Computer Science
Preparing Our Students to Make Meaningful Contributions to the World
Alumni Spotlight: Kayla Patterson, MS ’24 Computer Science
"I study human-computer interaction (HCI), because I want to understand how to think about people when it comes to developing technology. I’ve taken classes with James Landay, Michael Bernstein, and Christina Wodtke, and they just blew my mind with HCI."
Meet recent graduate, Kayla Patterson, as she contemplates a new chapter in life
CS Degree Programs
Our main educational goal is to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. Undergraduate students have the option of declaring a Bachelor of Science or a Minor in Computer Science. Graduate students have the opportunity to pursue a Master's or PhD degree in Computer Science. The Master's degree is a terminal professional degree. The PhD is for those who desire a research or teaching career.
A Gateway to Opportunity & Innovation
Stanford Computer Science cultivates an expansive range of research opportunities and a renowned group of faculty. Here, discoveries that impact the world spring from the diverse perspectives and life experiences of our community of students, faculty, and staff.
Our Research & Impact
The CS Department is a center for research and education, discovering new frontiers in AI, robotics, scientific computing and more.
Our Faculty
Stanford CS faculty members strive to solve the world's most pressing problems, working in conjunction with other leaders across multiple fields.
Removing Barriers to Excellence
Everyone deserves a voice in the discovery of new technology and the shaping of innovation. Stanford CS is nurturing a future in science that represents all cultures and backgrounds.
Our Research is in the News
Diyi Yang on language, computers, and societal impact
Yang works on natural language processing, which combines math and theory to enable computers to communicate, through speech and text, in a human-like way. Specifically, she’s focused on making the technologies that power human-computer (and some human-human) communication more socially responsible.
Read Assistant Professor Diyi Yang’s full interview
More Stanford CS in the News
"Architects of AI" is Time magazine's Person of the Year 2025
Time magazine has chosen "Architects of AI" as its Person of the Year 2025. We invite you to join us in congratulating Fei-Fei Li, the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the Computer Science Department, for being one of the significant tech leaders receiving this recognition.
Sam Jacobs, Time's editor-in-chief, wrote: "For delivering the age of thinking machines, for wowing and worrying humanity, for transforming the present and transcending the possible, the Architects of AI are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year.” Read Time's interview with Fei-Fei Li here.
More Stanford CS in the News
5 CS students receive Siebel Scholars Foundation scholarships
The Siebel Scholars Foundation has announced its 2026 scholarship recipients, including 19 Stanford students in business, bioengineering, computer science, and energy science. Five Siebel recipients are from the Computer Science department. Congratulations to Luciano Gonzalez, Georgious Mikos, Irawadee Thawornbut, Suzannah Wistreich, and Zhenyu Zhang.
Get the details here
More Stanford CS in the NewsStories & Voices
Meet some of the students, faculty, and alumni who create the Stanford Computer Science community.
Matthew Ayoob, Computer Science MS Candidate and Music Double Major
"The communication skills that vocal performance has cultivated in me, understanding how to communicate an idea to another person and have a meaningful conversation that is really grounded in impact, has been life changing."
See Matthew Ayoob's video
Juliette Woodrow, Computer Science PhD Candidate
“When I took my first computer science course at Stanford, CS106A, I was hooked. I loved the creativity and challenge of building something and finally making it work.... One of the projects I’m most involved with is Code in Place, a global initiative that brings Stanford’s introductory computer science course to learners around the world.”
See Juliette Woodrow discuss Code in Place in this inspiring video series: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three
Sanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor Computer Science
"I came to Stanford because it is among the strongest universities in my areas of interest: machine learning and AI. I’m interested in thinking about artificial intelligence in a rigorous way."
Read Sanmi Koyejo's Story
