Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science College of Science Rochester Institute of Technology

The Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science at Rochester Institute of Technology

The Center for Imaging Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology offers a selection of programs related to the creation, application, and extraction of information from imagery. Programs are exceptionally interdisciplinary and application areas are diverse, ranging from remote sensing, to biomedical imaging, to astronomy, to earth science, to human perception, to environmental forecasting and emergency response, to computational photography and applications in art and culture. Faculty expertise is equally broad, covering fields such as sensor development; computer science and mathematics; brain and cognitive science; electrical and environmental engineering; remote sensing; physics, astrophysics, and optics; forestry; biomedical engineering; and imaging science.

The center is supported by over $6 million in annual funding from external grants and contracts. Nearly 99 percent of CIS graduates move on to their top choices of graduate school or career. The starting salary for new BS graduates is between $70,000 and $90,000, with an average starting salary of $72,000. The starting salary for Imaging Science PhD graduates is between $70,000 and $102,000, with an average starting salary of $89,400. Graduates of CIS have taken careers at a variety of top-notch companies and institutions, including NASA, Lockheed Martin, the National Security Agency, Apple, and Microsoft, as well as in academia.

Graduate Programs in Imaging Science

The Center for Imaging Research at RIT offers a Master of Science (MS) in Imaging Science, as well as the only doctoral degree in the field in the nation. The MS degree is also available through an online learning program.

The interdisciplinary nature of the program allows for a flexible curriculum that gives students opportunities to focus on their individual areas of interest. Graduates of imaging science are prepared for careers in such fields as national security and defense, aerial and astronomical imaging, and color science, among many others.

Only Graduate Degrees in Color Science in the Country

CIS offers both an MS and a PhD Color Science degree. Centered around research conducted at the Munsell Color Science Laboratory, CIS offers the only graduate program in the country devoted to color science.

The interdisciplinary program addresses areas of chemistry, computer science, physics, physiology, psychology, and statistics. Color science research also encompasses a variety of fields, including art conservation, color printing, computer graphics and animation, computational photography, medical data visualization, motion picture and television, and spectral and spatial measurements of materials

Innovative Science Master's Program Available

RIT offers a multidisciplinary Science Master's Program (SMP) to students looking to integrate the areas of imaging science, computer science, and environmental science. The SMP program, entitled Decision Support Technologies for Environmental Forecasting and Disaster Response, incorporates education, research, and collaboration with industry and government employers to develop skills in environmental forecasting, infrastructure assessment, and disaster response.

Graduates of the SMP program obtain comprehensive knowledge of the business world; awareness of the relationships between industry, NGOs, and government; and experience using geographic information systems (GIS) as support for operational action and decision-making.

Graduate Program in Astrophysical Sciences and Technology

CIS offers an MS and a PhD in Astrophysical Sciences and Technology (AST) in conjunction with the Department of Physics and the School of Mathematical Sciences. The multidisciplinary program engages students in the exploration of the underlying physics of phenomena beyond the Earth as well as in the development of state-of-the-art technologies.

AST students have the opportunity to conduct research at the Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astronomy, the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation and the Rochester Imaging and Detector Laboratory. Areas of instruction and research include such forefront topics as dark energy, gravitational waves, astro-informatics, and computational astrophysics.

Imaging Research Opportunities at 23 Laboratories and Institutes

Rochester Institute of Technology is a world leader in imaging research. Faculty members and student scientists have created revolutionary technologies and applications related to a multitude of areas in engineering, film and animation, as well as the arts and sciences.

Research conducted at CIS focuses on areas such as remote sensing, biomedical imaging, vision and visual perception, astronomy and space weather alert technologies, computational photography, graphical display, sensor development, nano-imaging, emergency response, environmental forecasting, cultural heritage and the application of imaging science to green energy initiatives.

Imaging students have access to laboratories, centers, and institutes across RIT. Affiliated with the Center for Imaging Science are a host of research laboratories including, for example, the Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Laboratory, the Multidisciplinary Vision Research Laboratory, the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, the Munsell Color Science Laboratory, and the Laboratory for Advanced Instrumentation Research, to name just a few. Across the RIT campus, CIS faculty collaborate with numerous additional laboratories and institutes conducting imaging related research, such as the Print Media Laboratory, the Rochester Imaging Detector Laboratory, the School of Film and Animation, and the Sustainability Institute, enhancing the research opportunities for CIS?s graduate students.

Rochester Institute of Technology -- A Top Technical University Offering Experiential Learning

Rochester Institute of Technology offers a wide range of technology-based academic opportunities and career-oriented education through its 9 colleges and institutes. In 1912, RIT became one of the first universities in the world to begin a cooperative education program, which continues today in the form of co-op experiences, internships, study abroad, and research opportunities. RIT has been recognized for its achievements by the "US News and World Report," "Princeton Review," "Forbes Magazine," "Washington Monthly," and the "Fiske Guide to Colleges."

RIT is located on 1,300 acres in Rochester, New York. The city has been named the eighth best college town in America by the American Institute for Economic Research.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Master of Science (MS)
  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees 8
• Doctoral Degrees 8
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? No
• Distance learning programs available? Yes
• Terminal master's degree available? Yes

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Required
• Doctoral Degrees Required
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied92
• Accepted44
• Acceptance Rate47%
• Enrolled27
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic $60
• Application Fee - International $60
• Electronic applications accepted? Yes
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Yes
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline January 15th January 15th Yes
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesGRE, minimum GPA of 3.0
• Doctoral's DegreesNot Reported
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesTOEFL (minimum score 600 paper-based; 100 iBT) or IELTS (minimum score 6.5)

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$35,976
• Out-of-state tuition *$35,976
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year fees$240.00
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitFAFSA
• Application deadlines for financial awardsNot Reported
• Types of financial support availableCareer or Field-Related Internships, Financial Support for Part-time Students, Scholarship and/or loans, Graduate Assistantships, merit-based fellowships covering full tuition, stipends

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students116
• Female Percentage31%
• Male Percentage69%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students116
• Part-time Percentage68%
• Full-time Percentage32%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino2%
• Black / African American2%
• White / Caucasian74%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native2%
• Asian0%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander2%
• Two or more races5%
• Unknown13%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchBiomedical imaging, nano-imaging, remote sensing, sensor development, vision and visual perception, astronomy and space weather alert technologies, computational photography, graphical display, emergency response, environmental forecasting, cultural heritage and the application of imaging science to green energy initiatives
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last yearNot Reported