UT Dallas Computer Science Undergraduate Program: An Overview

Technology's pervasive influence on modern life is undeniable. From the ubiquitous smartphone and the connectivity of social media to smart home devices and the sharing economy facilitated by platforms like Uber and Airbnb, software is the driving force behind these advancements. The promise of self-driving cars and the continued evolution of artificial intelligence further underscore the transformative power of software. Computer scientists are the architects of these software systems, and the UT Dallas Computer Science program provides comprehensive training to prepare students for this dynamic field.

The Growing Demand for Computer Science Professionals

The career prospects for Computer Science (CS) majors are exceptionally bright. Every industry recognizes its increasing dependence on software technology and is investing heavily in this area. Many companies, even those not traditionally considered tech companies (such as those in insurance and banking), now identify as technology-driven due to their reliance on software. This widespread adoption of software solutions has led to a surge in demand for computer science graduates, and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

The high demand translates to competitive salaries for CS graduates. Top graduates from the UT Dallas BS CS program can earn salaries exceeding $100,000, with potential signing bonuses reaching $70,000 and stock options valued as high as $150,000.

Why Choose UT Dallas Computer Science?

The UT Dallas Computer Science program stands out as an ideal environment for students pursuing a computer science major for several reasons:

Distinguished Faculty

The CS faculty at UT Dallas is comprised of nearly 100 distinguished members, boasting world-renowned experts in cutting-edge areas such as:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Machine Learning
Natural Language Processing
Cybersecurity
Software Engineering
Algorithm Design
Systems
Big Data
Data Science

The faculty includes instructional faculty, nearly all of whom hold Ph.D.’s and possess significant industry experience. A comprehensive list of professors includes Bilal Akin, Naofal Al-Dhahir, Orlando Auciello, Poras T. Balsara, Farokh B. Bastani, Sergey Bereg, Dinesh Bhatia, Leonidas Bleris, Yun Chiu, Yongwan Chun, Ovidiu Daescu, Yvo G. Desmedt, Ding-Zhu Du, Babak Fahimi, Baowei Fei, Paul Fishwick, John P. Fonseka, Andrea Fumagalli, D. Todd Griffith, Xiaohu Guo, Gopal Gupta, Zygmunt Haas, Kevin Hamlen, John H. L. Hansen, Sanda M. Harabagiu, Fatemeh Hassanipour, Rashaunda Henderson, Dung T. Huynh, Jason Jue, Nasser Kehtarnavaz, Latifur Khan, Kamran Kiasaleh, Dohyeong Kim, David J. Lary, Gil S. Lee, Hoi Lee, Stefano Leonardi, Stephen D. Levene, Yaoyu Li, Jin Liu, Hongbing Lu, Dongsheng (Brian) Ma, Georgios Makris, Andrian Marcus, Hlaing Minn, Neeraj Mittal, Dan I. Moldovan, Sriraam Natarajan, Yu-Chung (Vincent) Ng, Tien Nguyen, Aria Nosratinia, Mehrdad Nourani, Simeon C. Ntafos, Kenneth K. O, Lawrence J. Overzet, Issa M. S. Panahi, Joseph Pancrazio, Ravi Prakash, Shalini Prasad, Dong Qian, Fang Qiu, Mario A. Rotea, Mohammad Saquib, Kamil Sarac, David Schmidtke, Haim Schweitzer, Carl Sechen, Joshua Summers, Lakshman Tamil, Bhavani Thuraisingham, Murat Torlak, W. Eric Wong, Weili Wu, I-Ling Yen, Seung M. You, May Yuan, and Rym Zalila-Wenkstern.

The Associate Professors include William Anderson, Benjamin Carrion Schafer, Feng Chen, Lawrence Chung, Jorge A. Cobb, Joseph Friedman, Mona Ghassemi, Vibhav Gogate, Heather Hayenga, Seth Hays, Giacomo (Valerio) Iungo, Brian Kim, Golden Kumar, Cong Liu, Arif Malik, Kristin Miller, Majid Minary-Jolandan, Zhenpeng Qin, Muhammad Rahman, Benjamin Raichel, Danieli Rodrigues, Nicholas Ruozzi, Shashank Sirsi, Tyler Summers, Yonas Tadesse, Michael Tiefelsdorf, Victor Varner, and Chadwin D. Young, Jie Zhang.

