A photo montage of important people and new technologies from the history of Khoury College, including a mobile phone, a woman sitting near a computer during the 1990s, a photo of David and Margaret Fitzgerald Cullinane, a group of students sitting by computers from the 1980s, and faculty and students looking at a robot during the 2010s

Khoury at 40: College Milestones

Khoury College: 40 years of innovation

In the early 1980s, Northeastern University created one of the nation’s first colleges dedicated to the field of computer science (CS). Today, Khoury College of Computer Sciences remains a national leader in CS education and research—continuing to break new ground to solve real-world problems.

1972
Mathematics department adds Introduction to Computers
A student looks at a computer in the 1980s Computer courses were specifically designed for non-majors.
1975
1979-1981
1980
BS in Computer Science established at Northeastern

An undergraduate works in a Northeastern lab during the 1970s

The BS in Computer Science was established in the mathematics department of the College of Arts & Sciences.

1982
Northeastern establishes the College of Computer Science (CCS)


The College dedicated to the field of computer science was one of the first in the country. The University named Paul Kalaghan the College’s first dean. The College opened its doors in Knowles-Volpe Hall (now the Knowles Center) with 11 faculty members, most from the College of Arts and Sciences mathematics department, and had 239 first-year students. The first undergraduate major offered was a BS in Computer Science.

1983
1984
The College phases in graduate degree programs


Starting with an MS in Computer Science in 1984, CCS grew to include 23 full-time faculty. The College received 1,200 applications for 300 open spots in the first-year class.

1985
CCS moves to the former Botolph Building

David and Margaret Fitzgerald Cullinane

The former Botolph Building, the oldest structure on Northeastern’s campus, was refurbished and reopened as the David and Margaret Fitzgerald Cullinane Hall. The building was named for the parents of alumnus and trustee John Cullinane, an early pioneer in the database industry who gave generously to support the renovations.

1986
1986
1987
1988
Paul Kalaghan moves into the provost’s office and Alan Selman is named acting dean of CCS

Alan Selman

Alan Selman (April 2, 1941 – January 22, 2021) was a mathematician and theoretical computer scientist known for his research on structural complexity theory.

1989
1990
Cynthia Brown is named dean of the College

Cynthia Brown

Dr. Brown was the College’s first female dean. Throughout her career, she commited herself to making the concepts of programming accessible and interesting to a broad audience of learners, including more women and people who might not initially have seen themselves in a technical role.

1992
1994
Larry Finkelstein becomes dean


Finkelstein served as dean from 1994 to 2014. During his tenure, the College grew significantly in stature and size and achieved national prominence as one of the premier colleges focusing on computer science and information science.

1999
2001
2002
2002
2004
The College moves into West Village H

West Village H at Northeastern

The new building won the Harleston Parker Medal from the Boston Society of Architects for the Boston area’s best new building — beating out MIT’s Stata Center for Computer Science.

2005
2006
2006
2007
Mitchell Wand becomes an ACM Fellow

Mitchell Wand

Part-Time Lecturer, Professor Emeritus (view bio, view 40 for 40 profile)

2007
2008
2009-11
Students at the College participate in a variety of information security competitions

Most notably, students excelled in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. The College’s team won its regional qualifier, the Northeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (“NECCDC”), in 2009, and took first place at the national competition in 2010. Khoury College was the host to the Northeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition in 2011.

2010
2011
2012
2012
2012
2012
2013
The College launches the Align program

The Align program was built on a core belief that computer science is for everyone. Align provides a direct pathway to a MS in computer science for students from all undergraduate backgrounds — no prior tech experience required.

2013
Seattle campus opens

A view of the skyline of Seattle

The campus welcomed its first cohort of students for the Align master’s program and offered 15 graduate degree programs.

2013
2014
Carla Brodley is named dean of CCIS, one of the nation’s few female deans of a computer science college


During Brodley’s tenure, there was a 43% growth in enrollment for first-year female students and a 50% increase in enrollment of groups traditionally underrepresented in tech.

2014
Carla Brodley becomes an AAAI Fellow

Carla Brodley

Professor, Dean of Inclusive Computing, Executive Director Center for Inclusive Computing (view bio, view 40 for 40 profile)

2014
2015
2015
Ian Gorton is named Director of Computing Programs, Seattle Campus

Ian Gorton

Professor of the Practice, Director of Computing Programs, Seattle Campus (view bio)

2015
The Network Science Institute launches

Joseph Aoun cuts the ribbon at the Network Science Institute

The Network Science Institute launched at our 177 Huntington Avenue location, bringing together an interdisciplinary team of renowned scholars from across the university to discover and inspire new ways to measure, model, and predict meaningful interactions in social, physical, biological, and technological systems.

2015
Northeastern receives NULab grant

Northeastern received a $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, directed to the NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks to develop the Proteus toolset for information retrieval and visualization. NULab collaborates with another university to help digital humanities researchers explore large collections of historical books, newspapers, and other documents.

2016
The Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute is founded


Housed at the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC), Institute faculty tackle areas from cryptography and cloud security to malware analysis and detection.

