Chair   James C. McKim
Computer and Information Sciences Home Page
http://www.rh.edu/cis/cis.html

Computer and Information Sciences is a Hartford-based department within the School of Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Computer Sciences programs are designed for students interested in software engineering, computer communication networks, database systems, graphical user interfaces, and information systems. The curriculum is designed to meet knowledge and skill requirements of the computer professional. The emphasis is on the practical use of contemporary computer technology for the benefit of both students and their employers. The program in Computer Science is continuously modified to reflect developing new technologies and job markets in the computer field.

Computer Facilities   Rensselaer at Hartford has diverse computing resources that rival or exceed many systems currently installed in other educational institutions and industries. Technical and Information Services (TIS) provides technical support services to all students, faculty, and staff for their academic, instructional, and research endeavors. TIS is responsible for the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of a state-of-the-art computing environment for the Rensselaer at Hartford community. To meet this challenge, we have developed a distributed network of personal computers (PCs), high-end workstations, and fileservers using a client-server model.

Faculty

Clinical Professors

DeNoia, Lynn A.   Ph.D. (Brown University); networks, telecommunications, information technology.
McKim, James C., Jr.   Department Chair; Ph.D. (University of Iowa); object oriented programming, software engineering, software testing and design methods.

Clinical Associate Professors

Ellis, Heidi J. C.   Ph.D. (University of Connecticut); software engineering, software risk, object oriented database systems
Hartley, Timothy J.   M.S. (University of Connecticut); database systems, natural language processing, information retrieval.
Martyn, Timothy O.   Ed.D. (University of Massachusetts); database systems, management information systems, client/server systems.
Younessi, Houma   Ph.D. (Swinburne University of Technology); software engineering, information systems.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Brown, Roger H.   M.S.E.E. (University of Illinois); computer communication networks, network management, client/server architectures.

Master of Science in Computer Science

Applicants are assumed to have knowledge of computer concepts and programming in a high-level language (e.g., C, Pascal). To receive the Master of Science Degree in Computer Science, students must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in Computer Science or Engineering courses and satisfy the following requirements:

Plan of Study   Each student completes a Plan of Study in consultation with his or her adviser. This Plan will include required immigration courses (if any), two core courses, elective courses, and the Computer Science Seminar. At least two of the elective courses should pertain to a specific area which reflects the student’s professional or academic interest.

Immigration Courses   Depending on academic background and professional experience, some students may be required to begin their studies with one or more prerequisite “immigration” course(s) beyond the standard 30 credit hours.

Students with two or more immigration courses as prerequisites may be admitted conditionally or as nonmatriculated candidates. Since these are equivalent to undergraduate courses, students are expected to achieve a grade of “B” or better in each course. Achievement below this level is cause for reexamination of admission. In addition, these immigration courses will not enter into the calculation of a student’s QPA for graduation.

Core Courses   Each Plan of Study will contain the following two courses:

CSCI-4210 Operating Systems
CSCI-6050 Computability and Complexity

Elective Courses   To provide some breadth to the Plan of Study, each student will take one course from each of the following three groups: Hardware Systems (e.g., Networking, Computer Architecture); Software Systems (e.g., Software Engineering, Object Oriented Design); Applications (e.g., Database Management, Software Engineering Management).

With the exception of the immigration courses, all courses with the designation CISH or CSCI and most designated ECSE may be used as electives for the degree.

Advanced Courses   At least eighteen credit hours must be at the “advanced” level. All courses with suffix numbers 6000-6990 fall into this category. These courses may include special topics courses which are offered under CISH or CSCI-6960 Topics in Computer and Information Sciences or ECSE-6960 Topics in Electrical Engineering.

After completing course work in a particular area, students may elect to complete a six credit Master’s Project ( CISH or CSCI-6980) or Thesis ( CISH or CSCI-6990) in that area.

Seminar Requirement   Computer Science students who are near the end of their program must register for a course in Research Methods and for the one-credit hour course CISH-6900 Computer Science Seminar. This course, combined with two additional one-credit modules, is equivalent to one advanced three-credit hour elective. A maximum of two, one-credit modules in addition to Seminar are permitted in a student’s 30-credit degree program.

Graduate Certificate Programs

The Computer and Information Sciences Graduate Certificate Programs are designed with a selective focus and require that a student successfully complete four graduate courses (twelve credit hours of which nine credit hours must be in residence), with an average grade of “B” or better, in a specific area of Computer Science. Credits earned in Graduate Certificates may be subsequently applied toward an M.S. degree as electives with adviser’s approval. Additional technical information about the Graduate Certificates can be obtained from the Certificate Program Coordinator listed below.

Graduate Certificates are offered in the following six areas:

Information Systems

Program Coordinator: Timothy J. Hartley, (860) 548-7928, (800) 290-7637 x 7928, or e-mail hartley@rh.edu.

Computer Network Communications

Program Coordinator: Roger H. Brown, (860) 548-2462, (800) 290-7637 x 2462, or e-mail rhb@rh.edu.

Software Engineering

Program Coordinator: Heidi J.C. Ellis, (860) 548-2497, (800)290-7637 x 2458, or e-mail heidic@rh.edu.

Database Systems

Program Coordinator: Timothy O. Martyn, (860) 548-2460, (800) 290-7637 x 2460, or e-mail martyn@rh.edu.

Graphical User Interface

Program Coordinator: James C. McKim, (860) 548-2458, (800)290-7637 x 2458 or e-mail jcm@rh.edu.

Bioinformatics

Program Coordinator: Susan Smith, (518) 276-8442 or e-mail salers2@rpi.edu.