About the Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Computer science is at the core of the information age. The explosion of data brought about in the last two decades by the revolution in digital technology and the Internet has reshaped our world, and yet its really just begun. 

Data is generated by myriad devices—smartphones, tablets, PCs, traffic sensors, security cameras—that are connected to the Internet. Data mining, machine learning and search engines make data accessible; imagination and the ability to interpret that data are the key to transforming it into valuable, usable information. Many areas of life—from entertainment to TV, from music to our social interactions, things not formerly regarded as data—are now digitized and converted into bytes. In the early days of the Internet, only a few computers were connected. Then it was millions. Now, we’re approaching the point where every device imaginable will soon be connected to the Internet. This is creating an ocean of data; and meanwhile, artificial intelligence and robotics promises to fundamentally change our interaction with machines, and machines' interaction with the world around them. All of this rapid development also creates an opportunity—and an obligation—for the 21st-century university. 

According to government estimates, computing jobs will grow by over 15% (2022-2032), with over 400,000 new jobs projected for software developers alone. Students today will be tomorrow's tech innovators, and they need data smartness as well as computational thinking to take advantage of new technologies as they emerge. They need to understand data and how it can be useful. They need to understand algorithms, Internet connectivity and machine learning that can aid in analyzing this complicated, messy, incomplete data in real time. And they need the critical thinking skills that a top-notch liberal arts university like Lehigh can provide.

To prepare our students for the tremendous career opportunities that an education in computer science can offer, our department is strongly committed to excellence in education and research. Lehigh undergraduates benefit from the personal attention typical of a small college, yet have exposure to state-of-the-art technologies available only at a research university.

We offer a variety of different undergraduate degree programs, including the B.S. degree in the College of Engineering, and both a B.S. and a B.A. degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. All of our B.S. programs are fully accredited. In addition, Lehigh offers a unique B.S. in Computer Science and Business, accredited in both fields, that instills in students the skills necessary to manage and innovate in the world of information technology in the corporate setting.  The B.A. degree and our minors in computer science and data science offer the ability to study another field as well as computer science.

Our majors are designed to provide a strong foundation in the core areas of Computer Science and Engineering, from the hardware/software interface up through systems software, programming languages, software engineering, and the mathematical foundations of computing. Electives include topics in artificial intelligence, computer networking, parallel and distributed computing, network security, robotics, bioinformatics, data mining, web and mobile application development, and databases. Our vibrant graduate programs prepare students for positions in industry and academia. 

Beyond their coursework, computer science students at Lehigh are highly engaged in opportunities for experiential learning through research and independent study, projects through Lehigh's Mountaintop Initiative, internships and co-ops, and more.  Computer scientists minted at Lehigh are regularly recruited by many leading high tech companies such as Google/Alphabet, Facebook, IBM, Adobe Systems, and Microsoft, as well as large organizations in fields such as finance and banking, healthcare, and even professional sports. 

As leaders in research, CSE faculty members work with students of all levels, our internationally-recognized faculty conduct groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, data mining, robotics, software security, computer networking, software systems, biomedical image processing, computer vision, mobile healthcare, and the Web. Our faculty have research funded by competitive sources including NSF, DARPA, NIH, and other federal and state agencies, as well as leading companies in the field. Many of our faculty are also deeply involved in Lehigh's Institute for Data, Intelligent Systems and Computation (I-DISC). This includes the development of new courses, new research directions, all housed in an amazing new facility on Lehigh's Mountaintop Campus. The sheer pervasiveness of technology has created enormous opportunity, along with a high degree of complexity, in nearly every discipline, and I-DISC represents Lehigh's vision for Interdisciplinary research and education in and around data and computational science. 

We encourage you to browse our website, visit individual faculty pages, or contact us to learn about our dynamic research and graduate and undergraduate educational programs.

Thank you for your interest in Lehigh's Department of Computer Science and Engineering!

Sincerely,

Brian D. Davison
Professor and Chair
Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Brian D. Davison

Brian D. Davison
Professor and Chair
Department of Computer Science and Engineering