About Computer Science
Class of 2026 at the Senior Design Final Presentation
At a Glance
| Founded | 1981 (computer science taught at TCU since 1969) |
| Faculty growth | 2 new professors in Fall 2026; 4 more committed for 2026–27 |
| Programs |
B.S. in Computer Science, with an AI Concentration |
| Research Infrastructure | AI² platform: 16 NVIDIA H200 GPUs, ~307 TB high-performance storage |
A Department at an Inflection Point
TCU Computer Science has always combined rigorous technical training with the small-class, faculty-mentored experience that defines a TCU education. Today the department is in its most significant period of growth.
New Ph.D. program. In Fall 2026, TCU welcomed its first cohort of nine fully funded doctoral students in Computer Science, the department's first doctoral program and a milestone for the university's research trajectory.
Rapid faculty growth. Two new professors joined the department in Fall 2026, and four more have committed to join in 2026–27, nearly doubling the faculty by 2027. These hires add research strength in AI for healthcare, cybersecurity, spatiotemporal data science, and explainable AI.
University-wide AI investment. Through TCU's AI² initiative, the department now has research-grade computing power on campus, placing students and faculty alongside the kind of infrastructure usually reserved for major research labs.
Training AI-Native Graduates
The market is full of people who can use AI. Our graduates stand out because they can also build the systems behind it and judge when those systems are right.
We are educating a generation of AI-native computer scientists: students who work with AI from their first year, not as a crutch but as a force multiplier. They develop software with the same AI tools used in industry, including GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Codex; train and fine-tune models on TCU's AI² GPU infrastructure; and build deep expertise through coursework in machine learning, deep learning, and data mining. By graduation, every student has built software for a real client through senior design and has learned to direct AI tools and check their work.
Being AI-native is not about relying on AI more. It is about accomplishing more because of AI while still understanding the computing principles underneath. The strongest graduates are not the ones who let AI think for them. They are the ones who know when to trust AI, when to verify it, and how to direct it effectively. That judgment, built on a rigorous foundation, is what employers are really looking for.
What Sets Us Apart
CS as an enabler across the university. Our faculty collaborate with the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, the Neeley School of Business, and departments in psychology, energy, and the sciences. Students gain not just technical depth but the ability to apply computing to real-world problems in multiple domains.
Industry-integrated learning. Senior design is the capstone of a TCU computer science education. Every student in our Computer Science (COSC), Computer Information Technology (CITE), and Data Science programs completes a year-long capstone project in their senior year, building real software for a real external client on a real team. More than 50 of these projects in recent years have connected our students with industry partners across the Dallas–Fort Worth technology ecosystem. Real projects, real clients, real experience.
A community, not just a program. Student organizations (the Computer Science Society, ACM Student Chapter, Women in Computer Science, and the Upsilon Pi Epsilon honor society) create a support network that extends well beyond the classroom. Faculty sponsor students to attend national conferences and competitions each year.
Research Strengths
Our faculty build AI that can be trusted: systems that explain themselves, hold up under attack, and work in settings where mistakes carry real costs.
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Foundations: machine learning and explainable AI; cybersecurity and AI security; networks and cyber-physical systems
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Applications: AI for health; AI for science and spatiotemporal prediction; AI for software engineering and education
Facilities
The department is located in Tucker Technology Center, Suite 341, on the TCU campus in Fort Worth.
Students and faculty have direct access to AI² (Accelerating Institutional Artificial Intelligence), a $10 million university-wide investment built with partners including Dell Technologies. Its 16 NVIDIA H200 GPUs and high-performance storage support coursework, senior design projects, and faculty research.
Recent Highlights
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First Ph.D. cohort arrives. Nine fully funded doctoral students began the program in Fall 2026 and are already working with faculty on research.
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Strong graduate outcomes. 70% of the Class of 2026 (64 graduates) had accepted a job or graduate-school offer before graduation, per the department's senior exit survey.
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AI² platform goes live.
Explore
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Chair’s Message — A note from Dr. Bingyang Wei on where we’re headed.
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Our History — From a single 1969 course to a department launching its first Ph.D.
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Undergraduate Programs — Majors, minors, and four-year degree plans.
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Ph.D. in Computer Science — Admissions, funding, and research opportunities.
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Faculty labs, AI² infrastructure, and collaboration.
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People — Meet our faculty, staff, and students.
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