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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

Information technology focuses on the use of computing and related technologies and techniques to drive innovation across a wide spectrum of businesses, industries, and problem domains. Rensselaer’s interdisciplinary Master of Science in Information Technology, distinguished by its currency and rigor, is educating a cadre of future leaders, preparing them to creatively solve the complex problems of the twenty-first century.

Rensselaer’s Master of Science in Information Technology balances the study of management strategies and technology leadership with advanced course work in an IT concentration. Entrepreneurship and team skills are emphasized throughout the program. Students complete a suite of core and capstone courses and select three to five additional courses to complete their concentrations. Eight concentrations are currently available.

Programs are individually tailored to accommodate a variety of entering backgrounds and career goals. The M.S. in IT can be completed with two terms of intensive study. A three-term option with a paid internship is also available.

Master’s students take one required course from each of the following five core areas to gain a breadth of IT knowledge: database systems design, networking, software design, strategic management of technology, and human-computer interaction. If students have previously completed basic course work in a core area, there is a set of advanced courses from which to choose.

Concentrations are designed to provide an in-depth experience in the application of information technology. Eight concentrations are currently available: financial engineering, information security, human-computer interaction, database systems design, networking, information systems engineering, software design, and management information systems.

The M.S. in IT capstone course integrates the knowledge and professional practice of IT core and concentration courses. The capstone utilizes an information technology team project with a real organization to practice the major concepts of the IT master’s degree.

For prospective students interested in the Ph.D., Rensselaer offers the Doctor of Philosophy in Multidisciplinary Science program with a research track in information technology. Students have also joined other Rensselaer departments for Ph.D.’s in closely related IT research areas, such as computer science and electrical, computer, and systems engineering.

The IT master’s is available on the Troy, New York, campus; at Rensselaer at Hartford in Hartford, Connecticut; and via Education for Working Professionals (EWP). Detailed descriptions of the degree content at Hartford are available at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/ewp.

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. Public computer labs are open from early morning until late at night, with some available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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.

In addition, academic departments and faculty laboratories have extensive discipline-specific research capabilities and equipment. Centers of particular interest to IT students are the Scientific Computation Research Center, the Center for Pervasive Computing and Networking, the Academy of Electronic Media, the Center for Advanced Interconnect Systems Technologies, the Center for Interconnections for Gigascale Integration, the Center for Broadband Data Transport Science and Technology, and the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship. Other facilities and research centers include the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies; the George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation; research centers for integrated electronics, terahertz science,  nanotechnology, fuel cell and hydrogen research, lighting research, science and technology policy, and infrastructure and transportation studies; the Geotechnical Centrifuge Research Center; and the Darrin Fresh Water Institute.

Future directions in Rensselaer’s IT research can be broadly categorized as “Future Chips” or revolutionary computing and leapfrog device technologies, the “Tetherless World” of pervasive computing and distributed intelligent systems, and multiscale computation.

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

Rensselaer’s campus is located on a hill in a beautiful parklike setting, with a striking combination of traditional ivy-covered buildings and newer, modern sites. The campus overlooks downtown Troy, New York, which is located on the upper Hudson River (the heart of America’s Industrial Revolution) and has beautiful, old brownstone neighborhoods. Troy is situated in the northeastern United States, 150 miles north of New York City, with easy driving access to Boston (3 hours); New York City (3 hours); Montreal (4 hours); Niagara Falls (5 hours); Baltimore, Maryland (6½ hours); and Washington, D.C. (7½ hours). From shopping malls, performance venues, and museums to serious skiing and from hiking and biking to virtually every kind of eatery, this is an area with something for everyone.

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

Applications and all supporting credentials should be submitted well in advance of the preferred semester of entry to allow sufficient time for departmental review and processing. Since the first departmental awards are made in early February for the next academic year, applicants are encouraged to submit all required credentials by January 15 to ensure full consideration for admission and assistance. Late applications may be considered with departmental approval.

