UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering Department

What UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering Department does

The UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering Department (CSE) is a public academic department within the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, located in La Jolla, California. Established alongside UC San Diego in the 1960s, the department offers BS, MS, and PhD degree programs in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and a new AI major, serving undergraduate students, graduate students, and industry partners who recruit its talent pipeline.

The department's core offerings are academic programs and research infrastructure rather than commercial products. Its product portfolio includes the CSE Honors Program, the Early Research Scholars Program (ERSP), Engineers for Exploration, TRELS, undergraduate tutoring, academic advising, faculty-supervised independent study (CSE-198/CSE-199), and specialized research labs such as the System Energy Efficiency Lab, HXI Lab, Kastner Research Group, Spatiotemporal ML Lab, Design Lab, and the StarCAVE immersive visualization facility. Underlying these is a 2,900 sq ft state-of-the-art data center with 1.3 MW power capacity, 50 kW per high-density rack, 100G network uplinks, and nVent in-row cooling, supporting computational workloads across AI/ML, robotics, cybersecurity, systems/networking, computational biology, and data science.

The department's revenue mechanics rely on three primary streams: tuition and fees from enrolled students, California state appropriations to UC San Diego, and federal/industry research grants and contracts. Go-to-market is academic: student recruitment via the department website, prospective student information, admissions channels, industry career fairs, and event-driven research programs such as ERSP. Marketing is conducted through the department website, newsletters, conference participation (e.g., Grace Hopper Celebration), the annual report, and earned media via UC San Diego Today. Faculty and student employment positions (e.g., tutors at $24.68/hour) provide internal operational support.

Name

UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering Department

Legal name

Regents of the University of California

Website

https://cse.ucsd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering Department is a public academic department within UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering that offers undergraduate, MS, and PhD programs in computer science, computer engineering, and AI to enrolled students, while conducting funded research across multiple computing subfields.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education – Computer Science and Engineering

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Computing, Data & AI Focus (EDAHAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Computer science education
• Computer engineering research
• Graduate degree programs
• Academic research labs
• Undergraduate computer science

Headquarters

HQ city

La Jolla

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Public university tuition and fees from enrolled undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Computer Science and Engineering disciplines
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Federal and industry research funding through grants, contracts, and sponsored research programs supporting faculty research activities
3. State Funding: California state funding for UC San Diego as a public university, allocated to support educational operations and research
4. Student Employment Fees: Tutors are paid $24.68 per hour through student employment positions funded by department budgets

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The CSE Department delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs (BS, MS, PhD) in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, including a new AI major, supported by faculty-led research labs, undergraduate research apprenticeship programs (ERSP, Engineers for Exploration, TRELS), honors and tutoring programs, and academic advising. It also operates a 2,900 sq ft state-of-the-art research data center providing high-capacity, 100G-networked compute with advanced cooling for faculty, researcher, and student use.

Product overview

UC San Diego CSE Department offers an academic portfolio of programs and research infrastructure rather than commercial products. The department provides undergraduate educational programs including the CSE Honors Program, undergraduate tutoring services, and academic advising. Research opportunities are facilitated through multiple specialized labs (SEE Lab, HXI Lab, Kastner Research Group, Design Lab, Spatiotemporal ML Lab) and programs (ERSP, Engineers for Exploration, TRELS). Supporting infrastructure includes a 2,900 sq ft state-of-the-art data center with 1.3 MW power capacity, and IT support services (CSEhelp). The department integrates with campus systems including Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Sites, Groups), Zoom for remote advising, and Triton Student System for enrollment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CSE Honors Program Undergraduate honors program encouraging eligible students to perform advanced study through supervised faculty research projects, typically completed over two quarters, with honors distinction bestowed upon graduation.
• Early Research Scholars Program (ERSP) Team-based research apprentice program for second-year CSE/CE majors where teams of four are matched with active research projects and propose and carry out independent research over an academic year.
• Engineers for Exploration Research program engineering solutions spanning aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environments using remote imaging technologies, with international collaborators in ecology, conservation, and archaeology.
• Triton Research & Experiential Learning Scholars (TRELS) Program introducing students to experiential learning in their field, promoting understanding of collaborative research processes, and increasing participation for underrepresented and low-income students.
• System Energy Efficiency Lab (SEE Lab) Research lab led by Prof. Tajana Simunic Rosing that tackles system-design questions using novel algorithmic approaches for machine learning, optimized hardware, and distributing computation and communication throughout systems to extend system lifetime.
• HXI Lab Human-centered and ubiquitous computing research lab focused on health and healthcare using sensors, cameras, AR/VR, and wearables, led by Dr. Weibel.
• Kastner Research Group Research group focused on designing future embedded computing systems, led by Prof. Ryan Kastner.
• UC San Diego Starcave Immersive visualization facility using advanced display technology, led by Prof. Schulze, with prerequisite CSE-167.
• UC San Diego Design Lab Design research lab working on ongoing projects throughout the academic year with Prof. Scott Klemmer's PhD students.
• Spatiotemporal Machine Learning Lab Research lab focused on spatiotemporal machine learning, led by Prof. Rose Yu.
• CSE Data Center 2,900 sq ft state-of-the-art data center providing high-capacity research and instructional computing infrastructure with 1.3 MW total power capacity, 100G network uplinks, advanced cooling systems, and co-location services for faculty, researchers, and students.
• Undergraduate Tutoring Program Peer tutoring program where undergraduate tutors assist students in CSE courses through office hours, review sessions, and exam support; requires minimum 3.0 GPA and B grade in the course tutored.
• CSE 95 - Tutor Apprenticeship 2-unit required course for first-time CSE tutors providing individual and group mentoring and training on effective tutoring skills and tools.
• CSE 198 - Directed Group Study 2-4 unit course for small group study of computer science and engineering topics under faculty supervision, with TEA request required for enrollment.
• CSE 199 - Independent Study Independent reading or research course by special arrangement with a faculty member, requiring TEA request and faculty sponsor approval.
• Undergraduate Advising Staff-led advising office providing degree audit updates, enrollment guidance, long-term educational planning, and experiential learning opportunities for CSE majors through drop-in sessions, pre-scheduled appointments, and the Virtual Advising Center.
• Undergraduate Committee (UGCom) Advising and Mentorship Faculty-led advising and mentorship program offering guidance on job/internship opportunities, career paths, research involvement, course enrichment, and sub-field exploration.
• CSE Help Desk (CSEhelp) Department IT, computing, building infrastructure, and general-support group providing assistance with network support, server room support, equipment procurement, A/V support, and building access management.