2016
Dean Carla Brodley becomes an ACM Fellow

Professor, Dean of Inclusive Computing, Executive Director Center for Inclusive Computing (view bio, view 40 for 40 profile)

2016
2016
2016
2017
2017
Silicon Valley campus opens


As the tech revolution continues to grow and define the 21st century, students at Khoury College’s campus in San Jose acquire cutting-edge skills and knowledge in this pivotal tech hub.

2018
2018
2018
2019
2019
Vancouver campus opens

A photo of Northeastern's building in Vancouver

The university expanded its global network, filling a demand for computer scientists in the burgeoning high-tech industry of Canada’s west coast.

2019
Bethany Edmunds named Director of Computing Programs, Vancouver Campus

Bethany Edmunds

Teaching Professor, Director of Computing Programs, Vancouver Campus (view bio)

2019
The Center for Inclusive Computing is founded

Students view a white board

The Center, funded by a grant from Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company created by tech leader Melinda Gates, supports universities across the US in implementing evidence-based practices to bring more women into computing — meeting a significant economic need while improving social equity and inclusion.

2019
2019
Christo Wilson becomes a Sloan Fellow

Associate Professor, Director of the BS in Cybersecurity Program (view bio)

2019
2019
2020
2020
Portland (Maine) campus opens

Joseph Aoun walks with the Roux family in Portland, ME

The campus is the home of the Roux Institute, a graduate school and research center shaping tech talent and innovation on Maine’s seacoast.

2020
Bruce Maxwell named Director of Computing Programs, Portland Campus

Bruce Maxwell

Teaching Professor, Assistant Director Computing Programs – Seattle (view bio)

2020
2020
Carla Brodley becomes an AAAS Fellow

Carla Brodley

Professor, Dean of Inclusive Computing, Executive Director Center for Inclusive Computing (view bio, view 40 for 40 profile)

2020
2021
Alan Mislove appointed interim dean of the College

Alan Mislove

Professor, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (view bio)

2021
Alvaro Monge named Director of Computing Programs, Bay Area Campuses

Alvaro Monge

Visiting Professor, Director of Khoury Programs, San Francisco Bay Area Campuses (view bio)

2022
2022
2022
Sami Rollins named Director of Computing Programs, Arlington Campus

Sami Rollins

Teaching Professor, Director of Computing Programs, Arlington (view bio)

2022
2022
Alan Jamieson named Director of Computing Programs, Portland Campus

Alan Jamieson

Teaching Professor, Director of Khoury Programs, Roux Institute (view bio)

2022
2022
Undergraduate enrollment: 34% women and 20% BIPOC

2022 - Undergraduate Enrollment - 34% Women, 20% BIPOCIn the United States, the national average of women in BS/BA computer science programs is 19.5%, and the national average of BIPOC in those programs is 10%.

2022
2023
2023
2023
2023
2023
Finalized Khoury College Oath for Computing Professionals read at Commencement

Undergraduates are shown reciting the Khoury College Oath for Computing.

Dean Elizabeth Mynatt in collaboration with the Khoury community recognized the vital contributions computer scientists make to society — and the moral responsibility the work carries — with a seven-point, first-of-its-kind Oath for Computing that Mynatt says “Now more than ever… is essential to guide the work we do on behalf of the larger society we serve.”

2023
40th anniversary culminating celebration takes place in Boston


A morning session featured opening remarks from Provost David Madigan, Dean Beth Mynatt’s presentation, “Envisioning Khoury’s future,” and two panels: “Cybersecurity and Privacy Research for Real-World Impact” and “Education Innovation: Cultivating Leadership in CS.” An afternoon session featured breakout group presentations and recognition of Khoury College’s 40 for 40 awardees.

Watch the afternoon session

2023
2024
2024
Yun Raymond Fu receives McCluskey Technical Achievement Award

Yun Raymond Fu

Interdisciplinary professor Yun Raymond Fu, affiliated with Khoury College and the College of Engineering, received the 2024 Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award for innovative and impactful contributions to representation learning, computer vision, and face gesture recognition.

2024
Northeastern University receives a $3.4 million grant for an Internet of Things (IoT) lab

Two white Alexa speakers and two black Alexa speakers sit on a table

As part of an initiative called SPHERE, Northeastern University received a $3.4 million National Science Foundation grant for an Internet of Things (IoT) lab to enable researchers to light on the vulnerabilities and shortcomings of smart technologies such as televisions, speakers, security cameras, and appliances.

2024
Kenneth Church named ACM fellow

Kenneth Church

Professor of the Practice (view bio)

2024
Northeastern University received a $9 million NSF grant to lead the National Deep Inference Fabric (NDIF), a groundbreaking national-scale research computing infrastructure project

A finger points at a computer screen displaying a paragraph of text with different words highlighted in green, yellow, or blue

Backed by a $9 million NSF grant, Northeastern University will lead NDIF, an open scientific collaboration that will enable researchers to delve into the mysteries of large-scale AI systems and address a growing gulf between the efficacy of machine learning and scientists’ ability to explain it.

2024