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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

Electrical, computer and systems, and electric power engineers are at the forefront of exciting discoveries and bold new implementations of technology in the rapidly evolving Information Age. Nearly all products of modern civilization, from laptop computers to cell phones to interactive television to more intelligent automobiles, involve hardware and software components that have been designed, developed, implemented, and powered by electrical engineers and/or computer and systems engineers.

The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering (ECSE) offers three curricula–electrical engineering, computer and systems engineering, and electrical power engineering–and four graduate degrees in each: Master of Engineering (M.E.), Master of Science (M.S.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Doctor of Engineering (D.E.) (rare). All these degree programs emphasize the need in today’s technology-intensive world for revolutionary thinkers and leaders with technological expertise.

The M.E. degree is a 30-credit nonthesis degree program designed for students who plan to enter professional practice.

The M.S. degree requires 30 credit hours. A 6-credit-hour master’s thesis or project is required for the M.S. in electrical engineering and the M.S. in computer and systems engineering. Students enrolled in the electrical power program are not necessarily required to complete a thesis as part of the M.S. degree program and may elect to do a project or all course work instead.

There are two types of doctoral degrees: the D.E. and the Ph.D. The Ph.D. is awarded when the thesis is directed toward making an original contribution to fundamental knowledge in a particular field or in an interdisciplinary field. The D.E. is awarded when the thesis proposes an engineering problem of substance and develops a solution to it in a creative and distinguished manner. This degree option is rarely pursued, and students should consult with the ECSE Director of Doctoral Programs prior to applying.

Research Facilities

Research is supported by state-of-the-art facilities and equipment including the Rensselaer Libraries, whose electronic information system provides access to collections, databases, and the Internet from campus and remote terminals; the Rensselaer Computing System, which permeates the campus with a coherent array of more than 7,000 nodes of distributed laptops, desktops, advanced workstations, and servers; a shared toolkit of applications for interactive learning and research and high-speed Internet connectivity; one of the country’s largest academically based, class 100 clean room facilities; high-performance campuswide computing facilities that allow for serial or parallel computation; and five core laboratories for molecular biology, proteomics, bio-imaging, and tissue engineering.

Rensselaer’s research capabilities have been enhanced with the addition of the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations (CCNI). The result of a $100-million collaboration with IBM and New York State, the CCNI is the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputing center and a top ten supercomputing center of any kind in the world. The CCNI is made up of massively parallel Blue Gene supercomputers, POWER-based Linux clusters, and Opteron-based clusters, providing more than 100 teraflops of computational muscle and approximately a petabyte of shared online storage.

Other facilities and research centers include the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies; the George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation; centers for terahertz science, nanotechnology, fuel cell and hydrogen research, lighting research, and science and technology policy; the Geotechnical Centrifuge Research Center; the Darrin Fresh Water Institute; and the Scientific Computation Research Center.

