Stevens' undergraduate majors in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, and Service-Oriented Computing are specifically designed to train the high-end IT professionals who can take advantage of trends in the IT industry and gain entry into a challenging and rewarding career path in software development and systems analysis. It is widely recognized that the most important skills in software development and systems analysis combine a strong background in information technology, particularly creativity and problem-solving, with personal and business skills, such as client-facing, business case considerations, and project management. The four majors emphasize both a strong grounding in IT and the development of the business abilities required of a modern IT professional. Stevens is one of the few undergraduate computer science programs in the country to require a two-semester senior project course that emphasizes these skills.

The spine of the four majors is a two-year sequence of courses developing basic software engineering skills, including algorithmic problem-solving, design, coding, and testing. This is supplemented by a mathematical sequence including discrete mathematics, probability, and statistics. This sequence provides both rigor and the mathematical maturity that the modern IT professional is expected to be able to draw upon. Subsequent courses build on this spine to provide a background in advanced concepts relevant to the major. A two-semester sequence in science, including laboratories as required for accreditation of computer science programs, develops skills in formulating and testing hypotheses.

A senior-year two-semester capstone senior project course teaches the principles and theory of programming-in-the-large, including teamwork, problem solving, and agile software development methods in the context of two projects. The course is modeled on business software development practices, so that students experience a transition from academia to business. Students produce useful, well-engineered software products, applying software engineering techniques, ethical principles, and generally accepted software practices. Many projects are sponsored by companies or government agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Siemens, and Citicorp. Cybersecurity majors choose a project with an emphasis on computer systems security. Information systems majors choose a project with a specific information management emphasis.

Majors in the Computer Science department share a common freshman year, and there is a great deal of commonality in the sophomore year. This is designed to give students the maximum flexibility in determining what major they wish to pursue in the Computer Science department. All majors pursue a science sequence consisting of two science courses and a science laboratory, taken from the following list of sequences:

One of the Humanities electives must be HSS 371 Computers and Society.

Besides its technical rigor and its development of important personal and business skills, the Stevens Computer Science undergraduate major is distinguished by its flexibility. In senior year, a student in Computer Science can choose from a large number of elective courses. Concentration areas are suggested groups of Computer Science courses for those that want to “drill down” on specific topics. Some example concentration areas are distributed systems, networks, graphics, design and implementation of games, and cybersecurity. Application areas are groups of courses that include courses outside Computer Science. Approved application areas include financial systems, computer engineering and embedded systems, wireless networks, and mathematics.

The software development elective (“SD elective”) in Term VI is taken from a list of courses that involve programming assignments, and that are not already required core courses:

AI/Vision/Graphics

CS 437/537 Interactive Computer Graphics I
CS 482/541 Artificial Intelligence
CS 558 Computer Vision

SOC

CS 546 Web Programming Systems
CS 494/516 Compiler Design
CS 521 TCP/IP Networks
CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing
CS 526 Systems Programming for Enterprise Computing
CS 549 Distributed Systems

Stevens' Computer Science Department is also the home to world-class research in areas such as computer security, computer graphics, vision and visualization, software engineering, and networks. The quality of this research is demonstrated by the publication and funding records of the faculty of the department. Stevens undergraduate students are encouraged to get involved with faculty in their research. Indeed, while graduate students come from all over the world to be involved with Stevens research, some Stevens undergraduates choose to stay at Stevens for their graduate work, pursuing Ph.D. research with the faculty they came to know during their undergraduate studies.

The course sequence for computer science is as follows:

The program requires the following courses:

Science

• Science I
• Science II
• Science Lab

Mathematics and Statistics

• MA 115 Calculus I
• MA 116 Calculus II
• MA 134 Discrete Mathematics
• MA 222 Probability and Statistics
• MA 331 Statistical Methods

Core Computer Science

• CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
• CS 146 Web Fundamentals
• CS 284 Data Structures
• CS 334 Automata and Computation
• CS 347 Software Development Process
• CS 383 Computer Organization and Programming
• CS 385 Algorithms
• CS 392 Systems Programming
• CS 488 Computer Architecture
• CS 492 Operating Systems
• CS 496 Programming Languages
• CS 511 Concurrent Programming
• CS 551 Software Engineering and Practice I
• CS 552 Software Engineering and Practice II
• CS 573 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity

Students who take the Honors sequence CS 181/182 are not required to take CS 115/284/385.

Management

• MGT 111 Organizational Behavior and Social Psychology

Humanities

Students must take at least eight humanities courses, following the undergraduate core requirements. Humanities courses must include HSS 371 Computers and Society.

Physical Education

Students must take at least six semesters of physical education.

Technical and Free Electives

The basic study plan is for students with some background in computer science from high school (at least a year of programming in an imperative language such as Java or C). These students take CS 115 in their first term. This basic study plan has two technical electives and two free electives.

Students with little or no background in computer science should take CS 105 in their first term and CS 115 in their second term. Students taking this study plan have one technical elective and two free electives.

Students taking the accelerated introductory sequence CS 181/182 have two technical electives and three free electives.