The Assistant Professors consist of Kanad Basu, Rodrigo Bernal Montoya, Chen Cao, Shuang (Cynthia) Cui, Yichen Ding, Polimyr Dingal, Xinya Du, Sourav Dutta, Jacopo Ferruzzi, Emily Kyle Fox, Yongsheng Gao, Matthew Gardner, Yunhui Guo, Shuang Hao, Rishabh Iyer, Kangkook Jee, Yaqing Jin, Caroline Jones, Gu Eon Kang, Chung Hwan Kim, Jin Kim, Justin Koeln, Juyoung Leem, Wei Li, You Li, Ifana Mahbub, Eric Meyers, Xinchen Ni, Girgis Obaid, Hui Ouyang, Jessica Ouyang, Jae Mo Park, Kaveh Shamsi, Yapeng Tian, Shiyi Wei, Yu Xiang, Guoping Xiong, Yanwen Xu, Wei Yang, Kianoosh Yousefi, Armin Zare, and Yue Zhou.

The Professors of Practice are Dani Fadda, Todd W. Polk, and jxr230031. Bryan Chastain is a Lecturer.

Professors Emeriti include R. Chandrasekaran, Stuart Cogan, Ivor P. Page, William J. Pervin, Balaji Raghavachari, Ivan Hal Sudborough, Klaus Truemper, and Subbarayan Venkatesan, Kang Zhang. Gerald O. Burnham is an Associate Professor Emeritus.

UT Dallas Affiliated Faculty include Dinesh Bhatia, Kyeongjae (KJ) Cho, Xianming Dai, Crystal Engineer, Babak Fahimi, Jeremiah J. Gassensmith, Matthew J. Goeckner, John Hart Jr., Fatemeh Hassanipour, Michael P. Kilgard, Jiyoung Kim, Moon J. Kim, David J. Lary, Lloyd Lumata, S.O. Reza Moheimani, Faruck Morcos, Mehrdad Nourani, Issa M. S. Panahi, Zhenpeng Qin, Bart Rypma, Mark W. Spong, Mihaela C. Stefan, Yonas Tadesse, Lakshman Tamil, Robert M. Wallace, Steve Yurkovich, and Jie Zheng.

Professors of Instruction are Ebru Cankaya, John Cole, Richard (Douglas) DeGroot, Timothy (Tim) Farage, James Florence, Richard Goodrum, Shyam Karrah, Pushpa Kumar, Jung Lee, Randall E. Lehmann, Nhut Nguyen, Tooraj Nikoubin, Greg Ozbirn, Miguel Razo-Razo, Ricardo E. Saad, William (Bill) Swartz, Marco Tacca, and Jeyakesavan (Jey) Veerasamy.

Associate Professors of Instruction include Sridhar Alagar, Md Ali, Gordon Arnold, Anjum Chida, Wei Pang Chin, Bhadrachalam Chitturi, Michael Christiansen, Chris I. Davis, Karen Doore, Neeraj Gupta, Matthew Heins, Khiem Le, Rabah Mezenner, Kathleen Myers, Anarag Nagar, Mehra Nouroz Borazjany, Jalal Omer, Wooram Park, Mark Paulk, Benjamin Porter, Oziel Rios, Neal Skinner, Jason W. Smith, P.L. Stephan Thamban, Laurie Thompson, James Willson, and Nurcan Yuruk.

Assistant Professors of Instruction are Eric Becker, Fang Bian, Katherine Brown, Scott Dollinger, Serdar Erbatur, Ranran Feng, Levi Good, Omar Hamdy, Gity Karami, Kamran Khan, Karen Mazidi, and Richard K.

