The Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California has launched a new master’s program in Advanced Design and Construction Technology (ADCT).

The program, according to a school website, will explore an "integrative approach to design, engineering and construction technology, and in developing expertise in core topics including sustainability, data analysis and visualization, computing, modeling, simulation, process engineering and manufacturing, leadership, design and innovation" in order to "next generation of innovators to not only harness the power of technological innovation, but to bridge the industry’s fragmentation in order to foster collaboration, catalyze change, and offer advanced and sustainable solutions to global problems."

Tuition for the 28-unit, four semester master’s program is set at roughly $60,000 plus housing and fees. 

A press release announcing the program explains that students will have access to "experts in computer science, construction, design, entrepreneurship, in addition to civil engineering and will be able to leverage expertise from USC centers such as the Center for Intelligent Environments and the Center for Advanced Manufacturing" through the program. Specific focuses of the program include understanding AI in the construction context, utilizing Internet-of-Things technologies to optimize construction processes, and other knowledge areas. 

Lucio Soibelman, Viterbi Dean’s Professor and Department Chair of the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering explained in the statement that, “We are living now on an inflection point in time. For many years machines and now robots have been replacing humans on jobs that require manual labor but today, for the first time in history, computers are intelligent enough to be capable of replacing humans on knowledge-based jobs. This is happening on many industries and there is not reason to think that the construction industry is not the next one to be affected by this trend. We developed this new graduate program to prepare civil engineers for this new era.”