The Application Areas defined below allow students to devote up to four of their electives (technical and free electives) to disciplines outside computer science. Depending upon the Application Area, the science/math elective and/or the management elective may be chosen to support the course sequence.

You must receive prior departmental approval in order to substitute an Application Area for computer science electives. The Computer Science department works with other departments to develop Application Area sequences in disciplines that are related to computer science. Below are Application Areas that are already approved.

Computer Engineering and Embedded Systems

CPE 358 Switching Theory and Logical Design
    CPE 390 Microprocessor Systems
    CPE 450 Embedded Systems for Real-Time Applications
        or CPE 555 Real-Time and Embedded Systems
    CPE 487 Digital System Design

Wireless Networks

CS 521 TCP/IP Networks
    NIS 583 Wireless Communications
    NIS 584 Wireless Systems Security
    NIS 586 Wireless Networking: Architectures, Protocols, and Standards

Financial Systems
Intended for students who contemplate a career in the financial sector. Those who select this Application Area option should take MGT 243 (Macroeconomics) as their required management elective.

 MGT 244 Microeconomics
    BT 115 Financial Accounting
    BT 215 Cost Accounting
    BT 321 Finance

Mathematics
This Application Area focuses on topics in mathematics that utilize computing, or mathematics that may be of use to a computer scientist. These foundation courses are required:

    MA 221 Differential Equations
    MA 232 Linear Algebra

Then choose any two of these courses:

    MA 331 Statistics
    MA 335 Number Theory
    MA 336 Modern Algebra
    MA 346 Numerical Methods
    MA 460 Chaotic Dynamics

Computational Chemistry & Biology

CH 116/118 Chemistry II/Chemistry Lab II
    CH 321 Thermodynamics
    CH 381 Cell Biology
    CH 664 Computer Methods in Chemistry

In addition, students should take the Chemistry/Biology Lab option (in particular, CH 115/17 Chemistry I and Lab). It is also suggested, but not required, that CH 484 (Introduction to Molecular Genetics) be taken as the free elective.

Below are the suggested course sequences for students who are interested in specific areas within computer science. These sequences are optional; indeed, each student may choose their electives (aside from the science/math elective and the management elective) according to personal interests. A concentration does not appear on the diploma. Students should understand that concentrated electives are merely suggestions. A student may choose to take all, some, or none of the courses in a concentration.

Information Systems

• CS 519 Distributed Commerce
• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering
• CS 546 Web Programming
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World

Service-Oriented Architecture

• CS 513 Data Mining
• CS 546 Web Programming
• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 549 Distributed Systems

Computer Graphics

• MA 232 Linear Algebra
• CS 437/537 Interactive Computer Graphics I
• CS 538 Visual Analytics
• CS 558 Computer Vision
• CS 638 Advanced Computer Graphics

The linear algebra course MA 232 may be chosen as a science/math elective.

Design of Games

The concentration in Game Design is designed to provide the student with a grounding in the skills sets underlying computer gaming. The emphasis is on the creation of distributed, multi-player, and 3-D games. 

• CS 437/537 Interactive Computer Graphics I
• CS 482/541 Artificial Intelligence
• CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing or CS 549 Distributed Systems 
• CS 539 Real-Time Rendering, Gaming, and Simulations Programming
• CS 545 Human Computer Interaction

It is further recommended that a game design be the subject of the student's CS 551/CS 552 software project.

Cybersecurity

• CS/MA 503 Discrete Mathematics for Cryptography
• CS 576 Secure Systems
• CS 577 Cybersecurity Lab
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World
• CS 579 Foundations of Cryptography
• MA 503 may be chosen as a science/math elective.

Distributed Systems

• CS 521 TCP/IP Networks
• CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing
• CS 546 Web Programming
• CS 549 Distributed Systems

Theoretical Computer Science

• CS 600 Advanced Algorithm Design and Implementation
• CS 601 Algorithmic Complexity
• CS 630 Automata and Formal Languages
• CS 634 Decidability and Computability

Minor in Computer Science

You may qualify for a minor in computer science by taking the courses indicated below. Enrollment in a minor means you must meet the Institute's requirements for minor programs. You may not use the same courses for both a major and a minor. Only courses completed with grade of "C" or better are accepted towards a student's minor.

Requirements for a Minor in Computer Science (not available to majors in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, or Service-Oriented Computing):

• CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
• MA 134 Discrete Mathematics
• CS 284 Data Structures
• CS 385 Algorithms
   

and one of the following tracks:

Software Systems

• CS 383 Computer Organization and Programming
• CS 392 Systems Programming
• CS 492 Operating Systems

Computer Graphics

• CS 437/537 Interactive Computer Graphics
• CS 545 Human Computer Interaction
• CS 538 Visual Analytics 
  
  • or CS 539 Real Time Rendering, Gamings and Simulations
  • or CS 558 Computer Vision 
  • or CS 638 Advanced Computer Graphics

The Bachelor of Science program in Cybersecurity is structured to provide students with security expertise within the context of a broad education. A solid education in security requires not only a strong focus in science and computer science in particular (e.g., need for robust implementation and software validation), but must also incorporate some aspects of engineering and technology management. While cryptographers strive to develop the best security solution possible, actual implementations of theoretical concepts often fail due to technological limitations, cost restraints, and human factors that were not part of the initial design process. For a solution to gain practical relevance, the end user must be able and willing to use it. From an economical point of view, a solution must provide a substantial monetary benefit to the customer. In order to allow for these complex issues to be better addressed, an education in cybersecurity must integrate science, technology, and management.