Strong Foundations and Strong Beginnings

A successful computer scientist needs a solid foundation in computer programming and the mathematical underpinnings of the field, particularly discrete mathematics. The UT Dallas CS department distinguishes itself by offering an extensive sequence of foundational courses: three programming courses and two discrete math courses, exceeding the offerings of most other programs.

Read also: Computer Science College Guide

To further bolster students' understanding of these core concepts, the CS Department has established the CS Mentor Center (CSMC). The CSMC provides readily accessible support from senior student mentors who have excelled in these foundational courses. Students can walk in and receive assistance throughout the day, ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed.

Strong Finish

The curriculum culminates in a capstone project, where students apply their accumulated knowledge to develop a substantial product as a team. The UTDesign program enriches this experience, providing a platform for students to tackle real-world challenges and collaborate with industry partners.

Smaller Class Size

The large faculty size allows UT Dallas to maintain small class sizes, typically no more than 60 to 70 students per section. This contrasts sharply with many other universities where CS class sizes can swell to hundreds of students. The smaller class size fosters greater interaction between faculty and students, creating a more engaging and supportive learning environment. The large faculty also enables the department to offer a diverse range of courses, covering topics from machine learning to virtual reality, software testing, and natural language processing.

CS Freshman Experience Class & CS Freshman Dinner

All incoming freshmen are required to participate in the CS Freshman Experience class, which focuses on developing problem-solving skills and strategies for thriving in a rigorous, math-intensive program. The CS Department also hosts a Freshman Dinner to build community and welcome new students.

CS2 Honors Program

The CS2 Honors Program is designed to challenge exceptionally gifted students. Invited students participate in a demanding course of study enriched with research experiences. The Computing Scholars Program features a specially designed curriculum that integrates current research, recent discoveries, and open problems into a logical progression of related topics.

Living Learning Community (LLC)

CS majors have the option to reside in a designated area within the residence halls, forming the CS/SE Living Learning Community. This community, comprising approximately 150 students, organizes various activities, including student-faculty game nights, to foster a sense of belonging and collaboration.

Industry Internships

The program strongly encourages students to gain practical experience through internships. A dedicated internship office with five full-time employees assists students in finding internships in computer science and engineering disciplines. The program boasts a high placement rate, with almost every student who seeks an internship finding one.

Undergraduate Research

Academically gifted students are encouraged to participate in research under the guidance of CS faculty. This provides valuable opportunities to contribute to the advancement of the field and develop research skills.

Fast-Track Master’s Degree

High-achieving students can opt to join the Fast-Track MS CS or SE program, allowing them to earn a master's degree more efficiently. Qualified seniors may take up to 15 graduate semester credit hours that can be used to complete the baccalaureate degree and also satisfy requirements for the master's degree. When Fast-Track students graduate with a bachelor’s degree, they are automatically admitted to graduate school at UT Dallas.

Programming Competitions and Hackathons

Student organizations regularly host hackathons (typically 4-6 per year), where teams of students collaborate to develop software systems for practical applications. These events often attract sponsorships from companies and provide valuable networking opportunities. The largest hackathon, HackUTD, organized by the ACM, drew nearly 700 students in Fall 2019 from UT Dallas, the broader DFW area, the rest of the US, and even internationally. The CS Department also organizes a number of programming competitions.

Opportunities for Outreach

The CS Department operates an extensive K-12 outreach program through the Center for CS Education and Outreach. Undergraduate and graduate students are engaged to teach coding to K-12 students through summer camps, after-school clubs, and other events, promoting computer science education in the wider community.

Highly Ranked

The CS Department at UT Dallas has achieved high rankings in research-based assessments, such as csrankings.org. For the period of 2009-2019, it ranked 7th in natural language processing, 5th in software engineering, 11th in artificial intelligence, and 6th in real-time systems.

Degree Programs Offered

The Department of Computer Science offers Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Computer Science and Software Engineering. The Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. Both programs share a foundation in mathematics, encompassing calculus, linear algebra, and discrete mathematics. These programs prepare students for careers in a rapidly evolving profession, whether they enter industry, business, or government. The curriculum emphasizes electronic information processing devices and technologies involved with the acquisition, interpretation, transmission, and utilization of information.

