Rate My Professor Tom Horton

Thomas B. Horton is Associate Professor Emeritus, Academic General Faculty, Teaching Track Associate Department Chair in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science. He retired from the university in January 2026 but continues to maintain a strong interest in the department, its students, and alumni. A native of Tennessee, Horton earned his B.S. from the University of Tennessee in 1982, where he received the Torchbearer Award, the highest honor awarded to students for outstanding academic achievement and university service. He was awarded a Marshall Scholarship, providing a full scholarship for two years of graduate study in Britain, and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in 1987. Before joining UVA in January 2001, he taught for 13 years at Florida Atlantic University, earning the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the Engineering College in 1991 and the Award for Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching in 1998.

At UVA, Horton taught a broad spectrum of courses, including CS3240 Advanced Software Development, CS3205 HCI in Software Development, CS4102 Algorithms, CS2110 Software Development Methods, CS4240 Principles of Software Design, CS2102 Discrete Math, CS2150 Program and Data Representation, and introductory courses such as CS1110 Introduction to Computer Science, CS1113 Introduction to Programming with Focus on Engineering Problem Solving, and CS1010 Introduction to Information Technology. His research interests include computing education, digital humanities—particularly the study of language patterns in literary texts—and software engineering. A key publication is 'Using LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT and LEJOS in an advanced software engineering course' (IEEE, pp. 121-128, 2010), co-authored with Michael W. Lew and Mark S. Sherriff. He received the Department Service Award from the UVA Department of Computer Science in 2004-2005. Throughout his tenure, Horton exhibited a strong commitment to leadership and service in the department, school, and university, contributing significantly to undergraduate computer science education.