The program requires the following courses:

Science

• Science I
• Science II
• Science Lab

Mathematics and Statistics

• MA 115 Calculus I
• MA 116 Calculus II
• MA 134 Discrete Mathematics
• MA 222 Probability and Statistics

Core Computer Science

• CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
• CS 284 Data Structures
• CS 334 Automata and Computation
• CS 347 Software Development Process
• CS 383 Computer Organization and Programming
• CS 385 Algorithms
• CS 442 Database Management Systems
• CS 488 Computer Architecture
• CS 492 Operating Systems
• CS 496 Programming Languages
• CS 511 Concurrent Programming
• CS 551 Software Engineering and Practice I
• CS 552 Software Engineering and Practice II

Students who take the Honors sequence CS 181/182 are not required to take CS 115/284/385.

Cybersecurity

• CS 503 Discrete Mathematics for Cryptography
• CS 573 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
• CS 576 Secure Systems
• CS 577 Cybersecurity Laboratory
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World
• CS 579 Foundations of Cryptography

Management

• BT 131 Technogenesis: Introduction to Innovation and Creativity

Humanities

Students must take at least eight humanities courses, following the undergraduate core requirements. Humanities courses must include HSS 371 Computers and Society.

Physical Education

Students must take at least six semesters of physical education.

Technical and Free Electives

The basic study plan has four unspecified technical electives. Two of these must be computer science (CS) classes, and at least one must be a security elective (see the list below). The basic study plan has one free elective.

For students requiring CS 105 in Term I, the number of technical electives is two. One of these must be a computer science class and at least one must be a security elective. There remains one free elective.

For students taking the accelerated introductory sequence CS 181/182, two technical electives must be computer science classes, and one must be a security elective. This track includes a second free elective.

Security Electives

The following CS and non-CS courses qualify as security electives. Note that undergraduates must meet minimum GPA requirements to enroll in 600-level courses:

• CS 594 Enterprise Security and Information Assurance
• CS 665 Cybersecurity Forensics
• CS 693 Cryptographic Protocols
• CPE 592 Multimedia Network Security
• MIS 662 Legal Issues in a Wired World
• MIS 645 Cybersecurity Principles for Managers
• MIS 646 Enterprise Architectures for Information Assurance

You may qualify for a minor in cybersecurity by taking the courses indicated below. Enrollment in a minor means you must meet the Institute's requirements for minor programs. You may not use the same courses for both a major and a minor. Only courses completed with grade of "C" or better are accepted towards a student's minor.

Requirements for a Minor in Cybersecurity (not available to majors in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Information Systems and Service-Oriented Computing):

• CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
• CS 284 Data Structures
• CS 385 Algorithms
• CS/MA 503 Discrete Mathematics for Cryptography
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World
• CS 579 Foundations of Cryptography
• MA 134 Discrete Mathematics

Information Systems (IS) is designed for those seeking the background needed to apply information technology to support the major functions of a business or public institution. Information systems manage the collection, manipulation, storage, distribution, and utilization of an organization's information. The Stevens IS major distinguishes itself by its technical rigor, and by providing high-level skills in software development and systems analysis. A solid background in business skills is combined with an information technology background, the technical core of which is shared with Computer Science and Cybersecurity majors. Both strong technical ability and a firm grounding in business skills are essential for the modern high-end IS professional.

Both the two-year skills “spine” and the senior-year capstone project course are shared between Information Systems and Computer Science majors. This ensures that IS majors obtain the rigorous grounding in IS skills that the high-end IS professional is expected to have. While the Computer Science program is designed to allow majors to “drill down” to specific technical areas, the Information Systems program offers a focus on business and management functions, including basic business skills, such as accounting, marketing, and organizational behavior. The IS program also provides a specific focus on systems analysis and information management: how an organization (be it business, government, or any other kind of organization) can structure its IS function, and how the IS manager relates to the rest of the managerial structure.

 In recognition of the modern IS environment, the IS program has an additional emphasis on networked information. Courses in systems programming, Web programming, and databases demonstrate how to realize the opportunities offered by IS in managing information. Courses in cybersecurity and privacy address the technical, managerial, and legal hazards that must be addressed in the modern networked world. Much of the IS core is shared with the Stevens Cybersecurity and Computer Science majors. While these latter majors "drill down" to technical aspects of computer systems, IS focuses on organizational aspects of information management.

A typical career path for a student majoring in IS is an entry-level software developer/systems analyst position, rising eventually to Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technical Officer (CTO) in an organization. The IS major’s emphases on information management and project management are essential preparation for either of these career paths.