Computer Science vs. Software Engineering

Both the Computer Science and Software Engineering programs share a core foundation in computer science, covering:

Modern programming methodologies
Analysis of algorithms and data structures
Study of operating systems

The Computer Science program delves deeper into advanced data structures, programming languages, and automata theory. In contrast, the Software Engineering program focuses on:

Requirements engineering
Software validation and testing
Software architecture

Both programs culminate in a challenging project course where students apply their knowledge to solve complex problems.

Interdisciplinary Opportunities

The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at UT Dallas also offers degree programs in Biomedical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, as well as a minor in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Computer engineering combines aspects of computer science and electrical engineering, focusing on embedded systems that integrate hardware and software, common in robotics, cellphones, and computer-controlled platforms. The Biomedical Engineering program allows students to combine engineering with biology and physiology. The Electrical Engineering program provides a foundation in electrical engineering with an emphasis on digital systems, telecommunications, and microelectronics. The Mechanical Engineering program focuses on the analysis, design, and manufacturing of mechanical and thermal systems, with emphasis on energy conversion, micro- and nano-technology devices and processes, and robotics.

Curriculum and Electives

The core of the bachelor’s degree curriculum in computer science includes programming methodologies, the analysis of algorithms and data structures, and the study of operating systems. The curriculum continues with courses in advanced data structures, programming languages and automata theory, culminating in a challenging project course in which students demonstrate the use of computer science techniques. The Computer Science program continues with courses in advanced data structures, programming languages, telecommunications networks, and automata theory, while the Software Engineering program includes courses in requirements engineering, software validation and testing, and software architecture, culminating in a challenging project course in which students must demonstrate use of software engineering techniques. CS technical electives are 4000 level courses in CS or closely related areas approved by the student's CS advisor. CS guided electives are 4000 level CS courses approved by the student's CS advisor. Degree programs in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science are governed by various accreditation boards that place restrictions on classes used to meet the curricular requirements of degrees they certify. For this reason, not all classes offered by the University can be used to meet elective requirements.

Experiential Learning

Students are encouraged to participate in cooperative programs with companies specializing in microelectronics, telecommunications, signal processing, and optics, which are concentrated in the area surrounding UT Dallas. These programs allow students to gain industrial experience to complement their classroom instruction. The Jonsson Career Services (JCS) of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science include the school's Cooperative Education, Internship, and Curricular Practical Training Programs. These programs combine classroom learning with paid work experience. Qualified students are referred to participating employers seeking candidates for career-related, pre-professional work assignments. Students are expected to register with and follow the rules of the EJS when working in any position titled by the employer as an Internship or a Cooperative Education assignment.

Minors

To minor in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, students must take a minimum of 18 semester credit hours for the minor, 12 of which must be upper-division semester credit hours. Students who take a minor will be expected to meet the normal prerequisites in courses making up the minor and should maintain a minimum GPA of 2.000 on a 4.00 scale (C average). Core courses offered by the school may count as lower-division semester credit hours toward the minor.

Additional Programs

The Department of Computer Science offers an Honors Program called Computer Science Computing Scholars (CS2). A certificate in Cyber Defense and a Certificate in Information Assurance are also offered by the Department of Computer Science. Incoming freshmen must enroll and complete requirements of UNIV 1010 and the corresponding school-related freshman seminar course.

The UT Dallas Advantage

UT Dallas is located at the heart of a region with a high concentration of companies specializing in microelectronics, telecommunications, signal processing, and optics. The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science maintains close relationships with these companies, facilitating cooperative programs that allow students to gain valuable industrial experience alongside their classroom learning. The Jonsson School recently completed a major public-private initiative that greatly expanded its capabilities, including construction of a new state-of-the art 220,000-square-foot interdisciplinary research building and a 200,000-square-foot engineering building.

An enterprising spirit thrives within the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas. The Jonsson School features a variety of student organizations that are actively involved in both academic and social activities.

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