering others, and inspiring Black & Brown communities to thrive.

The Adaptable PhD: Transferable Skills for Professional Success  

Dr. francesca gacho , coordinator, postdoctoral scholar & graduate student professional development, university of california, los angeles.

Dr. Francesca Gacho Coordinator, Postdoctoral Scholar & Graduate Student Professional Development, University of California, Los Angeles

Francesca Gacho, Ph.D.  is the Postdoctoral Scholar Appointment Coordinator at UCLA. Previously as the coordinator of professional development at UCLA, she collaborated with campus partners to design and promote core professional skills. She was an ACLS Emerging Voices Postdoctoral Fellow at Vanderbilt University, where she supported initiatives to integrate STEM and Humanities curricula in the Communication of Science & Technology department. From 2017-2021, she was the Graduate Writing Coach at the USC Annenberg School of Communication, supporting over 1,000 graduate students. Dr. Gacho is a Filipino immigrant and the first in her family to get a PhD. She’s an alumna of the California community colleges.   

Breaking Out of the Box: The Mobility of Your PhD

Dr. carolyn choi, professor of american studies, princeton university.

Dr. Carolyn Choi Professor of American Studies , Princeton University

Carolyn Choi (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor of American Studies at Princeton University. Her work has been supported by the Fulbright, Department of Education, Social Science Research Council, and the Korea Foundation and lies at the intersections of migration, race, nation, and empire in Asia/Asian America. Before Princeton, she has held postdoctoral positions at UCLA and Dartmouth College, teaching positions at Brandeis University and Northern Arizona University as well as worked in consulting for Gemic Strategies. As part of her public scholarship, she is also a children’s book author and has co-written books on intersectional feminism including  IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All . 

Karine Wenger , Partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

Karine Wenger Partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

Karine serves as corporate immigration counsel to a wide range of clients, from small domestic entities to large multinational corporations in varying industries. She manages a growing legal team of attorneys and paralegals that provide cutting-edge immigration solutions to corporate clients and counsels them on all matters of U.S. immigration and nationality law, regulation, policy and compliance. Karine immigrated from France in the 1980s and has practiced exclusively in the field of U.S. corporate immigration and nationality law for over 20 years. While in law school, Karine received the Grotius Award for Academic Excellence in International Law and was also on the Dean’s list honors. She was a member of the Jessup International Moot Court team and after graduation was awarded an International Advocacy Fellowship.

Dr. Esther Zeledon , President & Founder, BeActChange

Dr. Esther Zeledon President & Founder , BeActChange

Dr. Esther Zeledón is more than just a senior development advisor, a localization expert, and a transformational coach—she is a catalyst for change. Her deep well of expertise has empowered a diverse range of entities, from governments and donors to NGOs, communities, businesses, and individuals, helping them articulate their purpose and elevate their impact. She is a transformative force that guides others toward lasting, impactful change that inspires them to live limitlessly. With a PhD and MS from UC Berkeley and a BA from Swarthmore College, Dr. Zeledón’s worldview and depth of knowledge is further augmented by her extensive travels and deep connections to people and communities around the globe. Born in Nicaragua and raised in the U.S., Dr. Zeledón is a proud Latina and mom to Xilónem and Máximo. She readily admits her addiction to chocolate, and when not changing lives, you can find her traveling the world, dancing, and living her limitless life together with her soulmate.

Dr. Matthew Barrile , Manager of Instructional Design and Development, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Dr. Matthew Barrile Manager of Instructional Design and Development , USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Dr. Matthew Barrile currently serves as Manager of Instructional Design and Development in the Sol Price School of Public Policy. In this role, Matthew oversees the short- and long-term objectives and projects of the Price School Instructional Design team and assists faculty with the planning and development of their online courses. Additionally, he manages the implementation of innovative learning technologies, organizes and delivers professional development sessions related to teaching and technology, and more. Prior to joining USC, Matthew worked as Online Curricular Designer and Assistant Professor of Instruction of Spanish at Ohio University, where he designed the university’s first fully-online language program. Matthew received his PhD in Iberian Studies with a minor focus in Luso-Brazilian Studies from The Ohio State University in 2017.

Breakout Session 3

Ai’s impact in the workforce, patrick toral , ph.d. student.

Patrick Toral , Moderator Ph.D. Student in Computer Science

I am a second-year Computer Science PhD student, supported by the NSF CSGrad4US Fellowship. My research focuses on privacy-preserving federated learning, specifically applied to neuroimaging applications. Specifically, disease diagnosis and prognosis prediction for Alzheimer’s and Autism. While my research pertains to healthcare, I’m keenly interested of the broader impact of AI that transcends industry boundaries.

Dr. Paul Rivera , Vice President, BeActChange

Dr. Paul Rivera Vice President , BeActChange

Dr. Paul Rivera is a catalyst for positive change. With a multifaceted career spanning academia, diplomacy, international economics, and strategic coaching, Dr. Rivera is the co-founder of BeActChange. His mission is to ignite profound growth and alignment within individuals and organizations globally. A professional facilitator and strategic planning expert, Dr. Rivera merges rigorous analysis with collaborative visioning and systemic methodologies. His transformative work has mobilized nearly USD$1 billion, leaving a lasting imprint on communities worldwide. A seasoned globetrotter, first-generation American, and proud Latino, Dr. Rivera holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Southern California.

Your PhD in Action: Navigating Interdisciplinary Spaces as a Leader

Dr. lynn miller , professor of communication and psychology, usc annenberg.

Dr. Lynn Miller Professor of Communication and Psychology , USC Annenberg

Lynn Carol Miller is Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Awarded over $22M, she has 120 publications, most with students and has various mentoring awards. She is a pioneer in award-winning research a) developing and testing effective interactive game interventions (NIAID) b) that use AI and nationally reduce mediating shame ( NIMH); (c) affording neural assessment in virtual environments (VE), NIDA . She also d) helped create neural network models ( NIGMS ) that address enigmas and (e) developed Systematic Representative Design (SRD) , wedding representative and experimental designs, to optimize causal inference and generalizability using VE . In the top 1% of psychologists worldwide she is a fellow at ICA, SESP, APS, and SPSP. 

Dr. Robert Zdenek , Interim Executive Director, San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative

Dr. Robert Zdenek Interim Executive Director , San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative

Robert (Bob) Zdenek served as president of the National Congress for Community Economic Development, executive director of the Alliance for Healthy Homes, vice president for Community Building at United Way of America, senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, director of special initiatives at NCRC. Zdenek has been a consultant to over forty organizations. Currently, Bob is serving as Interim Executive Director for in a part-time capacity for the San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative, a collaborative that is promoting and expanding safe and healthy affordable housing opportunities for low-income families in the San Joaquin Valley. He is also an independent consultant to CCEDA and CCRH, helping to launch new community development entities and co-authored the Rural Disaster Guide for CCRH. He is also principal investigator at the Public Health Institute in Oakland, CA working to align investment strategies among health care institutions, CDCs, CDFIs, and financial institutions. Zdenek has served on The Federal Reserve Board Consumer Advisory Council, visiting scholar at Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and board member of over twenty organizations. Currently, he is chair of IDEAS Inc. and an international development organization and serves on the board of Global Urban Development and 350 Bay Area, a leading climate change organization. He has researched and written extensively on community development and investment strategies and recently co-authored a book, Navigating Community Development: Harnessing Comparative Advantages to Create Strategic Partnerships, published by Palgrave Macmillan . Bob has been involved in training and education and taught Community Development at New School University for five years, served as a trainer for NeighborWorks America from 1997 to 2003, a coach for Leading from the Middle launched by Leo Vazquez, and has advised numerous community development leaders and practitioners. Bob has Master’s in International Relations, Public Administration, and a DPA from USC, and lives in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Dr. Sierra Bray, Assistant Professor at California State University, Los Angeles

Dr. Sierra Bray , Assistant Professor of Organizational Communication at California State University, Los Angeles

Dr. Sierra Bray (Ph.D in Communication from USC) is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Communication at Cal State LA. Employing both qualitative and quantitative methods, Dr. Bray’s research integrates organizational communication, cultural studies, and science and technology studies (STS). Specifically, her current research focuses on how people of minoritized identities navigate and negotiate power in professional settings. Before obtaining her Ph.D., Dr. Bray had a career in strategic communication, marketing, and business consulting. In this time, she advised business owners on strategic initiatives to grow their companies, reach broader audiences, and improve employee engagement. Dr. Bray is  passionate about bridging her professional experience with the tenets of organizational communication and critical/cultural theory to create an applicable, inclusive, and interdisciplinary approach to communication research.