Rensselaer, the School of Engineering, and the ECSE department have scores of specialized laboratories and research centers, both ECSE-specific and interdisciplinary. Complete information about them can be found on the Web at http://www.eng.rpi.edu/soe/research_centers.cfm, http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/Research/index.html, and http://www.ecse.rpi.edu. Some of the research centers with which ECSE faculty members are affiliated are the Center for Automation Technologies and Systems, the Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Studies, Center for Image Processing Research, and the Center for Integrated Electronics and Electronics Manufacturing. The Center for Automation Technologies and Systems serves as a focal point for a broad range of industrially relevant research and development in both practical and theoretical aspects of automation. Students and more than 30 faculty members in ten departments participate in the research and educational programs of the center. Current focus areas include optomechatronic systems, fuel-cell manufacturing, distributed systems, biomedical systems, micro- and nanosystems, and industrial automation. The Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Studies was established in 1993 to create a collaborative environment for multidisciplinary research focused on the systems that make societal activity possible within the built environment. Such systems are the backbone of civilization, and to keep pace with the information age in a sustainable world, they must evolve rapidly in all aspects of their planning, design, operation, maintenance, and metamorphosis. Current research is focused on advanced materials and their application; intelligent transportation systems; the use of simulation for system analysis, design, and operations planning; and the development of new decision-making paradigms and decision-support systems. Both real and virtual laboratories make possible this scientific advancement. The Center for Imaging Processing Research was created in 1978 as a result of an original NSF award. Researchers at the center explore new and innovative technologies in image/video compression, image processing, and information theory. The Center for Integrated Electronics, Electronics Manufacturing and Electronic Media was created to carry out industry-oriented research development in semiconductor (electrical) devices and circuits, their design and manufacturing, on-chip interconnect, and the development and utilization of electronic media. A complement of about 50 faculty members, 100 students, and 15 full-time research staff members conduct research activities in fundamental areas of materials processes, semiconductor devices, design, fabrication, packaging, and characterization related to integrated electronics, electronics manufacturing, and electronic media. These projects serve to develop new technologies and real solutions to industrial problems. State-of-the-art facilities enhance research opportunities and include a Class 100 microfabrication clean room with processing capabilities both for Si and III-V base devices/circuits, extensive computer resources from such companies as Apple, AT&T, Digital, Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Sun, and numerous state-of-the-art processing design and characterization facilities in individual laboratories.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available in the forms of teaching and research assistantships and fellowships, which include tuition scholarships and stipends. Rensselaer assistantships cover the academic year, with summer support available in many departments. University, corporate, or national fellowships fund many of Rensselaer’s full-time graduate students. Outstanding students may qualify for university-sponsored Rensselaer Graduate Fellowship Awards, which carry a minimum stipend of $22,000 and a full tuition and fees scholarship. All fellowship awards are calendar-year awards for full-time graduate students. Low-interest, deferred-repayment graduate loans are available to U.S. citizens with demonstrated need.

Cost of Study

Full-time graduate tuition for the 2008–09 academic year is $36,950. Other costs (estimated living expenses, insurance, etc.) are projected to be about $13,680. Therefore, the cost of attendance for full-time graduate study is approximately $50,630. Part-time study and cohort programs are priced differently. Students should contact Rensselaer for specific cost information related to the program they wish to study.

Living and Housing Costs

Graduate students at Rensselaer may choose from a variety of housing options. On campus, students can select one of the many residence halls and immerse themselves in campus life or choose from a select number of apartments designed for graduate students only. There are abundant, affordable options off campus as well, many within easy walking distance.

Student Group

Of the 1,176 graduate students, 29 percent are women, and 92 percent are full-time, with 75 percent of full-time graduate students studying at the doctoral level.

Student Outcomes

Rensselaer’s graduate students are hired in a variety of industries and sectors of the economy and by private and public organizations, the government, and institutions of higher education. Their starting salaries average $74,807 for master’s degree recipients and $82,750 for Ph.D. recipients.

Location

Located just 10 miles northeast of Albany, New York State’s capital city, Rensselaer’s historic 275-acre campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Troy, New York, and the Hudson River. The area offers a relaxed lifestyle with many cultural and recreational opportunities, with easy access to both the high-energy metropolitan centers of the Northeast–such as Boston, New York City, and Montreal, Canada–and the quiet beauty of the neighboring Adirondack Mountains.

The Institute

Recognized as a leader in interactive learning and interdisciplinary research, Rensselaer continues a tradition of excellence and technological innovation dating back to 1824. Rensselaer has five schools–Architecture, Engineering, Management, Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences–that offer more than 100 graduate programs in over forty-eight disciplines that attract top students, researchers, and professors. The discovery of new scientific concepts and technologies, especially in emerging interdisciplinary fields, is the lifeblood of Rensselaer’s culture and a core goal for the faculty, staff, and students. Fueled by significant support from government, industry, and private donors, Rensselaer provides a world-class education in an environment tailored to the individual.

