Vision

The department excels in teaching, research, and service that advance the economic strength of the region, state, nation, and beyond. Our faculty members conduct nationally recognized teaching and research in key areas of computer science. Our graduates bring technical, ethical, and life-long learning skills to the computer science profession.

Mission

To provide high quality instruction to our students, and equip them with the state-of-the-art knowledge and skills in computer science that they need to take up real-world challenges.
To conduct cutting-edge research in areas of national need, frequently in collaboration with other disciplines.
To provide service to the community, both inside and outside the university, and to society as a whole.

Contact Us

Administrative Staff

Kathy Baier - Administrative Associate

Department Chair

Yuliang Zheng, Ph.D. - Professor and Department Chair

Program Directors

Amber Wagner, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor; Undergraduate Program Director for B.S. in Computer Science and B.A. in Computer Science; Co-Director for B.S. in Bioinformatics
BS/BA Inquiries: Use the Contact Us form below.
Mahmut Unan, Ph.D. - Associate Professor; Graduate Program Director for M.S. in Computer Science, M.S. in Data Science, M.S. in Cyber Security, and Certificate in Cyber Security Analytics.
MS and Certificate Program Inquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
John K. Johnstone, Ph.D. - Associate Professor; Graduate Program Director for Ph.D. in Computer Science
Doctoral Program Inquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ragib Hasan, Ph.D. - Professor; Director, CyberCorps Scholarship for Service Program; Director, Lab for Cyber Security
CyberCorps SFS Program Inquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Graduate Program Manager

Tara Seaborn - Program Manager/Academic Advisor for M.S. in Computer Science, M.S. in Cyber Security, M.S. in Data Science, and Certificate in Cyber Security Analytics.

MS and Certificate Program Inquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Advises M.S. and Certificate students by appointment.

Students: Book an Advising Appointment Online Opens an external link.

Location & Contact Information

The Department of Computer Science is located on the 4th floor of University Hall in room 4105. Directions to University Hall are available via the UAB Campus Map.

Physical Address

University Hall 4105
1402 10th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205

Use the physical address for any non-USPS courier deliveries such as UPS, FedEx, or DHL.

Mailing Address

UH 4105
1720 2nd Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35294-1241

Use the mailing address for all U.S. Postal Service mail and deliveries.

Telephone Numbers

(205) 934-2213 phone
(205) 934-5473 fax

Email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About Us

Welcome to the Department of Computer Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The department provides an excellent learning environment for both undergraduate and graduate students, and is proud to be part of UAB, one of the top universities in the nation that are ranked as "R1: Doctoral Universities — Highest Research Activity" in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Strong Undergraduate Programs

Two students sitting in the UHall computer science lab

Our B.S. in Computer Science program is accredited by ABET, one of the most widely recognized accreditors of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.
The department is home to the interdisciplinary B.A. in Computer Science program, which is designed for students interested in combining a strong foundation in computer science with a broad-based education in another discipline, including those in business and liberal arts. Graduates of the B.A. program will be equipped with a T-shaped knowledge base and versatile skill set, meeting the rapidly-evolving demands for such young professionals.
The department offers the interdisciplinary B.S. in Bioinformatics jointly with the Heersink School of Medicine's Informatics Institute and Department of Genetics, and the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology. This major trains students in basic concepts and skills to perform computational analysis of biological data, leading to careers that involve analyzing large-scale biological datasets, including datasets resulting from genome sequencing projects, gene expression studies, genome-wide association studies, and proteomic and metabolomic datasets. An exciting direction of this work is to help guide treatment of human disease through precision medicine. Watch this video to learn more about the bioinformatics major.
We offer the B.S. in Digital Forensics program jointly with the J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Department of Criminal Justice, where students will gain the knowledge necessary to discover, recover, analyze, and present in court information that has been stored on digital devices used during illegal activities.

Flexible Graduate Programs

At the graduate level, our Ph.D. program has been growing steadily since it was first established in 1972. We also offer three master's programs:

M.S. in Computer Science (provides students with an opportunity to acquire expertise in artificial intelligence, cyber security, mobile applications, and other emerging fields of importance)
M.S. in Cyber Security (jointly offered with the J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Department of Criminal Justice)
M.S. in Data Science (prepares graduate students for a professional career in the field of big data)

All three M.S. programs are flexible to cater to the needs of all students, including full-time, part-time, domestic, and international students. We also offer two certificate programs.

Faculty & Research

Continuing our success in scholarly research, department faculty are challenging the boundaries of knowledge in four focused research areas, including cyber security, artificial intelligence, data science and analytics, biomedical applications, and advanced cyber infrastructures (encompassing cloud computing, high-performance computing, and the Internet of Things). Our faculty’s research has been funded by both major federal agencies and industrial technology giants. Additionally, we collaborate closely with researchers from other universities, industries, and government agencies.

I wholeheartedly invite you to explore our website to get a glimpse of some of the exciting learning, research, and collaboration opportunities our department has to offer.

Yuliang Zheng
Chair
Department of Computer Science