The program requires the following courses:

Science

• Science I
• Science II
• Science Lab

Math and Statistics

• MA 115 Calculus I
• MA 116 Calculus II
• MA 134 Discrete Mathematics
• MA 222 Probability and Statistics
• MA 331 Statistical Methods

Computer Science and Software Engineering

• CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
• CS 134 Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science
• CS 146 Web Fundamentals
• CS 284 Data Structures
• CS 347 Software Development Process
• CS 385 Algorithms
• CS 392 Systems Programming
• CS 442 Database Management Systems
• CS 545 Human Computer Interaction
• CS 546 Web Programming
• CS 551 Software Engineering and Practice I
• CS 552 Software Engineering and Practice II
• CS 564 Software Requirements Acquisition and Analysis
• CS 573 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World

Management

• BT 101 Introduction to Business Planning
• BT 113 Marketing
• BT 115 Financial AccountingMGT 111 Organizational Behavior
• MGT 244 Microeconomics

Humanities

Students must take at least eight humanities courses, following the undergraduate core requirements, where MGT 244 Microeconomics counts as a humanities elective. Humanities courses must include HSS 371 Computers and Society.

Physical Education

Students must take at least six semesters of physical education.

Technical and Free Electives

The basic study plan is for students with some background in computer science from high school (at least a year of programming in an imperative language, such as Java or C). These students take CS 115 in their first term. This basic study plan has three IS electives and two free electives.

Students with little or no background in computer science should take CS 105 in their first term and CS 115 in their second term. Students taking this study plan have three IS elective, and one free elective.

Students taking the accelerated introductory sequence CS 181/182 have three IS electives and three free electives.

Information Systems Electives

IS Electives are chosen from the following list of courses:

• CS 519 Distributed Commerce
• CS 594 Enterprise Security and Information Assurance
• MGT 243 Macroeconomics

Other IS electives may be approved at the discretion of the director for the undergraduate IS program.

You may qualify for a minor in information systems by taking the courses indicated below. Enrollment in a minor means you must meet the Institute's requirements for minor programs. You may not use the same courses for both a major and a minor. Only courses completed with grade of "C" or better are accepted towards a student's minor.

Requirements for a Minor in Information Systems (not available to majors in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, and Service-Oriented Computing):

• CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
• CS 284 Data Structures
• CS 347 Software Development Process
• CS 385 Algorithms
• CS 442 Database Management Systems
• CS 546 Web Programming
• MA 134 Discrete Mathematics

Technologies such as Web services are facilitating a view of software as services, more fine-grain than the normal view of software libraries, that may be used for heavyweight inter-enterprise application integration, but may also be used for very flexible lightweight rapid development of new applications. Frameworks are emerging that domain experts can use, not just to compose together services, but also to synthesize new applications. This synthesis may be done using scripting languages or domain-specific programming languages and protocols. All of this represents a growing demand for front-end applications that leverage the provision of existing software services, but where the emphasis of the software development is providing client front-ends. This is related to the emerging discipline of informatics, which emphasizes applications of computer science and domain expertise.

The kinds of tasks that such developers pursue range all the way from designing and implementing Web pages, to developing distributed collaborative applications with sophisticated database backends. They will need to go beyond existing technology in application development, to overcome the poor support in Web services for building highly available applications, for example. They may need to develop application-specific scripting languages of their own, since the interfaces of some applications are sophisticated enough to be considered languages in their own right, while using an existing scripting language might be too general and difficult for the client to master.

The Bachelor of Science in Service-Oriented Computing (BS/SOC) is a response to this trend in the marketplace for IT skills. At a first approximation, it may be viewed as occupying an intermediate point along the continuum between computer science and information systems. The traditional emphasis of computer science is on the hardware/software interface, while that of information systems is on information management and systems analysis and design. The BS/SOC provides only minimal coverage of the hardware/software interface (as much as is covered by the systems programming course), and focuses instead on front-end and distributed application development skills. At the same time, the BS/SOC program also provides the basic mathematical and problem-solving skills required of the modern software developer. Indeed, software development skills that are considered optional in many computer science curricula, such as concurrent programming, building reliabile distributed systems, and operational semantics for interpreters, are core components of the BS/SOC program.

The BS/SOC provides courses in:

• Concurrent programming
• Databases
• Cybersecurity fundamentals
• Requirements acquisition and human computer interaction
• Web programming and service-oriented architecture (SOA)
• Distributed systems

The BS/SOC is intended to graduate domain experts with deep technical skills. Therefore, each major in the BS/SOC must choose an application area that is defined by the major. The currently approved application domains are below, but other domains may be approved by the department curriculum committee:

Health Informatics

• CS 513 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing
• CS 544 Health Informatics
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World

Software Engineering

• CS 533 Cost Estimation and Metrics
• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering
• CS 565 Software Architecture and Design
• CS 567 Software Testing

Internet Software Engineering

• CS 513 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing
• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World

The program requires the following courses:

Science

• Science I
• Science II
• Science Lab

Math and Statistics

• MA 115 Calculus I
• MA 116 Calculus II
• MA 134 Discrete Mathematics
• MA 222 Probability and Statistics
• MA 331 Statistical Methods

Computer Science and Software Engineering

• CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
• CS 146 Web Fundamentals
• CS 284 Data Structures
• CS 347 Software Development Process
• CS 385 Algorithms
• CS 392 Systems Programming
• CS 442 Database Management Systems
• CS 511 Concurrent Programming
• CS 545 Human Computer Interaction
• CS 546 Web Programming
• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 551 Software Engineering and Practice I
• CS 552 Software Engineering and Practice II
• CS 564 Software Requirements Acquisition and Analysis
• CS 573 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity

Management

• MGT 111 Organizational Behavior

Humanities

Students must take at least eight humanities courses, following the undergraduate core requirements. Humanities courses must include HSS 371 Computers and Society.

Physical Education

Students must take at least six semesters of physical education.

Technical and Free Electives

The basic study plan is for students with some background in computer science from high school (at least a year of programming in an imperative language, such as Java or C). These students take CS 115 in their first term. This basic study plan has four SOC electives and two free electives.

Students with little or no background in computer science should take CS 105 in their first term and CS 115 in their second term. Students taking this study plan have four SOC electives and one free elective.

Students taking the accelerated introductory sequence CS 181/182 have four SOC electives and three free electives.

You may qualify for a minor in service-oriented computing by taking the courses indicated below. Enrollment in a minor means you must meet the Institute's requirements for minor programs. You may not use the same courses for both a major and a minor. Only courses completed with grade of "C" or better are accepted towards a student's minor.

Requirements for a Minor in Service-Oriented Computing (not available to majors in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, and Service-Oriented Computing):

• CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
• CS 284 Data Structures
• CS 385 Algorithms
• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 549 Distributed Systems
• CS 564 Software Requirements Acquisition and Analysis
• MA 134 Discrete Mathematics

Several types of graduate degrees are offered:

• Master of Science in Computer Science: The MS/CS is the flagship graduate program. It is designed to be flexible in allowing students to combine several areas of concentration, such as software engineering, cybersecurity, and databases and service-oriented architecture. Ph.D. students who do not already have a M.S. degree should consider pursuing a M.S. in Computer Science to develop breadth before their Ph.D. studies.
• Master of Science in Quantitative Software Engineering: The MS/QSE provides hands-on experience with modern software engineering techniques, and prepares the student to apply software technologies to the realization of secure and reliable software products and services on time and within budget.
• Master of Science in Service-Oriented Computing: The MS/SOC is an accelerated professional education program that develops the skills set required for developing Web and internet applications, particularly tailored for those with little or no previous programming experience. An optional introductory course teaches introductory programming using a language such as Visual Basic. Subsequent courses teach Web programming using PHP and Javascript, and distributed programming using frameworks such as .NET. Other courses teach software requirements engineering, human computer interction, information architecture for Web site design, and service-oriented archtecture (SOA).
• Master of Science in Enterprise Computing: The MS/EC is intended to educate high-end IT professionals with an interest in enterprise computing. Students learn about distributed computing from both the reliability and security points of view, including service-oriented architecture (SOA). This program has a particular emphasis on systems administration and governance. A typical back-end setup will involve several virtualized servers, running heterogeneous guest operating systems on top of hypervisors, organized in a highly available cluster. Data processing and Web service applications will have service level agreements (SLAs) that must be honored. This program develops the skills sets for the professionals who administer such operations.
• Master of Science in Security and Privacy: The MS/SP is a rigorous program in the art and practice of security and privacy, including fundamentals of cryptography, and threats and defenses for secure systems. The emphasis in this program is on deep technical skills that may be complemented with courses in security management, as opposed to the security courses suggested for the MS/CS that emphasize broad principles and security administration.
• Master of Science in Multimedia Experience and Management: The MS/MEM brings together two elements of user interfaces and information presentation: multimedia content experience and content management. Graduates of the program will have a firm grounding in computer graphics, human computer interaction, and software engineering. Beyond this, they can choose to specialize in multimedia experience (advanced graphics and visual analytics) or multimedia management (distributed computing). Both tracks include courses in software engineering (user experience engineering and software architecture).
• Graduate Certificate: A graduate certificate typically consists of four graduate courses. The courses for a graduate certificate may also be used towards another graduate degree, such as a master's degree.
• Ph.D. in Computer Science.

Requirements for the completion of the MS/CS are:

1. Completion of at least thirty credit-hours of study at the graduate level (500-level and above), with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
2. At least twenty one credit hours must be from computer science courses, identified by the CS prefix. The courses available in computer science are identified in the course catalog.
3. At least one of the courses must be any one of the following core computer science courses:
• CS 510 Programming Languages
• CS 520 Operating Systems
• CS 561 Database Management Systems
• CS 573 fundamentals of Cybersecurity
• CS 600 Advanced Algorithm Design and Implementation
4. The remaining nine credit-hours can be from computer science or any other disciplines.

Several suggested concentrations, include:

• Databases and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
• Databases, Security, and Privacy
• Health Informatics
• Network and Systems Administration
• Mobile and Embedded Systems
• Software and Security Engineering
• Software Engineering and Databases
• Web Application Development
• Admissions Requirements

The departmental requirement for admission into the master's degree program in computer science is a bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a four-point scale.

Applicants whose undergraduate degree is not in computer science or computer engineering are advised to take the GRE General Test. In addition, such applicants must have completed at least one year of calculus and at least one programming course; they may be conditionally admitted subject to the completion of some or all of the following foundation courses with a grade of "B" or better:

• CS 570 Introduction to C++
• CS 590 Algorithms
• MA 502 Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science

In addition, students without a computer science background wishing to take advanced systems courses, such as operating systems, may be required to take:

• CS 550 Computer Organization and Programming

All foundation courses may be used as credit towards the degree.

International students must demonstrate their proficiency in English by scoring at least 550 (or 210 for the computer-based test) on the TOEFL. Applicants desiring financial assistance are required to submit all application documents to Office of Graduate Admissions before February 1 for fall admission, and before September 1 for spring admission.

The M.S. program in Quantitative Software Engineering emphasizes both practical software technology and the practical skills needed to apply software technology to the realization of high-quality software products on time and within budget. It is case-history, and project-oriented, and teaches industry-standard practices and tools, including the use of software process metrics. It is intended for those with practical goals, as practicing software developers, as software managers, or as software entrepreneurs.

Degree Requirements

• CS 533 Cost Estimation and Metrics
• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering
• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 564 Software Requirements Acquisition and Analysis
• CS 565 Software Architecture and Component-Based Design
• CS 567 Software Testing, Quality Assurance, and Maintenance
• CS 689 Software Reliability Engineering
• Elective I
• Elective II
• Elective III

The three electives, chosen with the approval of the program director, may be in software technology or in management. Recommended software technology topics include database management systems, distributed systems, system performance analysis, etc. Recommended management topics include project management, group dynamics, etc. Students should choose electives for which they have the stated prerequisites, some of which may not be among the required QSE courses. The 10 courses must be completed with a GPA of 3.0 or better.

Admission Requirements
Students must have an undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or better in Computer Science or Computer Engineering, or alternatively, an undergraduate degree in another field and on-the-job experience in software development. A solid working knowledge of a programming language is mandatory; C++ is the preferred language. Letters of recommendation should be specific as to the applicant's achievements, rather than generally laudatory. Students with no software experience may be admitted subject to taking up to four of the foundation courses (CS 550, CS 570, CS 590, and MA 502).

As IT becomes more and more ubiquitous, in e-commerce and e-government, there is an exploding demand for the wide range of expertise in IT and software development that is needed to meet the demands of the modern information economy. In particular, there is a need for domain-specific experts who are conversant both in information technology and software skills, and also have a facility for the appropriate applications of these technologies in a particular field.

Technologies such as Web services are facilitating a view of software as “services,” much more fine-grain than the normal view of software libraries, that may be used for heavyweight inter-enterprise application integration, but may also be used for very flexible lightweight rapid development of new applications. We are seeing the emergence of frameworks that domain experts in that sector can use, not just to compose together services, but also to synthesize new applications. This synthesis may be done using scripting languages or domain-specific programming languages and protocols. This is related to an emerging phenomenon of “situational programming,” where lightweight applications must be developed rapidly and relatively easily. This goes somewhat beyond simple “mash-ups” on the Web, but such applications often do not require the depth of skill and management that large software projects entail.

The Master of Science in Service-Oriented Computing, program is an accelerated professional education program that provides domain experts with the skill sets that they need in order to use and manage the IT that is being deployed globally today. Students may have little or no background in software development, but they are already, or want to be, a professional in a particular field with IT skills. The program provides very focused training in the skill sets that are required to make students technically capable of taking existing frameworks and using them to develop new client-specific applications.

The focus of the program is very much on front-end skills:

• Requirements acquisition and analysis
• Human-computer interaction
• Web design and information architecture
• Ethical and privacy issues

The kinds of tasks that students pursue range all the way from designing and implementing Web pages, to developing distributed collaborative applications with sophisticated database back-ends.

The program provides a very focused path for obtaining the basic software development skills that graduates will require. The sequence starts with an introductory programming course that teaches fundamental problem-solving skills in the context of learning a programming language that is geared to end-user applications (e.g., Visual Basic). A successor course teaches basic software engineering skills and best practices for Web-based applications, particularly for three-tier client-server applications using a Web server as a front-end to a database, using PHP and Javascript. The cornerstone course builds on this to teach more advanced approaches, such as Web services, using a popular programming environment, such as .NET. The use of transactions for concurrency control and reliability is also explained. Finally, a capstone course uses these techniques in a term assignment that involves developing an application that is relevant to a particular domain.

This is termed a program in service-oriented computing (informatics is also a term that is sometimes used) because service-oriented architectures (SOA) are the emerging basis for the frameworks that graduates will be using to develop domain-specific end-user applications. Web and distributed programming, along with basic software engineering and human-computer interaction (HCI) skills, are an important part of the necessary skills sets.

