The realm of science is, practically by definition, a constantly growing and expanding field. Today, more and faster than ever before, new and exciting discoveries are augmenting human knowledge of this world and the vast reaches beyond it. As always, Rensselaer faculty and graduates are leading the way in making many of these important discoveries.

Science and mathematics have been at the heart of Rensselaer since its founding, and most important to maintaining this tradition has been the Institute’s commitment to anticipating and generating advancements in all aspects of these fields. In the 1960s, for instance, the School of Science incorporated the then new field of computer science, eventually developing it into a distinct department.

Today, Rensselaer prepares students for a wide variety of careers in the firmly established areas of mathematics and the natural sciences while forging ahead to develop excellent new programs in the emerging field of information science. New curricula in bioinformatics and molecular biology and information technology are meeting the high demand for scientists in these areas. A new biotechnology and interdisciplinary research building will accommodate additional research in these new fields, as will Rensselaer’s dedication to attracting leaders in this field to its faculty.

Indeed, the School of Science faculty consists of some of the world’s most highly educated and accomplished scientists. Included among them are a Nobel laureate and two National Academy members. In addition, many are fellows in their professional societies, and all have achieved the highest attainable degree in their fields.

At Rensselaer, this esteemed faculty works closely with undergraduates through both instructional and research programs. Rensselaer has a long-standing commitment to undergraduate teaching, and Institute professors have authored some of the most widely used science and mathematics textbooks. Further enhancing this focus is Rensselaer’s Anderson Center for Innovation in Undergraduate Education. The Anderson Center, which attracts national attention and involves faculty from all segments of the university, focuses on what should be taught and how best to teach it.

At the graduate level, Rensselaer’s School of Science offers opportunities to conduct research in a wide range of areas. These include applied mathematics; astrophysics; biophysics; the chemistry and physics of electronic, optical, and structural materials; bioorganic and biophysical chemistry; environmental science; earth science; mathematical modeling; parallel computation; networking; and other advanced computer science research, imaging, and databases for computer-aided design and manufacturing.
Enhancing these research opportunities are the many Rensselaer facilities that expose students to highly advanced equipment and technology. Among the Institute’s state-of-the-art computational and laboratory equipment are parallel computers for high speed computation, experimental computer network facilities, an electron microprobe for surface analysis, and molecular beam epitaxy for growing innovative electronic and optical materials, and automated X-ray facilities for studying the structure of crystals. Also impressive are Rensselaer’s terahertz imaging capabilities and computer vision and robotics laboratories.

The research activities of many School of Science faculty members are conducted within the Institute’s major interdisciplinary research centers, including the Center for Integrated Electronics (CIE), the Nanotechnology Center, and the Scientific Computation Research Center (SCOREC).

Also providing unique opportunities to its students are a number of School of Science administered research centers. These are the David M. Darrin ’40 Fresh Water Institute, the New York State Center for Polymer Synthesis, the New York State Center for Studies of the Origins of Life, the Rensselaer-Wadsworth Center for Bioinformatics, and the Center for Biophysics. These centers engage graduate and undergraduate students alike in leading-edge research activities.

These centers complement the programs offered through the six departments within the School of Sciences. These departments are Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth and Environmental Science, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy. Additionally, the school administers the interdisciplinary Information Technology Program and offers a full complement of interdisciplinary degree programs that are described in detail under the School of Science Interdisciplinary Programs and Research section of this catalog.

Degrees Offered and Associated Departments

Overview of Undergraduate Educational Programs

The School of Science prepares students for a broad range of careers in natural science, computer science, and mathematics, as well as in such diverse areas as management, technological communication, and industry or government agencies, or for graduate studies that may include medical, dental, or law school. The school’s educational goals for all of these students, however, are to give them:

• A broad background in their particular field.
• Working knowledge of modern research and technological tools.
• An appreciation of good theoretical, experimental, and computational research.
• Preparation for a lifetime of learning and discovery as both individuals and part of a team.

Students may attain these goals through a variety of majors offered within the six School of Science departments or through interdisciplinary degree programs offered in biochemistry/biophysics, bioinformatics and molecular biology, and environmental science. A major in interdisciplinary science is also available to students wishing more breadth in their program. Additionally, the Information Technology (IT) degree program offers another unique option. The IT core program is coupled with eight courses in another application area that may be chosen from any of the mathematics or science disciplines, as well as other campus programs.For more details on this program see the Information Technology section of this catalog.

All programs offer a large number of electives so that students can emphasize their areas of interest, select one or more minors, or study a wide range of topics in addition to obtaining a strong background in their major field of study.

Selection of a major within the School of Science may take place at any time during the first year of study or during the admissions process. Students who are undecided may defer their choice of major until the sophomore year. With the exception of programs requiring joint admission outside the School of Science, the choice of any approved curriculum within the school is guaranteed. Entering students who have not yet selected a major may choose the department from which their initial adviser is selected.