Seeking Postdoc Opportunities: Choosing Your Postdoc Job

Dr. anthony carlos , senior manager for postdoctoral affairs, office of the executive vice provost.

Dr. Anthony Carlos Senior Manager for Postdoctoral Affairs , Office of the Executive Vice Provost

Anthony J. Carlos joins USC as the Senior Manager for Postdoctoral Affairs from the Keck School of Medicine of USC where he served a Postdoctoral fellowship funded through the National Cancer Institute of the NIH. He has studied and researched extensively at the Norris Cancer Center, where he authored manuscripts and published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals including in the  Journal of Neuroinflammation,  ASBMB’s  Journal of Biological Chemistry  and the  Journal of Infection . In addition to his scholarly work, Dr. Carlos has always been an active member of the USC postdoctoral community, including serving as Chair of the USC Postdoctoral Association (PDA). As Chair, Dr. Carlos led teams of postdocs to organize programs and produce events to help expand mentoring and explore emerging professional opportunities for postdoctoral scholars.

Dr. Yunwen Wang , Postdoctoral Scientist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Dr. Yunwen Wang Postdoctoral Scientist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Yunwen Wang is a Postdoctoral Scientist at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She attended University of Southern California (PhD, 2022), Purdue University (M.S.), University of Macau (B.Soc.Sc.), and Nanyang Technological University (exchange study) and received training in social sciences, public health, and computer science. Using computational, quantitative, and qualitative mixed methods, Yunwen Wang studies health communication, user experience (UX), and the impact of information/media technology on consumer health. The works she co-authored or single-authored have appeared in scholarly journals such as Telematics and Informatics, New Media and Society, Journal of Health Communication, Telemedicine and e-Health, Health Informatics Journal, and Computers in Human Behavior, among others.

Breakout Session 4: Round Tables/Career Chats

Career chats (10-minute drop-ins ).

Come to discuss any of the following career topics: Resume Review | Interview Tips | Salary Talk | LinkedIn Profile Review | Thinking of Getting a Ph.D?

Academic / Industry Postdoc

Biotech / Pharma

Dr. farhad parhami , president & ceo, max biopharma inc..

Dr. Farhad Parhami President & CEO , MAX BioPharma Inc.

Farhad Parhami is the President & CEO of MAX BioPharma, Inc , a company that he founded in 2010 based on his novel discoveries that led to the Oxysterol Therapeutics® platform technology and identification of oxysterol-based drug candidates for multiple human diseases.  Dr. Parhami was trained as an Experimental Pathologist at UCLA, and obtained a faculty position at UCLA Department of Medicine in 1996. His Ph.D. training and experience include molecular and cellular biology, lipid metabolism, inflammation, and bone and vascular biology. In 2012 Dr. Parhami received an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management focusing on Entrepreneurship studies.

Philip J. Sell, M.S., Covid Core Research Lab Specialist, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine

Philip J. Sell, M.S. Covid Core Research Lab Specialist, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine

Phil completed his M.S. at Keck in MMI with the intent of bolstering his future MD-PhD application. After defending his thesis, the application would wait as he took an opportunity to do research on SARS-CoV-2 at Keck. Over the two years in this position, he further developed ideas with the postdoc that had trained him to the point where they decided to start a company. Now Phil is the CEO of Metaba which aims to develop an adjunctive therapeutic for TB and establish a novel drug discovery platform combining their metabolomics expertise and approach with AI-based methods. 

Dr. Hovhannes Gukasyan , Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Dr. Hovhannes Gukasyan Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Dr. Hovhannes J. Gukasyan (Hovik) obtained his PhD from University of Southern California (USC), School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2004. 18 years in pharma industry, he is currently the technology and CMC lead consultant several small- to medium-sized biotech firms. He supported >80 ‘Pipeline’ programs during his industry career, at Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc, Pfizer Inc, and Allergan plc (now part of AbbVie Aesthetics), with successful examples marketed as Diquas®, Vyzulta®, Lorbrena®; as well as supported axitinib, sunitinib, crizotinib, ubrogepant, with several more in current clinical trials such as cenicriviroc and epigenetic modulator PF-06821497. His contributions included enabling development of new chemical entities (NCE), new biological entities (NBE), nonbiological complex drug products (NBCD, i.e. nanotechnology) using molecular (bio)pharmaceutics, with modeling & simulation techniques. He joined the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy as an Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences in June 2021.

Dr. Rachel Kelly , Environmental Scientist, Exponent

Dr. Rachel Kelly Environmental Scientist , Exponent

Dr. Rachel Kelly received her PhD in Geological Sciences from USC in 2022 from the Earth Sciences Department. Right after completing her PhD, Dr. Kelly joined Exponent, Inc. in June of 2022. She specializes in environmental chemistry. The majority of her work at Exponent focuses on evaluating the fate and transport of multiple environmental contaminants (e.g., PFAs, PCBs, PAHs) as well as identifying potential contaminants in consumer products. She is passionate about helping clients with product stewardship and developing sustainable business practices. 

Data Science / UX Research

Katrin fischer, ph.d. student, usc annenberg.

Katrin Fischer Ph.D. Student , USC Annenberg; previously Human Factors Engineer at Apple

Katrin Fischer’s academic interest lies in the field of human-machine communication, with a special interest in social robots. She previously obtained a master’s degree in quantitative methods from Columbia University and spent several years in the industry focused on usability and user experience (UX) including working over 4 years at Apple in human factors engineering. Her background is in information science and human-computer interaction, evaluating websites, mobile/desktop applications and watch interfaces. During her time in the industry, she applied UX research methods to inform design decisions through prototyping, wireframing, usability testing, contextual inquiries, user/stakeholder interviews, card sorting, etc. Since returning to academia, she has been turning her attention to how quantitative methods can inform user interactions with interfaces as well as embodied agents such as robots either by analyzing current behavior or using data science methods to identify and predict variables of interest for technology use. Her research is interdisciplinary, and she collaborates with researchers at both Viterbi and Annenberg. 

Entrepreneurship

Health communications, international navigation, afsha randera , associate, fragomen, del rey, bernsen & loewy, llp.

Afsha Randera (JD) Associate , Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

Afsha Randera practices immigration law for businesses, corporations and individuals. She is an associate attorney at Fragomen, in San Diego. She earned a Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University. For the last 5 years she has practiced exclusively in the U.S. and assists companies and individuals with visas and green cards. She is the past president of the Muslim Bar Association of Southern California and serves on the board of the British American Business Council in Los Angeles. Afsha has written and is publishing a memoir entitled: “School of Sharks  – Surviving the ‘worst’ law school in America and becoming a lawyer against the odds .” It will be released on December 17 th . 

