CS @ UT Dallas Celebrates its Graduates at Fall Ceremonies

Graduating students with one decorated blue, floral cap

Graduation represents the culmination of a journey and the attainment of a goal. UT Dallas celebrated graduation this fall with each of the University’s schools hosting their own ceremonies — 12 total, plus a doctoral hooding ceremony presided over by their respective deans. The graduation ceremonies were held on The University of Texas at Dallas campus on December 16, 19, and 20. Approximately 2,974 students participated in commencement ceremonies, including some who earned their degrees over the summer. All told, the University certified and awarded 1,903 bachelor’s degrees and 990 master’s degrees, in addition to 81 doctoral degrees.

Infographics reads: The University of Texas at Dallas By The Numbers For Fall 2022. 36 US States, 37 Countries, 66 TX Counties. 19 Youngest Grad, 67 Oldest Grad. Types of Graduates: 23% of undergraduate are first-generation students. 48% of undergraduate are transfer students. 20% of grads are international students. Popular Degrees: Bachelor's- Computer Science, Information Technology & Systems, and Arts, Technology, & Emerging Communication. Master's: Information Technology & Management, Computer Science and Business Analytics. Doctoral: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Cognition & Neuroscience.

The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science was pleased to announce a total of 695 graduates in Fall 2022, including 448 who earned bachelor’s degrees, 204 who earned master’s degrees, and 43 who earned doctoral degrees. Of those, 288 bachelor’s degrees, 131 master’s degrees, and two doctoral degrees were awarded to Computers Science and Software Engineering majors. The CS Graduation featured Aneesha Devulapally, MS’22, computer science, as the student speaker for the fall 2022 Graduation. “Now that we have attained the power of education, it is our responsibility to put it to good use, prosper and, more importantly, contribute to the scientific community and to the betterment of humankind,” said Aneesha.

Following the hooding ceremonies, Fall 2022 graduates and their family and friends were invited to the CS Department Graduation Luncheon. The CS Graduation Luncheon is a biannual tradition that honors the University’s newest CS/SE alums and welcomes new graduates into the alum community. It allows new graduates to reflect on their time at UT Dallas while enjoying food and speeches given by UT Dallas alums.

The Fall 2022 CS Graduation Luncheon featured inspirational speaker Dr. Harish Babu Arunachalam, a Principal Engineer at Verizon and UT Dallas Computer Science 2018 alum. Dr. Arunachalam congratulated the newly graduated students and told them, “This is a big moment in your life. We often don’t realize how big the moment is until it hits us later. I want you to remember this moment when you became a UT Dallas alumnus and be proud. The computer science department has given you a strong background of knowledge which will help you on your journey through life and career.” He also advised the graduates to never stop learning and to keep in touch with the University throughout the years.

Dr. Ovidiu Daescu, Department Head of Computer Science, gave a welcoming speech, in which he told the new graduates, “I can assure you that the preparation you have received here at UT Dallas will carry on and help you throughout your life.” He continued by saying, “We pride ourselves on offering our students a very strong education that will help them throughout their career and life. Be a proud alumnus and remember where you started and how far you have come.”

At the end of each commencement day, the graduates, along with their friends and families, were able to celebrate their achievements by participating in the University’s con-GRAD-ulations celebration on the Memories on the Mall outside the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center. This tradition honors the University’s newest alums and allows graduates to reflect upon their experiences once again at UT Dallas.

View photos from the graduation ceremony and photos of the graduation luncheon.

ABOUT THE UT DALLAS COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

The UT Dallas Computer Science program is one of the largest Computer Science departments in the United States with over 4,000 bachelors-degree students, more than 1,010 master’s students, 140 Ph.D. students, 52 tenure-track faculty members, and 42 full-time senior lecturers, as of Fall 2022. With the University of Texas at Dallas’ unique history of starting as a graduate institution first, the CS Department is built on a legacy of valuing innovative research and providing advanced training for software engineers and computer scientists.