
The Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department spans multiple areas of research including theory, systems, AI/ML, architectures, and software.
CSE’s areas of research are computer hardware, including architecture, VLSI (chip design), FPGAs, and design automation; computer security and privacy; cyber-physical systems; distributed systems; database systems; machine learning and artificial intelligence; natural language processing; networks; pervasive computing and human-computer interaction; programming languages; robotics; social computing; storage systems; and visual computing, including computer vision, visualization, and graphics.
In cooperation with other departments on campus, CSE also offers a strong research group in bioinformatics, computational biology, biomolecular engineering, and human genome mapping. The CSE department enjoys a close relationship with the Electrical and Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics departments. Faculty members carry out joint research projects, supervise students, and teach courses for these departments. The M.S. degree requires either a master’s thesis or an approved project and is usually completed in two years, although it is possible to complete the program in one year. The Ph.D. degree is usually completed in five years.
#40
top computer science institutions worldwide (Computer Science Rankings, 2024)
#8
best computer engineering bachelor's degree schools in the far Western US region (College Factual, 2025)
#26
best school for computer engineering graduate degrees (College Factual, 2025)
Explore potential Computer Science and Engineering career paths

- Software Engineer/Developer
- Hardware Engineer/Developer
- Network Engineer
- Web Developer
- Mobile App Developer
- AI/ML Engineer
- UX Designer
- Systems Architect
- Cybersecurity Engineer
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Low-cost WiFi devices can measure heart rate with clinical-level accuracy—without the need for a wearable device.

CSE research news
Engineer to develop secure data center hardware for the public cloud with NSF CAREER award
Yuanchao Xu will lead this research with the support of one of the most prestigious grants in support of early-career faculty
UC Santa Cruz debuts on CodeSignal’s University Report
A new ranking demonstrates Banana Slugs’ software engineering career readiness
Engineering student wins NVIDIA Agents for Impact Hackathon
Preet Karia built an AI-powered tool to turn physics notes into 3D visualizations.

Many research projects take place at our Silicon Valley Campus
We’re hiring!

Open positions include: lecturer, teaching professor, research professor. Find out more.
Upcoming events
Castro, S. (CSE) – Agentic AI for Security: Adversarial Foundations for Autonomous Cyber Operations
May 26, 2026
Engineering 2