Advanced placement credit or credit for courses taken in the International Baccalaureate program is possible in those areas where examinations are given. Transfer students are welcome; formalized agreements exist with several community colleges so that students who have followed specified curricula in the community college will have all the standard freshman and sophomore requirements of the science departments at Rensselaer. Students transferring from other colleges will receive credit depending on the courses taken.

Core Program in Science

All Institute undergraduate students are required to complete a core program in science. As part of this program, students must take a minimum of 24 credit hours in physical, life, and engineering sciences, including at least eight credit hours of mathematics. At least 16 hours of this science core must be taken at Rensselaer, and no more than one course of the science core may be taken as Pass/No Credit.

To ensure that students have some depth in their science core, they must take at least two courses within a single area other than mathematics. For this purpose, the course codes MATH (mathematics) and MATP (mathematical programming, probability, and mathematical statistics) are a single discipline.

Any of the courses with the following course codes meet the physical, life, and engineering sciences requirement: ASTR, BCBP, BIOL, CHEM, CISH, CSCI, ERTH, MATH, MATP, PHYS. In addition, the following courses also meet these requirements:

IENV-4500 (cross-listed as ERTH-4500)
IENV-4700
ISCI-4500
ENGR-1100 (as Science not Mathematics)
ENGR-1500 (cross-listed as CHEM-1500)
ENGR-1600 (cross-listed as CHEM-1600)
ENGR-2090
ENGR-2250
ENGR-2830
ESCE-2100

Other courses may fulfill this requirement and will be reviewed by the associate dean of science on a case-by-case basis. A number of upper-level courses in several engineering disciplines would satisfy the requirement, but generally they have enough prerequisites that the science requirement would already have been satisfied.

Transferring Credit Towards the Science Core   Students entering Rensselaer as first-year students may transfer up to two science courses (up to eight credit hours) toward satisfying their science core requirement.

Students who have advanced placement or who have the International Baccalaureate may be granted credit for all such mathematics and science courses depending on their scores.

Transfer students from an accredited collegiate program who have completed at least one college year but who come to Rensselaer with first year status may qualify for additional core transfers at the discretion of the science core curriculum adviser (currently the associate dean of the School of Science). Transfer students entering Rensselaer at the junior level or above are not limited in the number of courses they may transfer for science core credit.

Students enrolled at Rensselaer who wish to take a science course for core credit or other science credit at another accredited institution must obtain prior approval for the course from the science core curriculum adviser. To apply for approval, a student must furnish a catalog description of the proposed course and a completed copy of Rensselaer’s transfer credit approval form to the Science core curriculum adviser. A maximum of eight credit hours of transfers is allowed towards the 24-credit-hour science core.

Baccalaureate Programs

Students entering as freshmen may pursue Bachelor of Science degrees in applied physics, bioinformatics and molecular biology, biology, biophysics/biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, geology, hydrogeology, interdisciplinary science, mathematics, and physics. A bachelor’s program that combines Information Technology with a concentration in mathematics or science is also available.

Additional options are available in astronomy, biochemistry, biophysics, computing in chemistry, engineering chemistry, geophysics, operations research, polymer science, mathematics of computation, and many others. In these options, students choose courses from a list to make a coherent program of several courses in the same area.

A B.S. in any of these curricula requires between 124 and 128 credit hours. No Bachelor of Science curriculum requires more than 72 credit hours of science courses. In addition, no more than 76 credit hours will consist of required courses, or courses to be chosen from a list of named electives. A maximum of 40 credit hours may be specified under a single discipline such as PHYS or BIOL.

A minimum of 46 credit hours in science is required for a B.S. degree. Eight of these credit hours must be in mathematics (course codes MATH and MATP), including Calculus I. Each curriculum must include courses in at least four science disciplines. For this purpose, the course codes MATH (mathematics) and MATP (mathematical programming, probability, and mathematical statistics) are a single discipline.

Each curriculum also offers an option that allows a student to receive up to four hours of course credit for an out-of-classroom experience. Students may exercise this option more than once. This out-of-classroom experience should have intellectual content relevant to the student’s educational or career goals. Appropriate experience might include an individual or group research project (on or off campus), an independent study project, a cooperative education assignment, a public service internship, or study abroad. A written proposal and a final written report must be submitted for evaluation to the faculty member designated by each curriculum. This course option may be included in the courses required for the major.

Additional opportunities for undergraduate science students are dual majors and minors. Flexible curricula make dual majors possible between all science majors. In addition, School of Science students may also arrange a dual major in science and humanities or social science or science and management. While the more structured architecture and engineering curricula make dual majors in these areas more difficult, students with advanced placement or advanced standing may be able to satisfy the requirements for dual degrees in these areas.

Students also frequently take minors in one of the science programs or in other Institute programs ranging from philosophy to management to engineering. Minor programs are available in each of the sciences and mathematics, as well as in environmental science and biochemistry/biophysics. Consult the individual department or program descriptions for details of minor programs.

