The University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering Distance Education Network (DEN) granted Master of Science degrees to 166 distance learning students, most of whom earned their degrees while working full-time.

“We are extremely proud of our graduates,” said Kelly Goulis, Executive Director of the Distance Education Network. “For many DEN students, they are juggling a career and family – to obtain an advanced degree from a top-ranked engineering school in addition to those things is truly admirable.”

Students receiving degrees come from nine states, including Washington, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Arizona, and Missouri, though most were from California. “Based on DEN’s current student population and the continual addition of new degree programs,” said Goulis, “we expect many more non-Californian-graduates in years to come.”

This year’s 166 graduates represented a 67 percent increase from last year's total of 99. While most of this year's class are full-time employees with tuition assistance from employers, approximately 16 percent of DEN students studied on their own.

The Boeing Corporation was most heavily represented in the class of 2004, with no fewer than 48 employees receiving degrees through DEN. In second place was Northrop Grumman, with 35 employees graduating. The most remote distance student was studying at United Technologies Corporation in Hartford, Connecticut.

Other companies include: Aerospace Corporation, Conexant, Edwards Air Force Base, JPL, Lockheed Martin, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Magis Networks, NASA, Port Hueneme Naval Base, Qualcomm, Raytheon, Spectrum Astro, Teradyne, and Xerox.

The employee scholars will earn M.S. degrees in Systems Architecture & Engineering, Astronautics, Electrical Engineering, Product Development Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, and more.

For over 30 years, DEN has been a pioneer in distance learning, providing thousands of working professionals the opportunity to obtain their M.S. degrees in over 20 disciplines. DEN’s cutting-edge technology allows students to view lectures being given to on-campus students, transmit homework assignments, and interact with professors via chat capabilities, all from the comfort of their home or office. Currently, students from over 30 states and 100 cities are earning their engineering graduate degrees from a distance. DEN offers the widest selection of engineering graduate degrees – more than that of any leading research university.

With 165 tenure and tenure-track and 75 research faculty, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering generates more than $135 million in funded research annually. The graduate program is ranked 6th in the nation and 3rd among private institutions, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Additional information can be obtained on the Distance Education Network at http://den.usc.edu, or contact Jacqueline Williams at (213) 821-2475, info@den.usc.edu.

-Eric Mankin