Karine Wenger, Partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP  

Learning Design & Training

Dr. Matthew Barrile currently serves as Manager of Instructional Design and Development in the Sol Price School of Public Policy. In this role, Matthew oversees the short- and long-term objectives and projects of the Price School Instructional Design team and assists faculty with the planning and development of their online courses. Additionally, he manages the implementation of innovative learning technologies, organizes and delivers professional development sessions related to teaching and technology, and more. Prior to joining USC, Matthew worked as Online Curricular Designer and Assistant Professor of Instruction of Spanish at Ohio University, where he designed the university’s first fully-online language program. Matthew received his PhD in Iberian Studies with a minor focus in Luso-Brazilian Studies from The Ohio State University in 2017. 

Media & Entertainment

Nicole bush , doctoral candidate, usc annenberg school of communication.

Nicole Bush Doctoral Candidate, USC Annenberg School of Communication

Nicole Bush is a doctoral candidate at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism who studies Black women’s activism, affective labor, and online social movements. Nicole is interested in how Black women and femme activists’ digital labor practices constitute a discursive structure that can empower other Black women and femme and contradict normative discourses throughout media and other mainstream publics.

Nicole graduated from Pepperdine University in 2017 with a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication. Nicole also holds her Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California (2010) and received her BA in English from Georgetown University (2009). Nicole’s work has been included in the handbook,  The Rhetoric of Social Movements: Networks, Power, and New Media  (Crick et al., 2020), as well as in the  Journal of Children and Media . Nicole has also presented at the 2021 National Communication Association Conference and the 2022 Cultural Studies Association Conference.

In addition to her academic interests, Nicole is passionate about movement and community wellbeing and is a nationally certified Pilates and meditation instructor. You can connect with Nicole at  http://www.loveworknic.com . 

Jessica Hatrick , Ph.D. Candidate, USC Annenberg, Assistant Director, Critical Media Project

Jessica Hatrick Ph.D. Candidate , USC Annenberg Assistant Director, Critical Media Project

Jessica is a Doctoral Candidate in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California, she researches higher education student activism, with a focus on students doing abolitionist work. Her research broadly draws upon social movement studies, education, carceral studies, cultural studies, and activist media to understand the role of education in creating a more just society. 

Closing Remarks

Tristan mcphail , ph.d. candidate, usc mork family department of chemical engineering and materials science.

Tristan McPhail Ph.D. Candidate, USC Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Tristan McPhail is a Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical Engineering at USC. She attended Georgia Institute of Technology (B.S., 2019) where she received training in chemical engineering and medicinal chemistry. Previously, she worked for Boehringer Ingelheim where she worked on the production of rabies and Bordetella vaccines.  At USC, under the direction of Dr. Richard Roberts, she studies the selection of diagnostic tools via mRNA display to improve the tracking and analysis of neurodegenerative disease progression, specifically for Huntington’s Disease. After completing her Ph.D., Tristan hopes to further pursue selection research in industry. 

Tristan has been working with the USC Career Center throughout the summer and fall to plan the conference.

Essence Wilson, Ph.D. Candidate, USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism

Essence Wilson Ph.D. Candidate, USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism

Meet Essence! She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in General Experimental Psychology from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), which has offered her rigorous training in the field of mental health. A fourth-year doctoral candidate at Annenberg, she is pursuing her research passion in providing communicative interventions and creative spaces for diverse storytelling. Her ongoing research includes providing technological interventions to reduce educational and health disparities. She now utilizes community-engaged practices and digital storytelling to develop mental health interventions for youth of color, emphasizing the use of animation to convey critical health information with the support of her advisor doctoral adviser, Dr. Robin Stevens. She is an Ambassador for the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles and a member of the National Congress of Black Women, Los Angeles Chapter member, furthering her passion for combatting disparities among youth of color. 

Health Sciences Campus Conference Speakers

Joyce perez, ed.d. , assistant dean for graduate education, keck school of medicine, university of southern california.

Joyce Perez, Ed.D. Assistant Dean for Graduate Education, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Megan Estes, PhD , Senior Clinical Strategy Manager, Peripheral Interventions, Boston Scientific Corporation Keynote Speaker

Megan Estes, PhD Senior Clinical Strategy Manager, Peripheral Interventions, Boston Scientific Corporation

Megan Estes has been a Senior Clinical Strategy Manager at Boston Scientific Corporation since May 2021 in the Peripheral Interventions group responsible for executing global clinical strategy through design, planning, execution, and management of clinical studies and programs worldwide and leading cross-functional teams in support of business objectives. Prior to that, she worked at Johnson & Johnson where she held various roles within the Cardiovascular and Specialty Solutions Medical Device Group including Clinical Research Manager, Staff Clinical Research Scientist, and Senior Clinical Research Scientist focused on evidence generation and scientific strategy through the leveraging of internal and external data, establishing key partnerships with external thought leaders and stakeholders to develop insights into the needs of customers and patients and drive key regulatory and scientific business initiatives, providing scientific direction for investigator-initiated studies, and developing both internal and external scientific communications. Megan completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at UCLA in 2016. She received her MS in Management of Drug Development and PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, both from USC School of Pharmacy, in 2014.

Panel Session

Meleeneh DerHartunian, PhD, RAC (PIBBS)

Meleeneh DerHartunian is a well-established leader in Regulatory Affairs at Roche-Genentech based in South San Francisco. With close to 15 years of experience in industry, she leads global, cross-functional teams. Meleeneh provides regulatory, scientific, and documentation expertise on clinical trial management and clinical and safety data interpretation. Her expertise includes pharmaceutical products and medical devices products, specifically in oncology, ophthalmology, and immunology.

Meleeneh has a PhD in Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Southern California, a U.S. Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC), and a Regulatory Affairs Certificate in Clinical Trial Design and Management from the International Center of Regulatory Science at USC. She has a BS from UCLA where she majored in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics with a minor in Spanish.

Meleeneh strives to impact patients’ lives and provide options for safe and effective treatment that improve their disease state and quality of life overall. Meleeneh is a mom of 3 boys and embodies a commitment to fostering impactful, thoughtful, and thriving global citizens.

Enrique Ortega PhD, MPH (HBR) , Associate Dean, College of Health, Human Services & Nursing, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Enrique Ortega PhD, MPH (HBR ) Associate Dean, College of Health, Human Services & Nursing, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Enrique Ortega is an Associate Dean in the College of Health, Human Services and Nursing at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He has worked in the area of adolescent and young adult health related behaviors, including substance use, for over 15 years.  He has successfully administered research projects which have resulted in several peer-reviewed publications. He has extensive experience in leading and being a member of international research collaborations, which require deep understanding of cultural boundaries, administrative issues specific to the host country, how to conduct timely research considering different working styles and schedules, navigation of often very different bureaucratic systems. He has conducted a number of studies both as a principal investigator and as a co-investigator that have focused on the mechanisms by which to identify health status predictors and poor health intervention constructs. Results from these studies show successful identification of youth and young adult health behaviors determinants and document specific intervention efforts with these populations.  His publications are directly related to health behaviors and the factors that are associated to poor health behavioral outcomes. Each of these publications have entailed taking theoretical and empirical prevention practices which have mostly been developed and normed with US populations and adapting them to a foreign context.  In addition, these publications have helped uncover and develop specific intervention constructs which have been applied to behavior change efforts among Foreign and American youth populations. He has had active research collaborations with the Department of Developmental Psychology at the University of Turin, Italy, and with the Center for Developmental Research School of Law, Psychology, & Social Work, at the university of Orebro, Sweden. 

