计算机科学系（CS）提供MS和博士学位。度。研究领域包括算法分析，人工智能，模式识别和检索，机器学习，神经网络，计算机游戏，计算机图形学，计算机动画，科学可视化，计算机和传感器视觉，图像处理，图像合成，多模式人机交互，编程语言和环境，软件工程，Web和Internet工程，实时嵌入式系统，计算机安全性，数据库，并行和分布式计算，操作系统以及存储系统。与校园内的其他部门合作，CS还提供了一个强大的研究小组，从事生物信息学，计算生物学，生物分子工程和人类基因组图谱研究。
Computer scientists and engineers study the design and architecture of digital systems, their properties, and their application. Computing is the field that is most strongly influencing the societal, industrial, and technological advances of this century, bringing a revolution spanning from what humans can do (via information technology, data science, e-commerce, and more) to how they communicate (the web, social networks, mobile devices, and virtual/augmented reality). <br><br>The Computer Science and Engineering department at UC Santa Cruz spans multiple areas of research including algorithms, logic, and complexity, computer hardware, including architecture, VLSI (chip design), FPGAs, and design automation, computer security and privacy, cyber-physical systems, distributed systems, database systems, machine learning and artificial intelligence, natural language processing, networks, pervasive computing and human-computer interaction, programming languages, robotics, social computing, storage systems, and visual computing, including computer vision, visualization, and graphics. Computing at UC Santa Cruz has already attained a very high level of international recognition. With its proximity to Silicon Valley and its outstanding research, UCSC is a leader in computing research and education. Questions regarding the graduate programs in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering can be directed to the Graduate Advisor.