Applying

The admission deadline for the fall semester is January 1. Basic admission requirements are the submission of a completed application form (available online), the required application fee ($75), a statement of background and goals, official transcripts, official scores on the GRE General Test, TOEFL or IELTS scores (if applicable), and two recommendations.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Alhussein A. Abouzeid, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle). Ad-hoc networks, including wireless ad-hoc networks, wireless sensor networks, and peer-to-peer overlay networks: protocols for coping with, and sometimes leveraging, the various aspects of variability in computer networks. (abouzeid@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Murat Arcak, Associate Professor; Ph.D., California, Santa Barbara. Nonlinear control theory and applications: developing design tools that exploit inherent structure and nonlinearities in feedback systems. (arcakm@rpi.edu)
• Ishwara B. Bhat, Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Epitaxial growth and characterization of several II-VI, III-V, and IV-IV semiconductors: growth of silicon carbide epitaxial films for use in high-power, high-temperature, and high-voltage devices as well as the growth of InGaSb for application in multi-infrared technology. (bhati@rpi.edu)
• Kim Boyer, Professor and Department Head, Ph.D., Purdue. All aspects of computer vision and medical image analysis, especially perceptual organization, object recognition, graph theoretical methods, stereopsis in weakly constrained environments, optimal feature extraction, large model bases, range data analysis, and robust methods (kim@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Joe H. Chow, Professor and Associate Dean of Engineering for Research and Graduate Programs; Ph.D., Illinois. Voltage-sourced converter-based FACTS controllers, including UPFC, IPFC, CSC, and GUPFC. (chowj@rpi.edu)
• T. Paul Chow, Professor; Ph.D., Renssalaer. Semiconductor device physics and processing technology, high-voltage power device and integrated circuit design and fabrication, semiconductor device modeling and characterization, high-temperature semiconductor devices, plasma etching processes and surface damage. (chowt@rpi.edu)
• Kenneth A. Connor, Professor; Ph.D., Polytechnic of Brooklyn. Application of particle beam–based diagnostics to plasmas of interest to the thermonuclear fusion community; electromagnetic phenomena, especially those associated with high-frequency waves; technology enhanced learning. (connor@rpi.edu)
• Diane R. Demers, Research Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Fusion plasmas, plasma diagnostics. (diane@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Alan A. Desrochers, Professor; Ph.D., Purdue. Discrete event dynamic systems, robotics, automated manufacturing systems control. (aad@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Partha Dutta, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science. Semiconductor materials growth, processing and devices, photonics, nanotechnology, free-space optical communication. (duttap@rpi.edu)
• W. Randolph Franklin, Professor; Ph.D., Harvard. Efficient low-level operations, applications to geometry and cartography, long-term thinking. (mail@wrfranklin.org)
• Lester A. Gerhardt, Professor; Associate Dean, School of Engineering; and Vice Provost and Acting Dean of Graduate Education; Ph.D., SUNY at Buffalo. Pattern recognition and adaptive systems, communications, digital signal processing, computer-integrated manufacturing, technology aids for the handicapped. (gerhal@rpi.edu)
• Mona Mostafa Hella, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Ohio State. Radio frequency integrated circuit design, multi-GB/s broadband communication circuits, wireless communication circuits for bio-implantable microsystems. (hellam@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Zhaoran (Rena) Huang, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Georgia Tech. Optoelectronics: optoelectronic device design, fabrication and integration, optical modulator, vertical beam steering, LED encapsulation and packaging, power electronic component packaging and thermal management. (huangz3@rpi.edu)
• Qiang Ji, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle). Computer vision, probabilistic reasoning with Bayesian Networks for decision making and information fusion under uncertainty, human-computer interaction, pattern recognition, and robotics. (jiq@rpi.edu)
• Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, Professor; Ph.D., Ohio State. Computer networking, concentrated around the theme of traffic management and high-performance wireless networking. (shivkuma@ecse rpi edu)
• Koushik Kar, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Maryland, College Park. Medium-access control and link-layer scheduling in wireless networks, modeling and analysis of random-access wireless networks, routing and traffic engineering in the Internet, energy management in sensor networks, fair bandwidth allocation for multicast traffic. (koushik@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Russell P. Kraft, Senior Project Manager and Adjunct Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Robotics, control systems analysis and design, ultrasonic imaging, phased array design, digital and analog signal processing (linear signals or images), pattern recognition, computer interfacing, integration, networking. (kraftr2@rpi.edu)
• Yannick L. LeCoz, Associate Professor; Ph.D., MIT. Transport in semiconductor devices, equilibrium heterojunction theory, random-walk algorithms for the physical design of ICs. (ylecoz@unix.cie.rpi.edu)