Special Undergraduate Opportunities

Accelerated Programs
The School of Science offers an accelerated physician-scientist program in cooperation with Albany Medical College. Accelerated programs leading to M.S. or Ph.D. degrees are also possible in some areas. Consult departmental descriptions for details.

Through the Lally School of Management and Technology, a student can also obtain an MBA in five years in addition a B.S. in science. While the MBA normally requires 60 credits, students opting for this program take four recommended electives as undergraduates and thereby reduce that requirement to 48 credit hours. Admission to the accelerated B.S./MBA program is highly selective and limited to a small number of outstanding applicants who meet Rensselaer’s admission requirements and the requirements of the Lally School of Management and Technology graduate program.

Undergraduate Research Experience
At Rensselaer, involving undergraduates in real-world engineering research is of paramount importance. Through the Undergraduate Research Program (URP), described in the Educational Programs and Resources section of this catalog, undergraduates work directly with faculty and/or graduate students on projects requiring critical inquiries. These studies involve exciting areas of leading-edge technological research and have the potential to result in groundbreaking discoveries. Involvement in URPs can be arranged strictly for the experience, for credit, or for pay. Students apply through direct contact with faculty seeking students via Web site or campus advertisements.

Cooperative Education
Students may augment their academic course work with on-the-job experience through the Cooperative Education program. Studies and work assignments are scheduled after consultation with their curriculum adviser. Although many co-op students complete their academic program in four years, some delay graduation for a year to obtain additional work experience. Additional information on Rensselaer’s cooperative education programs can be found in the Student Life section of this catalog under the Career Development Center heading.

Study Abroad/Exchange Programs
Although the School of Science does not specifically administer any such programs, the Institute offers a number of study abroad/exchange programs that are open to the student body as a whole. For more information on these Institutewide programs, see the Educational Programs and Resources section of this catalog.

Overview of Graduate Educational Programs

Rensselaer’s greatest strength—the interface between science and engineering—is a unique feature that particularly benefits graduate students by providing a wide and unique variety of research areas. Graduate students are also key to the Institute’s ability to remain in the forefront of research and education in the sciences and to apply its research findings to needs of society.

Considerable personal attention is focused upon graduate students as they enter and develop their programs of study. A graduate adviser guides each student by assisting in the establishment of a suitable program to meet particular needs of that individual. Courses may be pursued for special purposes, as well as be applied to programs leading to a Master of Science or a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Recognizing that the divisions between basic science disciplines and specializations within particular sciences are not as distinct as they once were, the School has developed many interdisciplinary programs. These programs allow for greater flexibility and situations in which research in one area may serve advanced degree requirements in another. This is especially evident in such areas as applied mathematics with an emphasis on modeling and analysis. Other examples include bioinformatics that spans biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics; materials science stressing electronic, optical, polymeric, and structural materials in the New York Center for Polymer Synthesis; environmental research in the David M. Darrin ‘40 Fresh Water Institute; the New York Center for Studies on the Origins of Life; the focus on advanced computation in the areas of software, databases, and parallel computation; and the Center for Biophysics foci on natural processes as well as bio-organic chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

Many science students and faculty also participate in Institutewide research activities including composite materials, integrated electronics, design, manufacturing productivity, robotics, etc. Still others participate in co-op programs with industry. For more details on graduate cooperative education opportunities, contact the Career Development Center.

Numerous School of Science graduate students hold teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships while pursuing their degrees. Upon leaving Rensselaer with an advanced degree in mathematics or science, these individuals easily find positions with corporations and government facilities or obtain postdoctoral and faculty positions at the most prestigious universities.

Master’s Programs

The School of Science offers Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in applied science and in multidisciplinary science. For more information and specific details on these degree programs, see the Interdisciplinary Programs and Research section within the School of Science section of this catalog. In addition, all of the School’s individual departments offer master’s programs.

Doctoral Programs

Each School of Science department offers programs of doctoral study, and the Ph.D. is awarded in biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics and physics. Additional doctoral degree options are also available in a variety of special programs including astrophysics, surface science, mathematical programming, operations research, polymer science, and multidisciplinary science. These programs, particularly the program in multidisciplinary science, are a testament to Rensselaer’s commitment to encouraging study programs that cross disciplines within departments and even Institute schools. Detailed information on such programs follow within the School of Science Interdisciplinary Programs and Research section of this catalog.

 Applied Science

 Biochemistry and Biophysics

 Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology

 Biology

 Chemistry

 Computer and Information Sciences—Rensselaer at Hartford

 Computer Science

 The Darrin Fresh Water Institute

 Earth and Environmental Sciences

 Environmental Science

 Interdisciplinary Science

 Mathematical Sciences

 New York State Center for Polymer Synthesis

 New York Center for Studies on the Origins of Life

 Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy