Information Technology and Web Science

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Undergraduate Programs

Outcomes of the Undergraduate Curricula

Students who successfully complete the program will be able to demonstrate:

• skill in core information technology and web science development methods.
• foundation skill and knowledge in computer science core.
• knowledge of the management concerns for the effective use of (especially web) technology.
• an ability to be creative using well-developed problem solving skills.
• communication, leadership skills, and ability to work in teams.
• knowledge of the social, legal, and ethical issues in employing technology around the world.
• an ability to recognize and respond to human-computer interaction issues to make technology more usable.
• broad knowledge of science, humanities, and/or business topical courses.
• application expertise through completion of a chosen Focus Track.
• an ability to complete the culminating experience designed to prepare graduates for both acceptance into graduate study programs and/or direct entry into ITWS careers.

Objectives of the Undergraduate Curriculum

The objectives of the B.S. in ITWS curriculum are to prepare students to enter a rewarding career in ITWS and to pursue further professional and/or graduate education. The program:

• synthesizes computing, systems, management, and humanities.
• extends the student’s horizons from the focused core of ITWS to the disciplinary knowledge of a student chosen application domain.

It also promotes the integration of traditional education with engaged learning and the spirit of entrepreneurship that pervades the ITWS industry. The program is designed especially for students with interests outside the technical world, but nevertheless requires substantial technical talents and skills.

Graduate Programs

Rensselaer’s Master of Science in Information Technology balances the study of management strategies and technology leadership with advanced course work in an IT Focus Track. Students complete a suite of Core and Capstone courses and also select three to five additional courses to complete their Focus Tracks. Both a professional and research track are offered for the M.S. in IT degree.

Twelve Focus Tracks are currently available at Rensselaer’s Troy campus: Data Science and Analytics, Information Dominance, Cognitive Computing, Web Science, Networking, Management Information Systems, Software Design and Engineering, Financial Engineering, Database and Intelligent Systems, Information Systems Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, and Information Security.

Programs are individually tailored to accommodate students with a variety of entering backgrounds and career goals. Most students complete the program in three semesters and have the option to select two Focus Tracks for a total of 12 courses, four courses each semester. These students will generally complete a significant salaried internship/co-op over the summer/summer-fall. Students can also choose to complete the program in two semesters. They will select one Focus Track and need to complete a total of 10 classes, five classes per semester.

Applicants are expected to have prior academic records that indicate their ability to excel in advanced coursework. Prospective students should also have completed the equivalent to the following three Rensselaer courses prior to enrollment:

• CSCI 1100 Computer Science I (number systems, basic computer architecture, stepwise refinement of algorithms, functions and parameter passing, basic programming concepts through two-dimensional arrays, and pointer basics using C++)
• CSCI 1200 Data Structures (pointers, classes, operator overloading, deep vs. shallow copy constructors, inheritance, file I/O, templates in C++, introductory algorithm analysis, and data structures)
• CSCI 2300 Introduction to Algorithms (advanced topics including mathematical induction and its application to algorithm design, linear structures, trees and balanced trees, heaps and priority queues, graphs and graph algorithms, backtracking, divide-and-conquer, and greedy algorithms).

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all full and part-time applicants in Troy. Substitution of the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is possible.

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