We believe that a diverse and inclusive community is critical to the success of our educational and research missions. A diverse department is necessary for making our educational programs accessible to a wide range of students, bringing multiple perspectives to our research program, and creating a supportive and welcoming culture that is critical to student success. Awareness of the need for diversity and inclusion is especially critical in computer science, a discipline with a long track record of underrepresenting women and minorities.

Diversity initiatives at Johns Hopkins University and the Whiting School of Engineering:

Funding Opportunity: Vivien Thomas PhD Scholars

The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI) is an endowed fellowship program at Johns Hopkins for PhD students in STEM fields. It provides full tuition, stipend, and benefits while also providing targeted mentoring, networking, community, and professional development opportunities. Students who have attended eligible institutions—including historically Black colleges and universities, community colleges, and regional institutions in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia for undergraduate study—are eligible to apply.

To be considered for the VTSI, all components of the PhD program application, including the VTSI supplemental components, must be completed by December 1, 2025. All supplementary application material, including letters of recommendation, must also be received by December 1.

Learn more about the VTSI

Diversity- and inclusion-related organizations

The Department of Computer Science and the Whiting School of Engineering have a variety of organizations related to diversity and supporting the success of students from all backgrounds.

Funding Opportunity: Google’s Award for Inclusion Research Program

Google’s Award for Inclusion Research Program is an ongoing effort to support innovative research and professors working to create positive societal impact in the areas of accessibility, algorithmic fairness, higher education and collaboration, and participatory ML.

Learn more about the Award for Inclusion Research Program

Engineering Outreach Programs

WSE’s Center for Educational Outreach provides:

  • STEM curricular support to Baltimore City schools, including a partnership with Barclay Elementary/Middle School, Engineering Innovation Pre-College Programs, and college-level STEM educational programs for students from across the country aimed at increasing access to STEM curriculum.
  • The Whiting Internships in Science & Engineering (WISE) Program, which provides hands-on research opportunities in WSE faculty labs and mentorship for students in Baltimore City schools.

Department of Computer Science Outreach

Graduate Admissions Diversity Initiatives

We are committed to creating greater diversity in our doctoral programs and have adopted an admissions process that seeks the most talented students with the highest potential for research success and that emphasizes achievement relative to available opportunity.

  • We are GRE-optional and first-generation students are eligible to apply for an application fee waiver.
  • We offer EHOP (Explore Hopkins Program) each fall, a program that brings prospective graduate students from across the country to campus for an intimate opportunity to learn more about our programs.

Diversity Committee

In fall 2020, the Department of Computer Science launched its first Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The committee embodies two principles: it is representative—members are drawn from all constituencies, including undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty—and it has independent authority to execute its policy and oversight mission.

The mission of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee is to guide the Department to develop and implement research-grounded initiatives that will ensure a safe space for all in our community, to foster inclusivity, and to ensure that we succeed as individuals and together.

The committee will review the implementation of diversity and inclusion in all department functions and report to the faculty on the successes and shortcomings of the implementation in an action plan.

To contact the committee, email diversityandinclusion@cs.jhu.edu.

To submit anonymous feedback on your experience in the department, use this form.

The Johns Hopkins seal on the floor of Gilman Hall.

University recognized for fostering diverse and inclusive environments - Insight into Diversity honored JHU for the fourth consecutive year with its annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.

The 19 scholars who make of the third cohort of Vivien Thomas Scholars at Johns Hopkins University.

Johns Hopkins welcomes third cohort of Vivien Thomas Scholars - 19 scholars recently joined JHU to begin pursuing PhDs as a part of a $150 million initiative designed to advance pathways for students from historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions in STEM fields.

Reflection of the Gilman tower in MSE Library Q-Level door.

Growing diversity among Johns Hopkins student, faculty, and staff communities - The most recent editions of Johns Hopkins University’s reports on the composition of its student, faculty, and staff populations show steady, sustained progress in the university’s ongoing efforts to increase the number of affiliates from groups that are underrepresented in higher education.

Headshot of Muyinatu Bell.

Muyinatu Bell honored for promoting diversity and inclusion in imaging technologies - Bell, who has a secondary appointment in the Department of Computer Science, was recently named to the inaugural cohort of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Science Diversity Leadership Awards for her groundbreaking research in imaging technologies to improve breast cancer detection.