A student takes a selfie with Northeastern's husky mascot and another student.

History

The nation’s first computer science college, established in 1982, Khoury College has grown in size, diversity, degree programs, and research excellence.

In the early 1980s, Northeastern University created one of the nation’s first colleges dedicated to the field of computer science (CS). Khoury College of Computer Sciences marked its 40th anniversary in 2023 and through those years has remained a national leader in CS education and research — continuing to break new ground to solve real-world problems.

Khoury College timeline

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
Electrical Engineering offers six courses related to computing and computer science
1979-1981
Northeastern assigns a blue-ribbon panel of educators and experts to develop a strategy to advance education and research in the emerging field of computer science

The panel includes industry leaders from Bell Labs, UC-Berkeley, MIT, and Digital Equipment Corporation.

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 names Paul Kalaghan the College’s first dean. The College opens 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 is a BS in Computer Science.

1983
17 faculty members, 24% women

1983 - 17 percent faculty members, 24% women

1984
The College phases in graduate degree programs


Starting with an MS in Computer Science in 1984, CCS now boasts 23 full-time faculty. The College receives 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, is refurbished and reopened as the David and Margaret Fitzgerald Cullinane Hall. The building is 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
Professor Ron Williams authors famous neural networks paper, “Learning Internal Representations by Error Propagation”

The first page of "Learning Internal Representations by Error Propagation"

1986
CCS gains accreditation, leading to substantial grant funding in the areas of artificial intelligence, neural network imaging, programming languages, and more
1987
The College begins offering a PhD in Computer Science

THree students work in a Northeastern lab during the 1980s

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
CCS awards its first doctorate degree
1990
Cynthia Brown is named Dean of the College

Cynthia Brown

Dr. Brown is named dean of the College; she is the College’s first female dean. Throughout her career, she commits 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 see themselves in a technical role.

1992
Undergraduate enrollment: 19% women and 6% BIPOC

1992 - Undergraduate Enrollment - 19% Women, 6% BIPOC

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
The College launches a second undergraduate major, a BS in Information Science

2001
Launch of first combined majors

2000 - Khoury offers three combined majors

2002
The College’s name changes to the College of Computer and Information Science (CCIS) to reflect an increased focus on information as a foundation of the computing discipline

A CCIS sign in West Village H

2002
Undergraduate enrollment: 12% women and 8% BIPOC

2002 - Undergraduate Enrollment - 12% Women, 8% BIPOC

2004
The College moves into West Village H

West Village H at Northeastern

The new building wins 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
The multidisciplinary Institute of Information Assurance (IIA) is created as part of Northeastern’s commitment to advancing cybersecurity through research and education
2006
Matthias Felleisen becomes an ACM Fellow

Matthias Felleisen

Trustee Professor (view bio)

2006
Combined majors offered grow to nine

2006 - 9 combined majors

2007
Mitchell Wand becomes an ACM Fellow

Mitchell Wand

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

2007
Betty Salzberg becomes an IEEE Fellow

Betty Salzberg

Professor Emeritus (view bio, view 40 for 40 profile)

2008
The National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognize the CCIS Information Assurance program as a National Center of Academic Excellence in information assurance research
2009-11
Students at the College participate in a variety of information security competitions

Most notably, students excel 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
PhD in Information Assurance launched
2011
The College now offers 15 combined majors

2011 - 15 combined majors

2012
Northeastern awarded $4.5 million from National Science Foundation to train future cybersecurity workforce

National Sciences Foundation logo

2012
PhDs in Personal Health Informatics and Network Science are now offered at the College
2012
The NSA designates Northeastern as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations, one of only 13 universities nationwide to earn this distinction

A graphic showing a lock

2012
Undergraduate enrollment: 14% women and 9% BIPOC

2012 - Undergraduate Enrollment - 14% Women, 9% BIPOC

2013
The College launches the Align program

The Align program is 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 welcomes its first cohort of students for the Align master’s program and offers 15 graduate degree programs.

