# Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing

The College of Computing is a college of the Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It is divided into four schools: the School of Computer Science, the School of Interactive Computing, the School of Computational Science & Engineering, and the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. The College of Computing's programs are consistently ranked among the top 10 computing programs in the nation. In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked the Computer Science graduate program #6 in the U.S. In 2016, Times Higher Education and the Wall Street Journal ranked the College #5 in the world.
The College of Computing has its roots in the creation of an interdisciplinary Master of Science in Information Science at Georgia Tech in 1964. The college still emphasizes an interdisciplinary focus in the structure of its degree programs, among which is a Bachelor of Science in Computational Media that is offered jointly with Georgia Tech's School of Literature, Media, and Communication in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

## History
### Early years

Georgia Tech's College of Computing traces its roots to the establishment of an Information Science degree program established in 1964. In 1963, a group of faculty members led by Dr. Vladimir Slamecka and that included Dr. Vernon Crawford, Dr. Nordiar Waldemar Ziegler, and Dr. William Atchison, noticed an interdisciplinary connection among library science, mathematics, and computer technology. The group drafted an outline for a masters-level program that would combine elements from each of these disciplines. The Georgia Tech administration accepted the plan to establish a Master of Science in Information Science which was first offered in 1964 under the School of Information Science. Dr. Slamecka, who had spearheaded the effort, was named the school's first chair.
In 1970, the school began offering a minor degree program for all Georgia Tech students, and was renamed to the School of Information and Computer Science (ICS). Two years later in 1972, ICS expanded to offer an undergraduate degree for students. It also partnered with Emory University to create a joint graduate program in Biomedical Information and Computer Science, the first partnership of its kind.
In 1979, ICS's first director and primary founder, Dr. Slamecka, retired from the position after 15 years. Dr. Ray Miller, IBM's Assistant Director of Mathematical Sciences, was hired in his place. Under Miller, the School of Information and Computer Science began a trend which began to move away from information science and towards computer science.

### College

In John Patrick Crecine's 1988 reorganization of the Institute, the School was broadened as the College of Computing, one of the school's five (and as of 1998, six) colleges. The move toward elevating the school to the status of an academic unit was partly in response to Carnegie Mellon University's creation of their School of Computer Science, and as a result, Georgia Tech was the first university in the United States to have a College of Computing. The school hired its first dean, Peter A. Freeman, in 1990, and further expanded in 2005 with more divisions.
In 2000, successful internet entrepreneur and Tech alum Chris Klaus donated $15 million towards the construction of a new building for the college. At the time of Klaus' contribution, it was the fifth-largest contribution by an individual in Georgia Tech's history. The building was officially opened on October 26, 2006.

### Recent history

In February 2007, the divisions were formalized into two schools: the School of Computer Science (SCS) and the School of Interactive Computing (SIC).
In June 2008, College of Computing Dean Richard DeMillo announced plans for his resignation, citing conflicts with Georgia Tech provost and interim president Gary Schuster. DeMillo was temporarily replaced by James D. Foley, a professor in the School of Interactive Computing, until a permanent replacement could be found. On April 9, 2010, Zvi Galil was named the college's new dean.
In March 2010, the division of Computational Science & Engineering (CSE) was also formalized into a school.
The school is involved in DARPA's ADAMS project via the Proactive Discovery of Insider Threats Using Graph Analysis and Learning system.
In May 2013, the school announced that it will offer the first professional Online Master of Science degree in computer science (OMSCS) that can be earned completely through the massive online (MOOC) format in partnership with Udacity. In August 2013, US President Barack Obama praised the school as “a national leader in computer science” that is offering a master's degree in computer science “at a fraction of the cost".
In July 2019, Charles Lee Isbell Jr. took over as dean, replacing Zvi Galil.
In 2020, the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy was founded with Richard DeMillo as its founding chair.
In July 2024, Vivek Sarkar became Dean, replacing Isbell.