Kris Tatiossian, PhD (PIBBS)

Kris Tatiossian, PhD (PIBBS )

Dr. Tatiossian is the content lead on the Bio + Health team. She specializes in transforming complex scientific topics into accessible narratives. In this role, she oversees the brand’s digital strategy from podcasts, blogs, and newsletters to social media, bringing subjects like biotechnology and artificial intelligence to a broader audience. Working closely with different teams, Kris harmonizes the content creation journey from brainstorming to final delivery, ensuring that the brand message remains cohesive and relevant.

Before joining Bio + Health, Kris served as the Founder/CEO of CRISPR Classroom and President of Arkitekt Bio. These experiences provided her with a broad understanding of entrepreneurship, strategic communication, and educational outreach, skills she applies in her current position.

Kris holds a PhD in Medical Biology from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Entomology from the University of California, Davis. Off the clock, she enjoys adding to her insect collection, camping, and cooking.

Lilia Espinoza, PhD, MPH (HBR) , Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, CSUF PI/PD, LINK Program California State University, Fullerton

Lilia Espinoza, PhD, MPH (HBR) Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, CSUF PI/PD, LINK Program California State University, Fullerton

Dr. Lilia Espinoza is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Department of Public Health at California State University, Fullerton. Prior to joining Cal State Fullerton, she was an Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine at USC and the Assistant Director of the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center at USC. She received her Master of Public Health in epidemiology from UCLA and her doctorate in Preventive Medicine specializing in Health Behavior Research from USC. She teaches undergraduate courses in research methods and promoting health in diverse populations and will soon teach a class she developed on Latinx Health. She also mentors undergraduate, Master of Public Health, and postdoctoral students on projects and theses, most of whom self-identify as coming from historically excluded communities. Dr. Espinoza has conducted evidence-based, primary and secondary HIV prevention interventions with Spanish-speaking Latinx immigrants; probation youth; HIV-infected women and their children; and health care providers of patients living with HIV. Her current work focuses on developing technology training programs for Spanish-speaking community leaders and implementing training programs for students from historically excluded communities. Her current USDA-funded project, Leveraging Interdisciplinary Nutritional Knowledge (LINK) Program, is a collaboration with Cal State Long Beach and local community college partners that aims to build an academic pipeline to train and prepare students in Latinx nutrition and chronic disease prevention and diversify the nutrition workforce. 

Irina Ianculescu, PhD (PIBBS) , Lead Clinical Scientist in the Product Development Oncology group at Genentech

Irina Ianculescu, PhD (PIBBS), Lead Clinical Scientist in the Product Development Oncology group at Genentech

Irina is a Lead Clinical Scientist in the Product Development Oncology group at Genentech. She has a wealth of experience in immuno-oncology, molecular biology, and medical writing. In her current role, she participates in the clinical development strategy and supports the Medical Director with various deliverables for effective execution of studies in genitourinary cancers.

Prior to joining Genentech in 2021, Irina was part of the Scientific Communications team at ImmunityBio where she served as the lead author on numerous clinical study protocols for several solid tumor indications including breast, lung, pancreatic, and bladder cancers. During her time there, Irina also supported the development of various other clinical and regulatory documents required for IND and BLA submissions by providing both clinical science and medical writing expertise. Although Irina’s main focus has been in immuno-oncology, she also has clinical research experience in rheumatology and basic science research experience in mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Irina received a PhD in Genetic, Molecular, and Cellular Biology from the University of Southern California and a BS in Molecular Biology from Occidental College. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, music, and photography.

Melina Bayramyan ,  Ph.D. , Senior Regional Medical Liaison, Arcutis 

Melina Bayramyan Ph.D., Senior Regional Medical Liaison, Arcutis 

Accomplished and results-driven clinician and scientist with over 18 years of experience in the biotechnology industry and a unique combination of clinical and scientific skills to apply diverse thinking and problem-solving to scientific situations. Melina graduated from the USC School of Pharmacy with a Doctor of Pharmacy in 2000, after which she continued her studies in pharmaceutical sciences and received a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2004. In 2004, Melina joined the Amgen Medical Affairs team where she had numerous roles in Medical Communications, Medical Information, Strategic Operations, and as a Medical Science Liaison. Recently joined Arcutis Biotherapeutics as a Senior MSL, where her role includes interaction with healthcare thought leaders to communicate and advance clinical and scientific data, and support clinical research.

Nucleate Presentation

Joel sanchez mendez, phd student, epidemiology, department of population and public health sciences.

Joel Sanchez Mendez , PhD Student, Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences

Raffles & Closing Remarks

Wade thompson-harper , associate director, graduate education and post-doctoral studies, alfred e. mann school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, usc.

Wade Thompson-Harper Associate Director, Graduate Education and Post-Doctoral Studies, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC

Campus Protests U.C.L.A. Creates Campus Safety Role as It Prepares to Reopen Classes

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Here is the latest on campus protests.

The University of California, Los Angeles, said on Sunday that it had created a new campus safety position as the school moves to reopen this week and examines what led to clashes between demonstrators.

The appointment of Rick Braziel, a former chief of the Sacramento Police Department and a well-known policing expert, to oversee the school police department comes as the U.C.L.A. administration and other schools across the country face backlash over an aggressive police response to pro-Palestinian demonstrators on university property.

John Thomas, U.C.L.A.’s current school police chief, has defended himself over a delayed police response as counterprotesters attempted to tear down an encampment built by students protesting Israel’s war on Gaza. And on the opposite coast, a group of professors at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville signed an open letter condemning the treatment of pro-Palestinian students and faculty on Saturday, which saw police in riot gear spray people with chemical irritant.

At least 25 people were arrested on Saturday in Charlottesville, adding to more than 2,300 arrests in more than two weeks of campus demonstrations and police sweeps, according to a New York Times tally ,

The way that many universities have responded to protests has further galvanized pro-Palestinian students across the country, who have used public graduation ceremonies this month as yet another opportunity to criticize Israel’s war in Gaza and to renew calls on their universities to divest from Israel.

Here’s what else to know:

At Northeastern University’s graduation ceremony at Fenway Park on Sunday, one student wearing a keffiyeh and red paint on their face and a shirt reading “DIVEST” ran up to the stage chanting before they were forcibly removed by police. And when the student speaker for the commencement, Rebecca Bamidele, called for a permanent end to the violence in Gaza, some students cheered and gave her a standing ovation.

The police early on Sunday removed a pro-Palestinian encampment from the University of Southern California’s campus for a second time. The university has been in turmoil for weeks following its decision not to allow its valedictorian to speak at graduation, citing security concerns.

At least three dozen history professors at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville signed an open letter condemning “the repression of a peaceful protest of our students by armed state police in riot gear,” a day after pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police.

At the University of Chicago, student protesters remained at their encampment for a seventh consecutive day Sunday, holding what they called “teach-ins” on subjects from knowing your rights to the history of the Gaza conflict. Students and officials spent the weekend privately negotiating over the removal of the encampment.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Kent State University in Ohio on Saturday, exactly 54 years after National Guard troops opened fire on students demonstrating against the Vietnam War, killing four of them.

The University of Mississippi said it was investigating the conduct of at least one student after counterprotesters directed racist taunts at pro-Palestinian protesters. On Sunday, the headquarters of Phi Delta Theta fraternity said that one person had been removed from its membership , saying that the “racist actions” captured in one video were “those of an individual and are antithetical to the values of Phi Delta Theta and the Mississippi Alpha chapter.”