• James Lu, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Technical University of Munich. Micro- nano-electronics technology, from theory and design to materials, devices, processing, and system integration, particularly in wafer-level 3D hyper-integration technology and micro-nano-bio interfaces for future chips, novel electron devices, interconnect technology, and micro-system integration technology for micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS). (luj@rpi.edu)
• John F. McDonald, Professor; Ph.D., Yale. SiGe HBT bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) design and its applications to wireless circuits; ultra wide band, high-speed processor design; landed Internet circuits; broadband data transfer; operations at liquid nitrogen temperature; asynchronous circuits; and single-event upset (SEU) tolerant SiGe circuit design. (mcdonald@unix.cie.rpi.edu)
• Don L. Millard, Research Associate Professor and Director, Academy of Electronic Media; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Development of electronic media, information technology, electronics design and manufacturing, electrical testing methodologies, semiconductor fabrication, and nondestructive solder joint inspection and evaluation. (millard@rpi.edu)
• George Nagy, Professor; Ph.D., Cornell. Design and evaluation of automated document entry (text, diagrams, maps), application of knowledge-based systems to digital image analysis, solid modeling and robust computational geometry, terrain visibility, style-constrained and adaptive pattern recognition. (nagy@ecse.rpi.edu)
• J. Keith Nelson, Professor; Ph.D., London. Development of computer-based diagnostic instrumentation for power plant (currently transformers and generators), acoustic and optical methods, artificial intelligence. (nelsoj@rpi.edu)
• Leila Parsa, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas A&M. Fuel cell–operated motor drives, dsp-based sensorless control of variable speed drives, silicon carbide devices and micromotors, electric and hybrid electric vehicles. (parsa@ecse.rpi.edu)
• William Pearlman, Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Lossless and lossy image compression, video compression, audio and biological signal compression, three-dimensional image compression, information theory, quantization and rate-distortion theory, filter and filter bank design, image processing, security and watermarking. (pearlman@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Richard Radke, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Princeton. Deformable registration and segmentation of three- and four-dimensional biomedical volumes, machine learning for radiotherapy applications, distributed computer vision problems on large camera networks, and modeling 3-D environments with visual and range imagery. (rjradke@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Badrinath Roysam, Professor; D.Sc., Washington (St. Louis). Multidimensional image analysis driven by applications in biology and medicine; characterization of complex systems such as neurovascular stem-cell microenvironments, analyzing the dynamics of stem-cell differentiation in vitro, and mapping embryonic development. (roysam@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Khaled Nabil Salama, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Developing devices, circuits, systems, and algorithms to enable inexpensive portable analytical platforms for a variety of industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. (khaled@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Sheppard J. Salon, Professor; Ph.D., Pittsburgh. Static electrification in transformers, analysis of induction motors, analysis and design of high-power microwave devices, analysis of permanent magnet machines, finite element analysis of electrical machines. (salons@rpi.edu)
• Arthur C. Sanderson, Professor; Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon. Signal processing, robotics and automation systems, sensor-based control, computer vision, and applications of knowledge-based systems. (acs@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Gary J. Saulnier, Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Noninvasive medical-imaging devices, Adaptive Current Tomographs (ACT), which create images of a patient based upon the naturally varying conductivity of the body. (saulng@rpi.edu)
• Shayla M. Sawyer, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Novel sensor characterization of systems including biological hazard detection, non–line of sign communication, lab-on-a-chip, DNA analysis, and bio-chemical experimentation, noise characterization of devices. (sawyes@rpi.edu)
• Paul M. Schoch, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Plasma diagnostics, instrumentation, engineering education.
• E. Fred Schubert, Senior Constellation Professor; Ph.D., Stuttgart (Germany). Compound semiconductor materials and devices, light-emitting diodes, heterobipolar transistors, semiconductor device physics, solid-state lighting. (EFSchubert@rpi.edu)
• Michael Shur, Professor; Ph.D., A. F. Ioffe Institute of Physics and Technology. Semiconductor materials and devices, thin-film transistors, integrated circuit simulation, characterization and design. (shurm@rpi.edu)
• Biplab Sikdar, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Computer communication networks in both wired and wireless domains: analysis and design of MAC protocols for wireless networks, performance evaluation and analytic modeling of computer networks, protocols for sensor networks, anomaly detection in computer networks, TCP performance issues. (sikdab@rpi.edu)
