Chair   James C. McKim (Interim)

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 program completion. 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. The immigration courses are:

CISH-4961 Introduction to Computer Programming
CISH-4010 Discrete Mathematics and Computer Theory
CISH-4020 Object Structures
CISH-4030 Structured Computer Architecture

Students with two or more immigration courses as prerequisites may be admitted conditionally. Since these are the equivalent of 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 GPA 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, CSCI-6960, or ECSE-6960.

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

Program Completion

Students will complete their program of study via one of two paths:

Applied Path
CISH-6960 Research Methods
CISH-6900 Computer Science Seminar

Theory Path
A Theory Course
Master’s Thesis/Project

For More Information
Information concerning the computer science programs at Rensselaer at Hartford may be obtained by contacting James C. McKim, Jr. at (860) 548-2458, (800) 290-7637 x 2458, or e-mail: jcm@rh.edu, or visit www.rh.edu/does/.

Computer Science Graduate Certificate Programs

The Computer Science 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 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 a Master of Science degree as electives with the adviser’s approval. Additional information can be obtained from the appropriate program coordinator listed for the six Graduate Certificates below.

Bioinformatics

BIOL-6960 Bioinformatics I
BIOL-6960 Bioinformatics II
CSCI-4380 Database Systems
Approved Elective

Program coordinator: Susan Smith, e-mail: salers2@rpi.edu

Computer Network Communications

ECSE-4670 Computer Communication Networks

Select any three of the following courses:

CISH-6210 Computer Network Analysis and Design
CISH-6220 LANs, MANs, and Internetworking
CISH-6230 Network Management
CISH-6960 Cryptography and Network Security
ECSE-6660 Broadband Networks

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

Database Systems

CSCI-4380 Database Systems
CSCI-6460 Advanced Database Management Topics
CISH-6110 Object Oriented Database Systems
CISH-6120 Distributed Database Systems or
CSCI-6470 Database Systems for Engineering Applications

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

Graphical User Interface

CISH-6330 User Interface Design
CISH-6320 GUI Building
CISH-6010 Object Oriented Programming and Design
Approved Elective

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

Information Systems

ECSE-4670 Computer Communication Networks
CSCI-4380 Database Systems
CISH-6330 User Interface Design
CISH-4020 Object Structures or
ECSE-6770 Software Engineering I or
CISH-6010 Object Oriented Programming and Design

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

Software Engineering

Required:

ECSE-6770 Software Engineering I
CISH-6050 Software Engineering Management

Electives (Select any two of the following):

CISH-6010 Object Oriented Programming and Design
CISH-6510 Web Application Design and Development
CISH-6320 GUI Building
ECSE-6780 Software Engineering II