Bob Chiarito and Jonathan Wolfe contributed reporting.

— Emily Cochrane ,  Matthew Eadie and Shawn Hubler

Set to reopen classes, U.C.L.A. announces a new campus security office.

After a week of escalating violence involving campus protests over Gaza, the University of California, Los Angeles, said it would resume in-person classes on Monday and had created a new campus security job.

The leader of the newly created office of campus safety will report directly to the chancellor, Gene Block, and manage the U.C.L.A. police department and the office of emergency management, and comes as leaders of the school and other college administrators across the country face a backlash over the way they have handled pro-Palestinian demonstrators on university property.

Last Tuesday, after counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, the clash went on for hours with no police intervention, and no arrests.

The new office will take over the management of the campus police department from the vice chancellor Michael Beck, who also oversees events, facilities management, transportation and other campus operations. Mr. Beck and the U.C.L.A. police chief, John Thomas, have faced mounting criticism as demonstrations on campus last week between pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel counterprotesters turned increasingly violent.

After the violence on Tuesday, critics said Mr. Thomas was unprepared and failed to protect students. He defended himself over assertions that the university waited too long to intervene and secure backup from the Los Angeles Police Department. The University of California’s president announced that it would conduct an independent review of what led to the clash.

The new office of campus safety will be run by Rick Braziel, a former police chief in Sacramento and a well-known expert on policing in California, according to a statement by Mr. Block. Mr. Braziel, who is also a former inspector general for Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, has previously been tapped to review high-profile police actions, including after the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022 and the protests and riots in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014, among other cases.

Mr. Braziel has long been a sought-out voice on law enforcement for California’s Democratic establishment. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him to an advisory council tasked with improving interactions between law enforcement and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In a statement, U.C.L.A. told members of the campus to avoid the area around Royce Quad, the site of the protest encampment, and said law enforcement would continue to be stationed around campus “to promote safety.”

Shawn Hubler contributed reporting.

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the last name of the U.C.L.A. chancellor. He is Gene Block, not Bock.

How we handle corrections

— Jonathan Wolfe Reporting from Los Angeles

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A letter signed by dozens of U.Va. professors condemns school leaders over a police response.

At least three dozen history professors at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville signed an open letter on Sunday condemning “the repression of a peaceful protest of our students” by the police, a day after officers in riot gear clashed with pro-Palestinian demonstrators, spraying chemical irritants and arresting at least 25 people.

In the letter, which was particularly scathing toward President Jim Ryan and Ian Baucom, the provost, the professors also demanded answers about the intensity of the police response, who approved it and why, and whether protesters at the school could be guaranteed the ability to protest peacefully.

The letter is the latest example of faculty and staff members at universities across the country stepping into the tense relationship between administrations and students protesting the war in Gaza, keeping watch over encampments, acting as a liaison between the two groups or pushing to protect the free speech rights of their students. Others, including pro-Israel professors, have sought to build other avenues of support for students.

Faculty members at Emory University and Columbia University are among those who have either taken or pushed for no-confidence votes in their school presidents.

Some professors, faculty and staff members have gotten caught in police sweeps and arrested as law enforcement has moved to evict students and their tent encampments from campuses. Videos of their treatment — including one that showed Annelise Orleck, a 65-year-old labor historian at Dartmouth College, taken to the ground by police — have further intensified the debate over the police response.

“What makes the situation unprecedented is the crackdown on student speech — that’s what has sort of marked the departure here and that’s what has led faculty to speak out,” said Erik Linstrum, a University of Virginia professor who helped draft and circulate the letter. He added, “there’s just an extremely aggressive and intolerant response to a certain kind of speech.”

The professors were careful to note that they spoke as individuals, rather than on behalf of their departments. And in the letter, they did not take a stance on the pro-Palestinian protest, emphasizing that “whatever our divergent views about the cause for which the protesters were advocating, the virtues of inquiry and debate as well as the importance of critical questioning are fundamental.”

Asked to comment on the letter, Brian Coy, a spokesman for the university, pointed to a Saturday statement from Mr. Ryan, which the letter had dismissed as “replete with platitudes, half-truths and evasions.”

He added that both Mr. Ryan and Mr. Baucom, the provost, “have been deeply engaged in every step of this episode and spent the day yesterday in the university’s command post helping to oversee U.Va.’s response.”

“Their charge to every official involved in this matter was to do everything possible to protect the rights of the protesters, as well as the rights and safety of the rest of our community,” Mr. Coy said of the two men. “This protest endured peacefully for four days before demonstrators began intentionally flouting university policies and resisting efforts to secure their compliance.”

But several professors and students have questioned the school’s decision to bring in the police to remove the tents set up on Friday , adding that university policy on whether recreational tents were allowed without a permit was unclear as of Saturday morning . (University officials said on Saturday that the school noticed and updated a document “that inaccurately referenced an exemption to the policy.”)

The school has also said that police officers were met with “physical confrontation,” which protesters and some observers have denied.

“I did not observe anything at all — when I saw that statement, I was shocked,” said Laura Goldblatt, an English and global studies assistant professor who did not sign the history professors’ letter but was among the faculty members present on Saturday. She added, “everything they’re being charged with only happened when police started to aggress upon them.”

In the letter, which is still collecting signatures, the professors invoked not only the principles of the university’s founder, Thomas Jefferson, but some of their own lessons to students about nonviolent protests.

Mr. Linstrum, whose area of study has focused on British imperialism and decolonization, said he had not been involved in the protests but headed over to the encampment on Saturday when he heard the police were coming. He said the letter came together as colleagues expressed outrage over seeing some of their students caught in the clash and not receiving a response from some administrators when they pleaded for intervention.

“There was a very clear sense from very early on, even as things were happening yesterday, that some response was imperative — that we couldn’t let something like this go unanswered,” he said.

— Emily Cochrane

Commencement events proceed largely as planned, with some interruptions.

The war in Gaza, combined with tensions over student protests in the past several weeks, had an unmistakable presence at some commencement ceremonies on Sunday.

At Fenway Park in Boston, home of the Boston Red Sox, about 4,000 undergraduate students of Northeastern University and nearly 30,000 attendees gathered for a graduation ceremony. It came at a tense time, just over one week after 98 people were arrested — including 29 students and six faculty or staff members — when police cleared out a pro-Palestinian encampment built on campus last Saturday.

Some students painted Palestinian symbols and flags on the top of their graduation caps. The student speaker for the commencement, Rebecca Bamidele, received cheers from some in the audience after highlighting the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. When the president of Northeastern, Joseph E. Aoun, was introduced, several students began booing with scattered pro-Palestinian chants.

At one point, a student wearing a keffiyeh wrapped around his head and a shirt reading “DIVEST” ran up to the stage before being forcibly removed by the police and dragged out of the seating area.

The dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Kellee Tsai, addressed the interruption, reading off what appeared to be a prepared note.

“We respect your passion and opinions, we respect your right to voice them, in the appropriate setting,” Ms. Tsai said. “This event honors our graduates and distinguished guests and is a celebration of their achievements. Out of respect for your community and honored guests, I ask that you let us continue with this event.”

There were no disruptions earlier on Sunday, when thousands of students attended Northeastern’s graduate student commencement.

At Ohio State University, there were fewer interruptions as an estimated 70,000 people watched 12,000 students graduate at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Some student groups had called for demonstrations, but the only protests were quiet individual ones: Several students decorated their mortar boards with pro-Palestinian designs, carried the Palestinian flag and wore keffiyehs.

Melissa Shivers, Ohio State’s senior vice president for student life, said in her welcoming address that “disruptions will not be permitted,” emphasizing the “not.” The emphatic warning earned a roar of applause from the crowd.

— Matthew Eadie and Rachel Richardson

An encampment remains at the University of Chicago as students negotiate disbanding.

After a week of heightened tensions at the University of Chicago, a school that touts itself as a model for free speech, the campus was relatively quiet on Sunday as students and officials privately negotiated the university’s demand to take down a pro-Palestinian encampment.

Several dozen tents remained pitched on the quad on Sunday afternoon, despite university President Paul Alivisatos’s message to the campus on Friday that the encampment “cannot continue.” A few University of Chicago police officers roamed nearby.

On Friday, some pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counterprotesters fought briefly, and the protest drew a significant presence of university and city police officers, but they did not move to forcibly disband the encampment.

The school’s administration had initially taken a permissive approach to the pro-Palestinian protests. The university is home to the Chicago statement, which is a framework for free expression adopted in 2015 that has been embraced by other colleges across the country. The policy allows students to widely express their points of view, with the limitation that they cannot infringe on other people’s ability to share their beliefs.

But Dr. Alivisatos, a chemist who became president of the university in 2021, said in his statement on Friday that the encampment had become a disruption on campus. He accused protesters of vandalizing buildings, blocking walkways and destroying an installation of Israeli flags.

“Protesters are monopolizing areas of the Main Quad at the expense of other members of our community,” he said. “Clear violations of policies have only increased.”

The university and students have been negotiating in private, and student leaders said the university’s compromises have not been acceptable. Christopher Iacovetti, a student who has participated in negotiations, said on Friday in a statement that UChicago United for Palestine “refuses to accept President Alivisatos’s repeated condescending offer of a public forum to discuss ‘diverse viewpoints’ on the genocide, as this is clearly a poor attempt at saving face without material change.”

A university spokesman, Gerald McSwiggan, referred on Sunday to a statement from Saturday that said “substantive negotiations with organizers were ongoing.”

While the protesters were quiet on Sunday, they were blocking others from walking along a path in the middle of the quad, asking passers-by to walk around instead. They held “teach-ins” on subjects including knowing your rights and the history of the Gaza conflict.

The encampment was almost entirely surrounded by a variety of barriers, including caution tape, plastic mesh barriers, signs on wooden boards and wire fencing.

Also in Chicago, the School of the Art Institute’s campus was quiet on Sunday, and there were no signs of protesters. Police said they arrested 68 protesters on Saturday after they refused to move their protest site to a different location.

Mitch Smith contributed reporting from Chicago.

— Robert Chiarito and Colbi Edmonds

Police clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at U.S.C. for a second time.

Los angeles police clear pro-palestinian encampment at u.s.c., several dozen people were pushed out of the campus gates of the university of southern california by police officers in riot gear..

Officer: “Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.” Protester: “Who do you protect?” Crowd chanting: “Who will you protect? Who do you protect? Who will you protect? Who do you protect?”

The Los Angeles Police Department and campus police removed a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Southern California early Sunday morning, pushing several dozen people out of the campus gates in the latest crackdown on student protesters there.

The encampment had sprouted up nearly two weeks ago in Alumni Park, a central quad on U.S.C.’s campus in Los Angeles. Shortly after it did, the university called the police to the campus, where they arrested 93 people, but the protest returned soon after. Los Angeles police said on Sunday morning that they had made no arrests while clearing the encampment for the second time.

The university has been in turmoil for several weeks following its decision not to allow its valedictorian , who is Muslim, to speak at graduation. The university cited security concerns, but the valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, said she believed she was being silenced. A group that supports the U.S.-Israel relationship had said Ms. Tabassum “openly traffics antisemitic” rhetoric. U.S.C. later canceled its main graduation ceremony altogether, though it will hold a modified celebration this week.

On Sunday, police officers in riot gear entered the campus before dawn, pushing about 25 protesters out of the campus’s metal gates. After the police sweep, the quad was littered with blankets, sweatshirts, coolers, snacks and overturned canopies.

Only a few of the tents were still standing, barricaded by wooden pallets and decorated with messages and Palestinian flags. Signs taped to trees carried messages such as, “every Palestinian has a right to live just like you and I,” and “disclose, divest, defend.”

In recent days, officials had tightened security around the private campus, allowing in only those with a university I.D.

Carol Folt, the U.S.C. president, said in a message to students and others on Friday that “there must be consequences” when people flout campus rules. She said the university had started the disciplinary process for people who had violated laws or campus policies.

Ms. Folt said that although the university valued freedom of expression, the protest had reached a tipping point.

“Free speech and assembly do not include the right to obstruct equal access to campus, damage property, or foment harassment, violence and threats,” Ms. Folt wrote. “Nor is anyone entitled to obstruct the normal functions of our university, including commencement.”

Protesters viewed the police operation on Sunday as an unnecessary escalation. Among the demonstrators’ demands are that the university call for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas, detail its investments and divest from companies that they view as enabling “Israel and U.S. colonialism, apartheid, genocide and violence.”

U.S.C.’s move to clear the protest encampment comes as the University of California, Los Angeles, continues to face scrutiny over its handling of protests. Police officers did not intervene for hours at that campus last week as a group of counterprotesters — many of whom wore pro-Israel slogans on their clothing — attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment . The next night, the police arrested about 200 people at the protest there.

— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Jonathan Wolfe Reporting from Los Angeles.

Dozens are arrested at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Officers and pro-palestinian protesters clash at the art institute of chicago, sixty-eight people were arrested and charged with trespassing by the chicago police after the museum requested that the demonstrators and their encampment be removed..

Crowd chanting: “We will free Palestine, within our lifetime.” “Leave them alone, leave them alone.” [expletives] [expletives] [expletives]

The police forcibly dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment at the Art Institute of Chicago museum on Saturday and arrested dozens of protesters, hours after demonstrators had gathered in a garden at the institute and set up tents.

Some of the demonstrators were students at the affiliated School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the museum said in a statement.

The Chicago police said on social media that officers had removed the protesters at the school’s request. A Chicago Police spokesman said Sunday that 68 people had been arrested and charged with trespassing.

The protesters set up the encampment in the North Garden, which is part of the Art Institute of Chicago museum, at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, the police said. While encampments at some other U.S. schools during the recent wave of pro-Palestinian protests have stood for days or even weeks before police action, in this case the police said that officers “immediately responded” to maintain the safety of the protesters and the public.

The People’s Art Institute, the organizers of the protest, said on social media that the demonstrators’ demands included that the institute formally condemn Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, remove any programs that legitimize the “occupation of Palestine” and divest from any individuals or entities that support Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. Photos that the group uploaded to social media showed a sign in the encampment that read “Hind’s Garden,” a reference to Hind Rajab , a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed this year in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The museum said that it had offered protesters an alternate venue and that the school promised students that they would not face academic sanctions or charges if they relocated there.

The statement added that some protesters “surrounded and shoved a security officer and stole their keys to the museum, blocked emergency exits and barricaded gates.”

After about two hours of negotiations, the museum asked officers to remove the protesters, the police said. Officers issued warnings and eventually removed and arrested protesters, the police said.

Videos posted by the organizers showed police forcibly pulling demonstrators out of the human chain they had formed outside the garden while some of the protesters chanted, “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?”

An earlier version of this article misstated the entity that released a statement about the protest. It was the Art Institute of Chicago museum, not the affiliated School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

— Yan Zhuang

Vassar protesters removed their tents after the college agreed to review its investments.

Pro-Palestinian protesters dismantled their encampment at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Saturday after reaching an agreement with the institution that requires administrators to review a divestment proposal.

Student demonstrators pitched dozens of tents on Vassar’s campus, starting on Tuesday. The liberal arts college is a bastion of progressive ideas with a long history of student protest , and Vassar’s president said in a statement this week that she hoped to resolve the current disagreement with pro-Palestinian demonstrators peacefully.

In the agreement reached on Saturday, Vassar officials agreed to review a proposal to divest funds from “defense-related investments, such as militarized surveillance and arms production,” and to support student fund-raising efforts in support of refugees, according to a statement by the president , Elizabeth H. Bradley.

The divestment language did not mention Israel or the war in the Gaza Strip, as the protesters had in their demands.

But Dr. Bradley said administrators had also agreed to “recruit and support Palestinian students and scholars-at-risk, who have lost educational and professional opportunities” since Oct. 7, a reference to the attacks in Israel by Hamas and its allies that prompted Israel’s war in Gaza.

“With these commitments, the college will work to improve our understanding, dialogue about, and educational programming concerning peace and conflict, with focus on Gaza and the Middle East,” she said.

The Vassar agreement is one of several in which student protesters have agreed to clear camps in exchange for commitments to discuss institutional investment policies around Israel. Students for Justice in Palestine at Vassar, the group that organized the encampment and negotiated with administrators, said in a statement on social media that it did not feel like a victory.

“We are not happy about the concessions we’ve made, but our work is not done,” the group said in the statement, adding that the administration had not agreed to all of the demands laid out by protesters when they launched the encampment. Those demands included calls for the Vassar administration to release a public statement calling for “an immediate end to Israel’s siege on Gaza and an end to U.S. aid for Israel,” and to completely boycott Israeli academic institutions, including Vassar-sponsored study abroad programs in Israel.

“At this time, we believe this is the most strategic decision we can make in order to further our efforts for divestment and Palestinian liberation,” the students said of the agreement.

They said they would donate the roughly $7,000 they had raised since launching their encampment to families in Gaza, and redistribute any donated supplies to people and organizations in Poughkeepsie.

— Erin Nolan

Dozens of Indiana University graduates walked out in protest during commencement.

Dozens of students walked out of Indiana University’s graduation ceremony on Saturday in protest of the war in Gaza, moving instead to a green space on campus where students had been demonstrating for weeks .

More than 6,700 graduates filed into Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., to receive their diplomas. There were more than 40,000 people in attendance, according to the university. Outside the stadium, the police presence was heavy. Above it, a plane circled towing a banner that said, “let Gaza live.”

The students walked out in two groups. The first briefly interrupted the ceremony, leaving and chanting “Shut it down” and “Free, free Palestine” as the school’s embattled president, Pamela Whitten, opened the program. The beginning of her remarks was largely drowned out by jeers, but she continued without pausing.

“We have been looking forward to celebrating this moment with you,” she said at one point in her brief remarks. She made no mention of the protests.

The second batch of protesters walked out during a speech by the commencement speaker, the tech entrepreneur Scott Dorsey. Protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine” as they filed out. They were drowned out by boos.

Lauren Ulrich, 21, of Rolla, Mo., graduated on Saturday with degrees in journalism and environmental studies. But she did not stay at the commencement ceremony long enough to turn her tassel. Her decision to walk out was one that Ms. Ulrich said she had not made lightly.

“I think sometimes it is scary to do the right thing,” she said. “I was scared. But people are dying and there’s no way I could not do something about it.”

After months of participating in protests and the school’s encampment, Ms. Ulrich said she planned to leave campus the day after graduation. She said she was “incredibly sad” but felt that the protest movement had enough supporters to keep up momentum over the summer.

“I think they will get creative in how they will continue it,” Ms. Ulrich said.

Liz Capp, 22, of Indianapolis, graduated on Saturday with a degree in therapy and did not participate in the protest. Before the ceremony, she anticipated that there would be some kind of demonstration. But it had not concerned her.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest,” she said.

— Kevin Williams

Echoing Vietnam War protests, demonstrators at Kent State call for the university to divest.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Kent State University in Ohio on Saturday to protest the war in Gaza, exactly 54 years after a similar campus demonstration ended in four student deaths.

The activists were silent but impossible to miss. They assembled in a semicircle around a stage on Kent State’s commons where speakers were commemorating the events of May 4, 1970: James Rhodes, then the governor of Ohio, had called in the National Guard to quell a demonstration against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The troops opened fire. Four people — Allison Krause, William Schroeder, Sandra Scheuer and Jeffrey Miller — were killed. Several others were wounded.

The campus still bears the scars of the 1970 shooting. Illuminated columns mark the precise spots where the four students were killed, and the tragedy was immortalized in the song “Ohio” performed by the folk-rock quartet Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

In a speech on Saturday to honor the victims, Sophia Swengel, a sophomore and the president of the May 4 Task Force, a group formed in 1975 to keep the students’ legacy alive, also acknowledged the protesters. Many of them were hoisting signs calling on the university to divest from weapons manufacturers and military contractors.

“Once again students are taking a stand against bloodshed abroad,” she said, referring to Israel’s assault on Gaza, which followed the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7. “Much like they did against the Vietnam War back in the ’60s,” Ms. Swengel added.

Among the student demands in 1970 were abolishing the R.O.T.C. program, ending the university’s ties with police training programs and halting the research and development of the liquid crystal used in heat detectors that guided bombs dropped on Cambodia.

Today, demonstrators at Kent State are asking the university to divest its portfolio of instruments of war. “The university is profiting from war, and they were arguing in ’69 and ’70 that the university was also profiting from war,” said Camille Tinnin, a 31-year-old Ph.D. student studying political science who has met with the school’s administration to discuss divestiture.

While Kent State cannot end the war in Gaza, “what the university can control is its own investment portfolio,” said Yaseen Shaikh, 19, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine who is about to graduate with a degree in computer science.

Ms. Tinnin and Mr. Shaikh, along with two other students, met with Mark Polatajko, senior vice president for finance and administration for Kent State, on Dec. 4, a meeting confirmed in a statement from Rebecca Murphy, a Kent State spokeswoman. Mr. Polatajko shared the university’s investment portfolio with the four activists during the meeting, Ms. Tinnin said in an interview before Saturday’s protest. She said activists who scrutinized the portfolio found that it included investments in weapons manufacturers.

On Saturday, in a nod to nationwide student demonstrations against the war in Gaza, Ms. Swengel said that encampments and demonstrations “stand as living, breathing monuments of the willingness of students to stand up against genocide and for what they believe in.”

In a statement emailed to reporters, Ms. Murphy said the university “upholds the First Amendment rights of free speech and peaceful assembly for all.”

“Consistent with our core values, we encourage open dialogue and respectful civil discourse in an inclusive environment,” she added.

— Patrick Cooley

Police push protesters off a campus lawn at U.Va. and arrest 25.

Pro-palestinian encampment cleared at the university of virginia, hundreds of protesters were met with police in riot gear on the campus in charlottesville, va., and some were arrested..

Crowd: “Shame on you!” Officer: “Do not touch her!” “Turn around and walk that way.”

The police arrested at least 25 pro-Palestinian protesters on Saturday at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville after aggressively clearing demonstrators off a university lawn and at one point using chemical irritants on dozens of people.