Quantifiable outcome

• CSE department leads in semiconductor innovation and workforce development as recognized by federal programs

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Early Research Scholars Program (ERSP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam-based research apprentice program matching second-year CS/CE students with active research projects in the department for an academic year, with students proposing and carrying out independent research
• Engineers for ExplorationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch program applying remote imaging technologies to aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environments with international collaborators in ecology, conservation, and archaeology
• System Energy Efficiency Lab (SEE Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch lab tackling system design questions using algorithmic approaches for machine learning, optimized hardware, and distributed computation with Prof. Tajana Šimunić Rosing
• Jacobs School IDEA Engineering Student CentersupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStudent support center providing tutoring and academic resources for engineering students including those in CSE programs

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science: CMU SCS is a direct peer as a top-ranked CS school with focused sub-departments (e.g., AI, systems, theory). Comparable scale, faculty depth, and graduate program benchmarks.
• Georgia Tech College of Computing: Georgia Tech CoC is a direct peer as a top public-university computing school with strong systems, AI, and theory research. Comparable scale, public funding model, and graduate program benchmarks.
• UCLA Computer Science Department: UCLA CS is a direct peer within the UC system, sharing state funding dynamics, public-university mission, and broad research portfolio. Both compete for UC system allocations and Southern California talent.
• University of Washington Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering: UW CSE is a direct peer as a top-ranked public-university CS school with strong AI/systems research and similar faculty scale. Comparable in research output, graduate program selectivity, and industry partnerships.
• MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL): MIT's flagship CS research lab and one of the largest CS departments in the world. Comparable to UCSD CSE as a top-tier research-intensive CS organization with similar faculty size, research depth across AI/systems/theory, and graduate program structure.
• Stanford Computer Science Department: Stanford's CS department is a direct peer across research output, faculty caliber, AI/ML leadership, and graduate program selectivity. Both compete for the same applicant pool, faculty recruits, and industry research partnerships.
• UC Berkeley EECS Department: Berkeley's EECS is a direct peer within the UC system, with similar scale, public-university funding model, and research portfolio spanning CS and electrical engineering. Both compete for UC-wide resources and federal grants.
• Cornell Computer Science Department: Cornell CS (within Cornell Tech and the Ithaca campus) is a direct peer as a large research-intensive CS department with broad subfield coverage. Comparable faculty size, research output, and graduate program scale.
• Princeton Computer Science Department: Princeton CS is a direct peer as a small, elite CS research department with strong theory and systems groups. Comparable faculty depth, research selectivity, and graduate program structure.
• Caltech Computing and Mathematical Sciences: Caltech CMS is a direct peer as a small, elite CS research department with high faculty-to-student ratios and strong theoretical/systems research output. Comparable in prestige and niche research depth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ucsd_cse
• Facebookfacebook.com/UcsdCseDepartment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uc-san-diego-computer-science-and-engineering-department

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering Department