Degree Requirements for graduation

• Completion of at least thirty credit-hours of study at the graduate level (500-level and above), with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
• Completion of all of the core courses. SOC 605 may be waived by the program director if the student already has some training or experience in software development.
• Completion of all of the courses in an approved application domain.

Core Courses

• SOC 510 Human-Computer Interaction
• SOC 521 Software Requirements Acquisition and Analysis
• SOC 605 Introduction to Service-Oriented Computing
• SOC 606 Introduction to Internet Applications 
• SOC 611 Web Fundamentals
• SOC 641 Distributed Application Development
• SOC 642 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems

In addition, students must complete the elective courses in one of the approved application domains. The currently approved application domains are below, but other domains may be approved by the program director:

Health Informatics

• SOC 550 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• SOC 551 Privacy in a Networked World
• SOC 552 Health Informatics

Internet Software Engineering

• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering
• SOC 550 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• SOC 551 Privacy in a Networked World

Software Engineering

• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering

In addition, take any two of the following courses:

• CS 533 Cost Estimation and Metrics
• CS 565 Software Architecture and Design
• CS 567 Software Testing

Admissions Requirements
An undergraduate education in computer science or computer engineering is not required. Applicants who have not taken programming courses as undergraduates are advised to take the GRE General Test. If an applicant already has some programming background, then they may replace SOC 605 with some other course.

A student who has gained admission to one of the other Computer Science graduate programs may transfer to the MS/SOC program. However, a student in the MS/SOC program may not transfer to another graduate program in the Computer Science department without the permission of the cognizant program director.

The MS/EC program is intended to educate high-end IT professionals with an interest in enterprise computing. Students will learn about distributed computing from both the reliability and the security points of view. They will learn about distributed computing "in the large," including enterprise application integration and service-oriented architectures (SOA). They will build on skills learned in courses in databases and systems programming for enterprise computing to learn how to administer server back-ends that are the crux of modern SOA. This will involve ensuring that applications meet their goals in terms of performance, reliability, security, and privacy. A typical back-end setup will involve several virtualized servers, running heterogeneous guest operating systems on top of hypervisors, organized in a highly available cluster. Data processing and Web service applications will have service level agreements (SLAs) that must be honored. The administrator must be able to respond to performance issues by dynamically reallocating resources between applications, while at the same time responding to component failures, and potentially also security attacks. They will also need to ensure that procedures are followed for ensuring privacy guarantees, some of which will be mandated by legislation. They may work with company lawyers to define what these procedures are. The MS/EC program includes a course in security administration that covers technical, management, and legal aspects of enterprise security and privacy, including security governance, privacy concerns, and best practices for secure systems.

As well as developing technical skills, students will develop skills in client-facing, business cases, and project management. Such skills are expected in general, and particularly for enterprise IT professionals. A course in enterprise software engineering exposes students to best practices in enterprise architecture integration and SOA. Courses in software engineering teach the principles and theory of programming-in-the-large, including teamwork, problem solving, and agile software development methods. The courses are modeled on business software development practices, so that students experience a transition from academia to business. Students produce useful, well-engineered software products, applying software engineering techniques, ethical principles, and generally accepted software practices.

Requirements for Degree Completion

1. Completion of at least thirty credit-hours of study at the graduate level (500-level and above), with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
2. All of the core courses must be completed. The remaining courses should come from a list of approved electives, or with the approval of the program director.
3. At least twenty-one credit hours must be from computer science courses, identified by the CS prefix.
4. The remaining nine credit-hours can be from computer science or any other disciplines.

Core Courses

• CS 526 Systems Programming for Enterprise Computing
• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 549 Distributed Systems
• CS 561 Database Management Systems

Elective Courses

Other electives may be allowed with the approval of the program director. Up to three courses may be taken outside of computer science.

Data Management and SOA

• CS 513 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• CS 551 Health Informatics

Management

• MGT 600 Managerial Accounting
• MGT 607 Managerial Economics
• MGT 623 Financial Management   
• MIS 662 Legal Issues in a Wired World

Security and Privacy

• CS 573 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World
• CS 594 Entrprise Security and Information Assurance
• CS 612 Enterprise Security and Privacy

Systems Administration

• CS 611 Systems Administration for Enterprise Computing
• CS 615 Systems Administration
• CS 666 Information Networks
• CS 669 Network Management

Admissions Requirements

Admissions requirements are the same as for the MS/CS.

Security breaches such as the Code Red, Sobig, and MyDoom worms have cost several billion dollars to the global economy in recent years. Millions of residential computers are assumed to be “zombies,” taken over by attackers unbeknownst to their owners, organized into "bot-nets," and used routinely for spamming everyone that uses the Internet. Denial of service attacks have been staged against major corporations that rely on network access, such as Ebay, as well as against the root servers for the internet Domain Naming System (DNS), using bot-nets that can be purchased on the black market for just a few hundred dollars. Criminal gangs are hiring expert programmers to break into law enforcement databases to learn the names of informants. Consumers are becoming more and more reliant on computer systems, for example, for home banking, while companies and governments are exposing themselves to potential attacks due to the need for a “Web presence.” On the legislative level, increasing privacy concerns are giving rise to legislation that companies must be aware of and be able to adapt to.

