History


The Computer Science & Engineering Department has a long tradition of being at the forefront of computing education at the University of Connecticut. During the 1960’s, computer science emerged as an increasingly vibrant and important area within the Electrical Engineering Department. The computer science curriculum was formally established in 1972, culminating the efforts of many faculty members led by Dr. Taylor L. Booth (1933-1986), a renowned pioneer in computer science education who is rightly considered to be the founder of our department.

In 1977, the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) reviewed UConn’s program and designated it as one of the very first accredited programs in the field of Computer Science. In the early 1980’s the major was renamed Computer Science & Engineering. Growth in the number of computer science & engineering majors and faculty, and the success of our educational and research programs led to the establishment of a separate Computer Science & Engineering Department in the College of Engineering in 1986.

The Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) program received dual accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) and Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET, and later, the Computer Science Accrediting Board (CSAB) in 1993. Two undergraduate programs were added in 1999, a B.S. with a major in Computer Science and a B.S. in Engineering with a major in Computer Engineering. In 2001, the B.S. with major in Computer Science was accredited by the ABET’s Computer Accreditation Commission (CAC). The CSE degree program was also accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) and Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC), remaining one of a very few programs in the country to receive dual ABET accreditation.

CSE department continued growing and by the end of the 1990’s has established itself as a department with national and international visibility in education and research. The first decade of the 21st century saw continued success in CSE research, with CSE faculty securing ten National Science Foundation Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards, truly an outstanding achievement.

 

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