The Department of Computer Science is a community of individuals who are excited about the dynamic discipline of Computer Science.
We are:
- Students, fascinated by the transformational potential of computing in the world;
- Faculty, who undertake primary research in the field and share our discoveries (and the process by which we made them) with our students; and
- Staff, who support the efforts of students, researchers and teachers alike in the delivery of our programs of enquiry and instruction.
Together, we explore our discipline to discover new ways in which computing can change the lives of people everywhere!
Welcome!
A History
July 1968 marked the opening of the Department of Computer Science, which was first established as a
university department reporting directly to the president. The department joined the College of
Arts and Science in 1994. It was initially led by a single professor.
Prior to 1968, some computer-related
courses were offered in Math, Engineering, and Commerce. Fortunately, Computer Science was able to draw on
professors from those colleges to teach courses since there were few people with formal education in the
field at this time. The department initially offered BSc General, BSc Advanced, and MSc (special case)
degrees. The honours degree in Computer Science and MSc programs were created in 1971 and 1972, respectively.
By the mid-70’s, the Computer Science faculty had grown to nine members and undergraduate enrollment had
increased by 70 percent.
In 1980, organizational changes at the university prompted Computer Science to accept an invitation to
join the College of Engineering. The newly formed affiliation assisted in developing the first
Engineering/Computer Science dual-degree program in 1984. Computer Science would eventually move into
the Engineering building. The early 80s also marked an expansion in the department's research infrastructure.
A PhD program was formally approved in 1986.
As the 90s hit, the department's research activities continued to increase. In 1995, the Institute for
Scientific Information (ISI) ranked the department second in Canada for research impact based on average number
of citations per paper over a 14-year baseline, and first in Canada over a four-year time frame. The department
requested to join the College of Arts and Science in 1994 as it became clear that the department's philosophies
and programs were better attuned to arts and science. In 2000, the department became the first computer science
department to have a software engineering program accredited by the Computer Science Accreditation Council (CSAC).
Most recently, the department took the lead in creating a bioinformatics program together with various biological
science departments in 2002.
In 2004, the department found a new home in the Thorvaldson Building / Spinks addition. Computer Science has
grown to be a strong academic department of 30 faculty and 16 staff providing a variety of disciplinary and
interdisciplinary undergraduate programs, and maintaining one of the largest graduate programs on campus.