## Schools

* School of Computational Science & Engineering
* School of Computer Science
* School of Cybersecurity and Privacy
* School of Interactive Computing
* School of Computing Instruction

## Facilities

* CODA Building
* College of Computing Building
* Klaus Advanced Computing Building
* Technology Square Research Building

## Academics

The College of Computing offers the B.S., including a degree in Computational Media offered as a joint degree with the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. It also offers the M.S. and Ph.D. in multiple disciplines, including several offered as joint degrees with other colleges in the university. Graduate certificates are also available.

## OMSCS

The Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) is a degree program which has the same teaching material as MOOCs, leading to a fully accredited Masters qualification, presented in conjunction with Udacity. A contribution of $2 Million from AT&T has funded the initial development of the program as well as continuing integration of technology.
The program is designed and maintained to present a level of academic challenge entirely equivalent to a traditional MSCS course, with equivalent academic rigor as a founding principle. The estimate of the cost of studying the course is however very different; being in the region of $7,000 for a student completing the Masters course in 2 years: composed of the minimum 10 for graduation 3-credit-hour courses at $510 per course plus $301 enrollment fee per semester for say 6 semesters.
The first semester of study, in Spring 2014, some 400 students were enrolled in the program. In January 2015 some 2,000 students were enrolled in the program. As of Spring 2020, enrollment had risen to over 9,500 students, and the program has produced about 3,500 graduates to date.
Enrollment is accessible without restriction on the basis of citizenship, residence, or visa status, to students from all around the world. However, the vast majority of enrolled students are US citizens. The program does, however, mirror the gender imbalance found in many CS courses, with female students considerably outnumbered.

## Research

The College of Computing is the third-highest of Georgia Tech's six colleges (behind the larger and older College of Engineering and College of Sciences) in research awards, with 139 proposals worth $93,737,529 resulting in 119 awards worth $14,579,392 in 2006.
There are several organizations tied to or within the College of Computing that are primarily dedicated to research. These include several research groups and labs. Other research-related organizations include:
* GVU Center, which is primarily dedicated to computer graphics and human-computer interaction
* Center for Experimental Research in Computer Systems, which focuses on hardware aspects of computer science
* Georgia Tech Algorithms and Randomness Center ThinkTank
* Center for Research into Novel Computing Hierarchies
* Machine Learning at Georgia Tech

## Affiliated Research Institutes

* Institute for People and Technology
* Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines
* Institute for Information Security and Privacy
* Institute for Data Engineering and Science

## Student life and community

The College of Computing has numerous student organizations which help build a community within the college. These organizations include:
* Anime O-Tekku
* Association for Computing Machinery
* Entertainment Software Producers
* Freshmen Mentoring Program
* Minorities @ CC
* Student Activities Board
* The FIREwall
* Undergraduate Council
* Upsilon Pi Epsilon
* Women @ CC
* Tech Entrepreneurs Society

## Alumni

| Name | Class year | Notability |
| James Allchin | 1984 | Former high-level executive at Microsoft |
| Eric Allender | 1985 | Professor of computer science at Rutgers University. |
| Krishna Bharat | 1996 | Research scientist at Google that created Google News. |
| Tom Cross | 1999 | American entrepreneur, computer security expert, and hacker |
| Richard DeMillo | 1972 | Former high-level executive at Hewlett-Packard and dean of the College of Computing. |
| D. Richard Hipp | 1984 | Architect and primary author of SQLite |
| Billy Hoffman | 2005 | American hacker; along with Virgil Griffith, discovered a security flaw in Georgia Tech's magnetic ID card system ("BuzzCard") and was sued by BuzzCard maker Blackboard Inc. |
| Paul Q. Judge | 2002 | Entrepreneur and technical expert |
| Craig Mundie | 1972 | Chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft |
| James F. O'Brien | 2000 | Professor of Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley |
| Rosalind Picard | 1984 | Founder and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Mike Pinkerton | 1997 | American software developer working on the Mozilla browsers. He lectures on Development of Open Source Software at George Washington University |
| Gene Spafford | 1981 | Professor of computer science at Purdue University and a leading computer security expert |
| Jeff Trinkle | 1979 | Professor and Chair of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York |
| Shwetak Patel | 2003 (BS), 2008 (PhD) | WRF Endowed Professor of Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering at University of Washington in Seattle, WA |