Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University

Mission

To advance the citizens of North Carolina and the world through excellence and innovation in computing education and research.

Our world is in a constant and relentless state of technology-driven change. Computer science and technology are disrupting and revolutionizing every facet of our lives – completely transforming how we live, work and play.

The Computer Science Department at North Carolina State University is at the forefront of this software-enabled landscape. We relentlessly pursue collaborative innovation that pushes the boundaries of computing to improve the human condition and the world around us.

We produce consequential research and next generation talent capable of solving problems that don’t exist today with technologies that are beyond our current imagination. We eagerly address problems that were once thought unsolvable.

We do all this in a joyful environment that reflects our values of innovation, diversity, collaboration, and lifelong learning.

Vision

The North Carolina state motto is “To Be, Rather Than to Seem”. NC State’s Computer Science Department will be, and will be recognized as a top-20 public computer science department in the country, and one of the preeminent computer science departments in the world. We will achieve this vision by focusing on excellence in education, research, collaboration, and community.

-Approved by the Computer Science Faculty, April 16, 2018

Education

Goal: Our goal is to provide an outstanding computing education for our undergraduate and graduate students and enable them to be leaders with successful careers in industry, academia, and government.

Aims: Through an innovative, modern curriculum, our students will develop the necessary technical, problem solving, ethical, communication, and collaboration skills to have successful careers. Our students will develop solid core foundational computer science and engineering skills and specialize in coursework that emphasizes modern advances in computing. We will support our students’ learning using cutting-edge, evidence-based teaching techniques.

We offer three great career tracks for MS degrees! Read more...

Impact: Research & Innovation

Goal: Our goal is to shape the future through significant computing advancements that impact and influence the academic, industrial, and cultural communities.

Aims: We will be thought leaders in our research fields, for the local community and the world; and we will extend our unique collaborative, collegial, flexible environment.

Cloud-Computing Tool Moving from the Lab to the Marketplace Read more...

Virtual World-Building Machine Military Training

Creating a Virtual World-Building Machine for Military Training Read more...

Collaboration

Goal: Our goal is to build a collaborative and innovative work environment to identify and solve the most challenging and relevant issues of our day. Collaboration in academic research, student learning, engagement with industry and the wider community, leads to an end product that is better and deeper.

Aims: To will build leadership capacity and establish meaningful partnerships within the department, college, university, community, government, industry, and academia.

LexisNexis and NC State Open New User Experience Lab Read more...

NC State named the first university in North America to establish an IBM Q Hub as part of the global IBM Q Network Read more...

Diversity, Inclusion, Joy & Community

Goal: Our goal is to create a joyful, inclusive, and diverse community that respects, values, develops, and celebrates our faculty, staff, and students.

Aims: The department aims to build and sustain a joyful community where people are intentionally included and valued. To this end, our aim is to have our community be inclusive and representative of the demographics of the state of North Carolina and the world, more broadly. We value and respect community members from underrepresented groups in computing; from rural, suburban, and urban communities; of different gender, race, ethnic identities, age, abilities, and sexual orientation; of socioeconomic statuses; and who are first generation college students.

NC State Ranks #1 in the Nation in CSC Female Faculty Read more...

Some of our students having fun at the Grace Hopper Conference

Core Values

As a department, we value a community of joy and respect that pursues innovative computing research and teaching. We believe in a diverse, inclusive culture that values, trusts, and promotes both individual and collective successes. We are committed to serving North Carolina and the world, and believe that this is best done through education, multidisciplinary research, and collaboration. We value preparing students for solving real computing problems.

The articulation of our core values grounds the department’s vision. Our values are:

EXCELLENCE and INTEGRITY - We strive for excellence in computing education and research. We believe that excellence requires integrity, innovation, and continuous improvement.
JOY and RESPECT - Excellent work thrives in an environment where people pursue ideas they are passionate about, and that require applying skills that bring each individual joy, and that contribute to their personal development. Innovative research and valued education flourish only when people are valued, trusted, and supported through professional development, education, and positive relationships with our colleagues, students, peers and the larger community.
INCLUSION and SOCIAL JUSTICE - A diverse and inclusive culture promotes both individual and collective successes. We strive to have a diversity of people with variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Ultimately, we believe that the creators of technology must be representative of its users, and that as creators of technology, we have a responsibility to address issues of equity and social justice.
OUTREACH - Our commitment to serve North Carolina and the world requires a culture that values engagement with communities outside of academia. We believe that the quality of our research and education is enhanced by interactions with industry, government, and educators at all levels.