About

Welcome to CSE at Michigan

The Computer Science and Engineering program at the University of Michigan strives to shape the future of computing and benefit the world through excellence in education and research.

Founded by computing pioneer Arthur Burks and Gordon Peterson in 1957, it is among the richest in history and most progressive in vision. 

John H. Holland received the first PhD in computer science at Michigan in 1959. In 1966, the Michigan Terminal System (MTS) was developed as one of the world’s first time-sharing computer operating systems. Seminal work in the development of computer databases by Edgar (Ted) Codd took place at Michigan in the late 1960s. Today, dozens of our former graduate students serve as faculty at other research universities. Four Michigan alumni – Frances Allen, Edgar Codd, Stephen Cook, and Michael Stonebraker – are Turing Award recipients. Another, Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the largest and most influential technology companies.

Today, our CSE community is large, curious, and engaged, and we continually strive to build a more inclusive and supportive environment that welcomes people from all backgrounds and identities. We express our values with the acronym HACKS, for Honesty, Achievement, Cooperation, Knowledge, and Service.

In research and in education, CSE prepares students to make a positive impact on the world and to build a future that will improve the lives of all people. Our faculty mentor students to reach their full potential while leading cutting-edge research to solve human problems and close societal gaps.

Through research, our faculty and students are exploring and expanding new directions of inquiry in artificial intelligence, pervasive and cloud computing, chip and device architectures, big data, machine learning, precision health, security and privacy, autonomous transportation, and many other areas. The pervasiveness and relevance of computing today is reflected by our interdisciplinary research in areas such as medicine, education, economics, engineering, and the sciences.

Our undergraduate and graduate programs are among the top in the nation and embrace both deep inquiry and cross-disciplinary breadth. In addition to nearly 100 traditional lecture and lab courses taught each year, undergraduate students experience real-world applications through industry-sponsored design projects and internships. They also have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research projects and on competitive and interdisciplinary student-led project teams. As of Fall 2023, 609 graduate students were enrolled in our Master’s and PhD programs, and 3513 undergraduate students were declared as majors in our computer engineering, computer science, and data science programs. 1449 undergraduate degrees and 223 MS and PhD degrees were conferred in academic year 2022-23.

Forward-looking, interdisciplinary research projects form the foundation of CSE’s active and productive connections to industry and government. In FY 2021-22, our research expenditures exceeded $24 million, leveraging long-standing and productive research relationships with a notable range of federal agencies, industry-leading companies, and industry/government consortia. Our vibrant research program results in graduates who are highly sought and actively recruited around the globe.

We strive to be a force for positive change in a world with many challenges. Through education, research, entrepreneurship, and collaboration, our ultimate goal is to produce and nurture the bright minds who will thoughtfully guide us to tomorrow, addressing societal imperatives and transforming our world through the power of computational approaches.

Please browse through the information we have provided on our website, and to feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.