Prior to 1966, computer-oriented courses were offered in several departments, but the offerings were uncoordinated. In 1966 the Computer Center of NMSU was formed and a Master's level program in Computer Science was developed by an interdisciplinary committee under the auspices of the Dean of Graduate School. The program was implemented and administered by computer scientists in the Computer Center until 1968 when the Department of Computer Science was formed. The department remained administratively joined to the Computer Center until 1970. When the two units were separated, the undergraduate Computer Science Major was introduced and the department was placed in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The department has grown steadily since its earliest days, with several milestones of significance. In 1972 the department hosted a conference on "Proving Assertions About Programs". The conference was attended by many internationally famous computer scientists and it formed the basis for a sustained interest in program verification and programming methodology. Subsequently the department has hosted a number of national and international conferences and workshops, including the Workshop on Conceptual Graphs in 1992, an international workshop on Logic Programming held in 1993, the international meeting of the Association for Computational Logic in 1994, the 1999 NSF meeting of RI/MII investigators, and the 16th International Conference on Logic Programming in November 1999.

In 1979 the department developed a cooperative Ph.D. program with the University of New Mexico and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. The first graduate of our Ph.D. program received her degree in 1983 and found employment with Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque. To date we have produced more than 30 Ph.D. graduates and currently there are approximately 20 doctoral students at various stages of the program. Two to four students per year complete their Ph.D. in CS at NMSU.

In 1983 NMSU and the State Legislature established the Computing Research Laboratory (CRL) as a Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence. Close research ties with CRL have further strengthened the department. Several faculty members collaborate with CRL on research projects and a significant number of our graduate students work as research assistants or research associates at CRL.