• Jian Sun, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Paderborn (Germany). Power electronics and electric energy conversion: high-frequency electric power conversion including dc-dc, ac-dc with power factor correction, and dc-ac; high-frequency magnetic components and integration; power electronic circuits and systems modeling, analysis, and control; power management for mobile and portable devices. (jsun@rpi.edu)
• Kenneth S. Vastola, Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. High-speed and wireless networks and the delivery of multimedia over local, metropolitan, and wide area networks. (vastola@ecse.rpi.edu)
• John Ting-Yung Wen, Professor and Director, Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS); Ph.D., Rensselaer. Dynamical systems modeling, control, and planning with applications to vibration suppression, robot manipulation, biomedical systems, advanced material design, and network flow and power control. (wenj@rpi.edu)
• John Woods, Professor; Ph.D., MIT. Digital signal processing, image processing, digital image and video compression. (woods@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Mike Wozny, Professor; Ph.D., Arizona. Computer graphics, computer-aided design, digital simulation, rapid prototyping systems. (woznym@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Birsen Yazici, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Purdue. Statistical signal and image processing, pattern recognition, noncommutative harmonic analysis, inverse problems in radar and medical imaging, in particular optical and X-ray imaging and breast cancer. (yazici@ecse.rpi.edu)
• Ning Xiang, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Ruhr. Ultrasonic measurement technology, Bayesian inference, acoustic techniques for landmine detection, model-based data analysis, automatic target recognition, architectural acoustics, binaural auralization and binaural scale-model measurements, auditory virtual reality and binaural signal processing. (xiangn@rpi.edu)
• Tong Zhang, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Minnesota. VLSI design and implementation for signal processing and communication. (tzhang@ecse.rpi.edu)
• AREAS OF ADVANCED RESEARCH
• Electromagnetics and Plasma Diagnostics: Research has been built around study of the interaction between energetic particle beams and plasmas and the application of finite element methods. Project areas include diagnostics for fusion plasmas, microwave heating of a variety of materials, antenna design, low-temperature plasma modification of materials, and magnetic levitation. Additional microwave projects are conducted in solid-state research. High-temperature plasma research is crucial to the development of a controlled thermonuclear fusion energy source. Rensselaer’s Plasma Dynamics Lab has a very active research program on development of sophisticated particle beam diagnostic systems for making space and time resolved measurements on magnetically confined plasma experiments. Faculty: Kenneth A. Connor, Paul M. Schoch
• Intelligent Control, Robotics, and Automation: Current control research projects address both the theory and application of control. Interest in control theory includes adaptive control, large-scale and distributed parameter systems, optimization, multivariable control, robust control, nonlinear control, model reduction, and discrete event systems. Design results are applied to robotics, advanced automation systems, flexible manufacturing, human physiology, large space structures, power systems, and semiconductor systems. Faculty: Murat Arcak, Joe H. Chow, Alan A Desrochers, Lester A. Gerhardt, George Nagy, Arthur C. Sanderson, John Ting-Yung Wen.
• Integrated Electronics and Electronics Manufacturing: Major directions are digital electronics, circuit theory, and computer-aided design. Emphasis is placed on interface circuitry in fields including plasma diagnostics, computer hardware, communication, measurement, and biomedical instrumentation. Some current projects are concerned with adaptive signal processing, phase-locked loops, digital communication, neural networks, robot control, aids for the handicapped, and automated patient care. Faculty: Ishwara B. Bhat, T. Paul Chow, Partha Dutta, Russell P. Kraft, Yannick L. LeCoz, John F. McDonald, Don L. Millard, Arthur C. Sanderson, Michael Shur.
• Multimedia Systems, Image/Signal Processing, and Networking: This field deals with the encoding, transmission, retrieval, and interpretation of information. Voice, video, scientific, and computer data are among the information sources studied. The strongest growth in recent years has been in digital communication and signal processing, an area emphasized at Rensselaer. Students may pursue programs of study strong in mathematical foundations or oriented more toward hardware and practical implementation or a combination of both. Two of the fundamental subdisciplines emphasized are statistical communications and telecommunications. The former considers special types of systems in different environments, typified by random signals in random channels, as in space communication. The latter includes the hardware and societal demands of telephone, cable TV, computer communications networks, and other systems. Faculty: Lester A. Gerhardt, Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, William Pearlman, Badrinath Roysam, Arthur C. Sanderson, Gary J. Saulnier, Kenneth S. Vastola, John Woods.

Correspondence and Information

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Ms. Ann Bruno
Manager, Student Services and Graduate Enrollment
Jonsson Engineering Center, Room 6010
110 8th Street
Troy, New York 12180
Telephone: 518-276-2554
Email: ann@ecse.rpi.edu