Like hundreds of students, faculty and staff across the country, students in Charlottesville protested this week in the heart of their campus, calling for the university to divest from Israel, weapons manufacturers and companies with ties to Israeli institutions, and to pledge to protect students’ right to peacefully protest. Tents were set up Friday, but cleared the next day.

In a news release, the university said the protesters had violated school policy on Friday by setting up tents on the lawn and by using megaphones. But the encampment was not forcibly removed then, the statement read, “given continued peaceful behavior and the presence of young children at the demonstration site, and due to heavy rain Friday night.”

Jim Ryan, the university president, wrote in a letter to the campus, “I sincerely wish it were otherwise, but this repeated and intentional refusal to comply with reasonable rules intended to secure the safety, operations and rights of the entire university community left us with no other choice than to uphold the neutral application and enforcement of those rules.”

By Saturday afternoon, protesters were met with police officers in riot gear. At one point, the police used chemical irritants against the crowd to get people to disperse.

The university said it was not immediately clear how many of the 25 who were arrested were affiliated with the school. All were charged with trespassing, according to a police official.

“Shame on you, shame on you!” chanted a crowd of hundreds of students and Charlottesville locals as a combined force of dozens of officers from at least three law enforcement agencies pushed them into the street in front of the university’s Rotunda building.

“This is absolutely obscene,” said Colden Dorfman, a third-year student majoring in computer science, who faced down the cordon as the police sprayed chemical irritants. “This is insanity. Everyone came here with peaceful intentions. I’m ashamed that this is what our police force is being used for.”

Some protesters and their supporters directly questioned the magnitude of the police response, particularly compared with the school’s response in 2017 to hundreds of white nationalists marching on campus with torches .

“What did you do when the K.K.K. came to town?” protesters could be heard yelling, as the police moved to push them into University Avenue, which had been blocked off to traffic.

Even as it began to rain, hundreds of people remained for hours before dispersing. Some people headed to the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, where a new protest was forming.

— Jackson Landers ,  Hawes Spencer and Emily Cochrane Jackson Landers and Hawes Spencer reported from Charlottesville, Va.

At least one student at Ole Miss is being investigated after a racist counterprotest.

The University of Mississippi is investigating the conduct of at least one student after counterprotesters directed racist taunts at pro-Palestinian protesters this week, school officials said.

In a letter to students, faculty and staff members on Friday evening, Glenn F. Boyce, the university chancellor, said the school had begun to investigate one student and may look at more.

“From yesterday’s demonstration, university leaders are aware that some statements made were offensive, hurtful and unacceptable, including actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones,” Mr. Boyce wrote. He did not identify the student, citing privacy law.

He added, “To be clear, people who say horrible things to people because of who they are will not find shelter or comfort on this campus.”

Video captured by the Mississippi Free Press and the Daily Mississippian showed a crowd of white male students jeering and taunting a lone Black woman standing in front of the protest on campus, with one man making monkey gestures and hooting at her. Another video compilation showed the men yelling profane and derogatory insults.

The few dozen pro-Palestinian protesters appeared widely outnumbered by the crowd of counterdemonstrators, though university officials said no one was arrested or injured.

Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi, a Republican, approvingly captioned a separate video of the demonstrations that showed the counterprotesters singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” over the protest chants, though he made no mention of the other video clips that soon circulated. And former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, also shared a separate video on social media from the protests where the men could be heard chanting “we want Trump.”

The university has a painful history of racist episodes, and, for some, the videos evoked the mob and deadly riots that sought to stop the enrollment of James Meredith, the first Black student at the school, in 1962. And while the school has shed some of its Confederate imagery, in 2012, two students were arrested after racial slurs were chanted at a protest over former President Barack Obama’s re-election. In 2014, a noose was placed around a statue of Mr. Meredith.

“It is important to acknowledge our challenging history, and incidents like this can set us back,” Mr. Boyce wrote. “It is one reason why we do not take this lightly and cannot let the unacceptable behavior of a few speak for our institution or define us.”

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UCLA seniors model flood vulnerability in Tobago

Slash-and-burn farming and increased surface runoff from urbanization in Tobago have made the small Caribbean island prone to flooding from rivers and streams.

And, as the population of the 116-square-mile island has grown, more residents have settled in parts of the island with high flood risk.

To identify the most vulnerable communities, seven UCLA students developed climate models as part of their capstone project for their environmental science bachelor’s degree . This spring they traveled to Tobago — the smallest of the two islands that make up the nation of Trinidad and Tobago — to collect on-the-ground data to test the accuracy of their maps and meet with collaborators at the University of West Indies (UWI).

The students assessed not just physical characteristics that influence where flooding occurs such as elevation, vegetation cover and soil type, but also socioeconomic factors that affect vulnerability, said Tyler Moy, the advisor of the project. Such factors included income levels, distance to emergency facilities and ability to access information about flooding from existing warning systems,

“The risk map can identify where interventions are needed, but to prove effective, the interventions have to be implemented while considering community needs,” he said.

Before the trip, the team used Geographic Information Systems (computer-based tools used to analyze geospatial data) and satellite images from Sentinel and Landsat (two major satellite programs) to create maps based on physical characteristics like land cover, slope and proximity to rivers in the districts of Roxborough and Castara.

While in Tobago, they collected on the ground-date like elevation and distance to drainage points, which they overlaid with digital elevation models and satellite images to refine their model’s accuracy.

With the help of the UWI students, they also spoke with community members to learn about difficulties they face due to flooding.  Based on these conversations, they decided how much to weigh factors like access to flood relief and socioeconomic status in their vulnerability assessment models.

“They’re not just working with a dataset,” said Moy, a Ph.D. student in Environmental Health Sciences. “It’s a real place, real people are there and there are impacts.”

Conversations with community members revealed flooding contributors that the team didn’t even consider, said student Sydney Pearce, who led the satellite data analysis of the project.  For instance, the Roxborough community has a high flood risk due to debris from discarded bamboo that clogs drainage.

When conducting work in a different county, it’s important to let locals“take the front seat,” said Pearce, who expects to graduate with an environmental science degree in June. The UWI students knew the local dialect, norms and how to best talk to the community members.

Additionally, the team identified nature-based solutions to flooding, such as l andscape regeneratio n and agricultural techniques that reduce land degradation. They then created a flow chart that connects accurate risk assessments, early warning systems and community engagement — showing how these factors must be tied together for adaptation measures to succeed.

Population growth has outpaced infrastructural upgrades on Tobago, said Marie Inumerable, a student member who leads the Community Engagement portion of the project. Some residents in remote parts of Tobago have only one access road to the rest of the island, so flooding can leave them isolated and without an ability to receive help.

The models can help agencies such as Tobago Emergency Management better assess where flooding interventions are most needed by identifying high risk areas and areas where nature-based solutions may be most effective, she said.

During their free time on the island, both UCLA and UWI students snorkeled, explored beaches, sampled new cuisines and learned about the local culture.

“The UWI students were so hospitable to us,” Inumerable said. “They helped us understand what island life is like and the values of their education system: technical work and research but also a sense of community. This is something we hope to carry on here at UCLA.”

The project was conducted as part of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability’s senior practicum, a year-long capstone program that pairs students with nonprofits, private companies and government agencies to solve real-world problems.

The team members are Karina Balekjian, Marie Inumerable, Pippin Jardine, Sky Lane, Mason Lehman, Sydney Pearce, Jorge Reque, and Sallyrose Savage (a graduate student assistant member of the project).

The team members (left to right): Mason Lehman, Karina Balekjian, Sydney Pearce, Marie Inumerable, Pippin Jardine, Jorge Reque, and Sky Lane.

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Anna Novoselov