The Faculty and Their Research

• A. Abouzeid, Ph.D., Washington (Seattle). Variable topology networks, including wireless ad-hoc/sensor networks, delay/disruption-tolerant networks, and peer-to-peer overlay networks.
• S. Adali, Ph.D., Maryland. Multimedia database systems, information integration, query optimization.
• S. Bringsjord, Ph.D., Brown. Artificial intelligence, AI and creativity, reasoning-based systems for homeland defense/intelligence analysis, automated reasoning, intelligent tutoring systems.
• C. Carothers, Ph.D., Georgia Tech. Parallel and distributed systems, simulation, networking and real-time systems.
• L. Chi, Ph.D., Kentucky. Interactive market behaviors of a network of competing firms interconnected via computer networks, trust-building issues in knowledge networks and knowledge management systems.
• J. Durgee, Ph.D., Pittsburgh. Qualitative methods for identifying needs for new products and new brand positionings.
• J. Ecker, Ph.D., Michigan. Mathematical programming, multiobjective programming, geometric programming, mathematical programming applications, ellipsoid algorithms.
• M. J. Embrechts, Ph.D., Virginia Tech. Application of neural networks and fuzzy logic for manufacturing and process control; image recognition and classification with the aid of neural networks; smart experiments; neural networks for trading and finance; neural networks, fractals, chaos, and wavelets for time-series analysis; data mining; computational intelligence.
• C. Geisler, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon. Writing in workplace and professional contexts; the intersection of texts, technology, and design; methods of the analysis of verbal data; genre theory; academic literacy.
• D. Goldenberg, Ph.D., Florida. Investments, derivatives markets, mathematical and computational finance.
• R. Grice, Ph.D., Rensselaer. Information usability, human-computer interfaces, applications of computers to technical communication, information development in industry.
• A. Gupta, Ph.D., Stanford. Financial decision support, risk management, financial engineering.
• I. Hasan, Ph.D., Houston. International banking issues, the economics of stock exchanges, privatizations in emerging markets, new ventures.
• J. Hendler, Ph.D., Brown. Artificial intelligence, semantic web, agent-based computing, high-performance processing.
• C. Hsu, Ph.D., Ohio State. Metadatabase and information systems, Internet enterprises planning, database and knowledge-based systems, computerized manufacturing, enterprise integration and modeling, information visualization, economic evaluation of cyberspace-augmented enterprises.
• G. Hughes, Ph.D., Princeton. Information technology, e-business, entrepreneurship, global economics, economics of information technology.
• I. Isler, Ph.D., Pennsylvania. Robotics, automation, geometric algorithms, sensor networks, computer vision, artificial intelligence.
• S. Kalyanaraman, Ph.D., Ohio State. ATM and Internet traffic management, multimedia networking, IP telephony, performance analysis, Internet pricing.
• K. Kar, Ph.D., Maryland. Routing and traffic management in computer networks, congestion control and fair resource allocation, ad-hoc and sensor networks.
• D. Kotfila, M.Div., Yale. Advanced routing and switching protocols, network security.
• M. S. Krishnamoorthy, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Technology. Programming environments, design and analysis of combinatorial algorithms, performance issues in the Internet, analysis of Web documents, network visualization.
• R. Krull, Ph.D., Wisconsin–Madison. Electronic user interfaces and performance support, embodied illustrations and language, usability research design.
• J. Kuruzovich, Ph.D., Maryland. The means through which both individuals and organizations derive value from information systems.
• C. Lim, Ph.D., Brown. Mathematical modeling, vortex dynamics, applications of graph theory.
• Y. Lvov, Ph.D., Arizona. Mathematical physics, nonlinear phenomena.
• M. Magdon-Ismail, Ph.D., Caltech. Machine learning, computational finance, bioinformatics.
• C. Malmborg, Ph.D., Georgia Tech. Modeling and analysis of problems in facility design, materials handling, materials flow, storage systems, simulation-based optimization methods, manufacturing systems, decision analysis.
• A. Milanova, Ph.D., Rutgers. Software engineering, programming languages, compilers, program analysis, software testing, verification, reliable software systems.
• S. Nambisan, Ph.D., Syracuse. Information technology, innovation management, technology strategy, product development, strategic alliances and interfirm networks.
• L. Peters, Ph.D., Rensselaer. Behavioral aspects of information technology implementation and organizational change.
• P. Phan, Ph.D., Washington (Seattle). Strategic management, corporate governance, entrepreneurship.
• R. Ravichandran, Ph.D., Southern Illinois Carbondale. Information technology management, innovation diffusion and assimilation, supply chain management, management of complex organizational processes.
• S. Sanderson, Ph.D., Pittsburgh. International business, manufacturing policy, new product development.
• R. Sands, M.S., M.B.A., SUNY at Albany. Organizational behavior and human resource management.
• P. Search, M.A., Goddard. Visual design theory and practice, interaction design and multimedia art, computer animation and hypermedia interface design, multiliteracy models for intercultural communication.
• D. Spooner, Ph.D., Penn State. Database systems, database security, database browsing and visualization.
• B. Szymanski, Ph.D., National Academy of Sciences, Poland. Computer and sensor networks, distributed and parallel computing, distributed simulation, computational biology.
• T. Triscari, Ph.D., Rensselaer. Improving information and decision processes in complex organizations.
• C. Varela, Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Grid computing, middleware, concurrent and distributed systems, programming languages, coordination models, databases and the Web.
• K. Vastola, Ph.D., Illinois. Computer and communication networks.
• W. Wallace, Ph.D., Rensselaer. Decision support systems, environmental management modeling process, disaster management.
• T. Willemain, Ph.D., MIT. Probabilistic modeling, data analysis, forecasting.
• B. Yener, Ph.D., Columbia. Computer networks, biological networks, bioinformatics, intelligence, combinatorial optimization.
• M. Zaki, Ph.D., Rochester. Data mining and knowledge discovery, bioinformatics, generic programming, high-performance computing.

Correspondence and Information

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
For written information about graduate work:
Master of Science in Information Technology
110 8th Street
Troy, New York 12180-3590
Telephone: 518-276-6960
Email: gereg@rpi.edu


Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
For applications and admissions information:
Rensselaer Graduate Admissions
110 8th Street
Troy, New York 12180-3590
Telephone: 518-276-6216
Fax: 518-276-4072
Email: admissions@rpi.edu