Information for Undergraduate Applicants

See our current Undergraduate Programs flyer!

As a Computer Science student at the University of Memphis, you'll get the chance to work with top-notch faculty who are dedicated to both teaching and research. We are one of the most highly research-active departments on campus and offer both master's and doctoral degrees, giving us an advantage over other similar departments in the Mid-South. We offer numerous student opportunities, including an accelerated bachelor's/master's program, an internship program for academic credit, and a variety of student organizations.

For more information, please contact Vinhthuy Phan, undergraduate coordinator, or Kriangsiri Malasri, undergraduate advising coordinator.

Curriculum and Concentrations

The BS Computer Science degree prepares students to be well-rounded computer scientists, with a core curriculum covering:

Foundational math: calculus, discrete math, linear algebra, probability/statistics
Procedural and object-oriented programming
Ethics
Data structures
Computer organization, architecture, and assembly language
Databases
Networking and security
Design and analysis of algorithms
Programming languages
Operating systems
Theory of computation
Software engineering
Capstone software project

Twelve hours of major electives provide the opportunity to customize your degree with specialized courses in areas such as cybersecurity, Web development, machine learning, data science, and more. Students may pick one of four concentration options:

General - choose any 12 hours of major electives
Cybersecurity (flyer)
Data Science
Artificial Intelligence

Students

As of Fall 2023, we have 612 BS students in our program. Our alumni can be found working in industry and academia throughout the world.

Faculty

The Department has 24 full-time faculty, 17 of whom are tenured or tenure-track. Our faculty include 2 IEEE Fellows, an ACM Distinguished Speaker, and the first state-endowed chair of excellence in computer science in Tennessee.

Faculty have been recognized extensively for their accomplishments. The awards conferred on individual faculty have included the Willard R. Sparks Eminent Faculty Award, Dunavant Professorship, Thomas W. Briggs Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Arts and Sciences Meritorious Faculty Award, and Early Career Research Award.

Research

Grant Funding

The Department is involved in three major national research initiatives: the Learner Data Institute with University of Colorado - Boulder, University of Wisconsin - Madison, University of North Carolina, University of Pittsburgh, 5 companies including Carnegie Learning, SoarTech, Aptima, WorkBay, and Gooru, and the Army's GIFT team; the MD2K Center of Excellence with Cornell, Georgia Tech, University of Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, University of Utah, UCLA, UCSD, UCSF, UMass Amherst, and West Virginia, along with Open mHealth; and Named Data Networking: Next-Phase with Colorado State, University of Arizona, UCLA, UCSD, UIUC, University of Michigan, and Washington University.

With millions in active grants, we have the highest per-capita research funding of any department on campus. We were recently ranked 55th among nationwide CS departments in federally funded research expenditures.

Interdisciplinary Institutes and Centers

Center for Information Assurance
We are designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and Research (CAE-CDE, CAE-R) by the NSA/DHS.
Institute for Intelligent Systems
Systems Testing Excellence Program

Application and Fees

All undergraduate admissions are handled by the University's Admissions office. Please see their website for application deadlines and fees. If you have a previous four-year degree, the University will waive your general education requirements for a second degree.

Please visit Tuition Estimator and Fee Charts & Fee Payment in order to learn more about tuition and fees.

Financial Aid

There are a limited number of merit-based departmental scholarships available. Additional information on funding opportunities can be found at the University's Financial Aid and Scholarships sites.

Why Memphis?

View of Hernando de Soto bridge from Mud Island

Memphis offers the best of both worlds: a metropolitan city's convenience without the high cost of living. The city is home to many established organizations including AutoZone, FedEx, International Paper, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Memphis was ranked #4 on Glassdoor's 25 Best Cities for Jobs 2020.

For personal life, Memphis is well known for music and barbecue. In addition, Memphis boasts many cultural festivals, professional sports events, live entertainment and performances, museums, and a world-class zoo. Memphis International Airport hosts all major and budget U.S. airlines, and it is the world's second busiest cargo airport due to the FedEx global hub.