2013
CCIS, along with other Northeastern colleges, begins the nation’s first interdisciplinary PhD in Network Science
2014
Carla Brodley is named Dean of CCIS, one of the nation’s few female deans of a computer science college


During her 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
Northeastern is awarded a seven-year designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense
2015
Align MS in Computer Science incoming student class surpasses the 50% female mark for the first time
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 launches 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 receives 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
CCIS provides funding for 44 female students to attend the Women Engineers Code (WECode) conference, which aims to expand the skills and community of women in technology around the world
2016
CCIS launches six new combined majors for a total of 25

2016 - 25 combined majors

2016
50% of Khoury students now take advantage of the Combined Majors options at the College

2016 - Undergraduate Students - 50% combined majors

2017
BS in Cybersecurity major created
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
Daniel Wichs becomes a Sloan Fellow

Daniel Wichs

Associate Professor (View bio)

2018
CCIS is renamed Khoury College of Computer Sciences in honor of Northeastern alumni Amin and Julie Khoury
2018
Khoury College continues to grow with 3,474 students enrolled, five new degree programs, and 30 combined majors

2018 - 30 combined majors

2019
Khoury professor Abhi Shelat, along with a team of professors and researchers, is awarded a $12.2M grant from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)

Abhi Shelat

2019
Vancouver campus opens

A photo of Northeastern's building in Vancouver

The university expands 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 U.S. in implementing evidence-based practices to bring more women into computing—meeting a significant economic need while improving social equity and inclusion.

2019
Khoury College partners with SMASH Academy on a summer program that immerses diverse high school students in STEM education

A group of students smiles

2019
Christo Wilson becomes a Sloan Fellow

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

2019
Khoury defends its title in the second Boston Cybersecurity Beanpot Challenge, winning first place at both the individual and university level
2019
Yun Raymond Fu named IEEE Fellow

Yun (Raymond) Fu

Professor (view bio)

2020
More than 500 different employers now participate in Khoury’s co-op program, giving students a wide range of experiential learning opportunities in locations around the country

Two women work on a project together while looking at a laptop

2020
Portland, ME 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, ME Campus

Bruce Maxwell

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

2020
The percentage of undergraduate women enrolled at Khoury reaches 30% 

2020 Undergraduate Enrollment: 30% Women

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
Olga Vitek becomes an ASA Fellow

Olga Vitek

Professor (View bio)

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
Arlington, VA campus opens

Arlington, VA

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

Sami Rollins

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

2022
Oakland campus opens

A photo of Mills College in Oakland, CA

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

Alan Jamieson

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

2022
Khoury now offers a record-breaking 43 combined majors

In 2022, Khoury offered 43 combined majors

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
Kevin Fu, Alessandro Vespignani, and Yun Raymond Fu selected as 2022 AAAS Fellows

From left, Northeastern professors Kevin Fu, Alessandro Vespignani, Yun (Raymond) Fu

2023
Alan Mislove accepts a temporary position as assistant director for data and democracy in the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy

Alan Mislove. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

2023
Miami campus opens

People speak on a stage at Northeastern Miami's kickoff event

2023
Khoury celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Align program
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 recognizes 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

Northeastern’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences wrapped up its yearlong 40th anniversary celebration with an event Tuesday at the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex on the Boston campus. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Morning Session

The 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.”

Afternoon Session

The afternoon session featured breakout group presentations and recognition of Khoury College’s 40 for 40 awardees.

2023
Kevin Fu named ACM fellow

Professor (View bio)

2024
Elizabeth Mynatt elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
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, receives the 2024 Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award for innovative and impactful contributions to representation learning, computer vision, and face gesture recognition.

2024
Khoury now offers a record-breaking 47 combined majors
2024
Kenneth Church named ACM fellow

Kenneth Church

Professor of the Practice (View bio)

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 receives 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.