In response to these trends, Stevens has developed a graduate program in security and privacy that provides deep and rigorous training in cybersecurity to IT professionals who already have a background in computer science. It is intended that this be a nationally-recognized credential for cybersecurity professionals. Graduates of this program will also be well-poised to pursue Ph.D. study in security and privacy, should they so choose. The program provides a rigorous education in the foundations of security and privacy, including cryptography, privacy, and secure systems.

Degree Requirements

Completion of at least thirty credit-hours of study at the graduate level (500-level and above), with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
All of the core courses must be completed. The remaining courses should come from a list of approved electives, or with the approval of the program director.
At least twenty-one credit-hours must be from computer science courses, identified by the CS prefix.

The remaining nine credit-hours can be from computer science or any other disciplines.

Core Courses

• CS 520 and CS 600 may be replaced by electives if the student already has taken these courses as an undergraduate.
• CS 520 Operating Systems
• CS 503 Discrete Mathematics for Cryptography
• CS 573 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World
• CS 579 Foundations of Cryptography
• CS 600 Advanced Algorithm Design and Implementation
• CS 675 Secure Computer Systems

Elective Courses

Other electives may be allowed with the approval of the program director. Up to three courses may be outside of computer science.

Cybersecurity

• CS 521 TCP/IP Networks
• CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing
• CS 594 Enterprise Security and Information Assurance
• CS 615 Systems Administration
• CS 665 Cybersecurity Forensics
• CS 669 Network Management 
• CS 693 Cryptographic Protocols
• NIS 584 Wireless Systems Security Systems

Enterprise Computing

• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 549 Distributed Systems
• CS 561 Database Management Systems Management
• MIS 662 Legal Issues for a Wired World
• TM 675 Analyzing Technology Risks

Admissions Requirements

Admissions requirements are the same as for the MS/CS.

A computer is made up of three parts: computation, storage, and display. As computation and storage become increasingly ubiquitous and free, display (the presentation of information) becomes an increasingly important part of any application. Devices such as computers, televisions, and cell phones are increasingly becoming rich thin clients for screen access and data entry, and where increasingly the visualization and auditory components are regarded as portable and morphable. Many advanced forms of interfaces are being developed in the entertainment industry based on these principles, as well as in scientific and information visualization. The entertainment industry has pioneered techniques for developing rich user interfaces, focusing on engineering the entire user experience with multimedia content.

This program brings together two elements of user interfaces and information presentation: multimedia content experience and content management. Graduates of the program will have a firm grounding in computer graphics, human-computer interaction, and software engineering. Beyond this, they can choose to specialize in multimedia experience (advanced graphics and visual analytics) or multimedia management (distributed computing). Both tracks include courses in software engineering (user experience engineering and software architecture). Students can choose further specialization in either area, or greater breadth by choosing courses across the tracks or from other electives that are relevant.

Degree Requirements

1. Completion of at least thirty credit-hours of study at the graduate level (500-level and above), with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
2. All of the core courses must be completed. The remaining courses should come from a list of approved electives, or with the approval of the program director.
3. At least twenty-one credit-hours must be from computer science courses, identified by the CS prefix.
4. The remaining nine credit-hours can be from computer science or any other disciplines.

Core Courses

All of the following courses must be taken:

• CS 537 Interactive Computer Graphics
• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering
• CS 545 Human-Computer Interaction

In addition, students should take courses from one of the following concentrations:

Multimedia Experience

Pick two of the following courses:

• CS 538 Visual Analytics
• CS 539 Real-Time Rendering, Gaming, Simulation
• CS 541 Artificial Intelligence
• CS 543 Principles of Computer-Mediated Entertainment
• CS 558 Computer Vision
• CS 559 Machine Learning

Multimedia Management

• CS 520 Operating Systems

Pick one of the following courses:

• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 565 Software Architecture and Design

Pick one of the following courses:

• CS 549 Distributed Systems
• CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing

Electives

Any of the above courses may be taken as an elective, as well as the following. Other electives may be approved by the program director. Up to three courses may be outside of computer science.

• CS 513 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• CS 546 Web Programming
• CS 561 Database Management Systems
• CS 573 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World
• CS 636 Integrated Services – Multimedia
• CPE 591 Introduction to Multimedia Networking 
• MIS 662 Legal Issues for a Wired World

The Computer Science department offers graduate certificate programs to students meeting the regular admission requirements for the master's program. Each certificate program is self-contained and highly focused, comprising 12 or more credits. Most of the courses may be used toward the master's degree, as well as for the certificate.

Databases and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

This program provides a firm grounding in enterprise architecture and SOA, particularly as they are supported by modern database management systems and platforms such as Web services. Students will get experience with building fault-tolerant client-server systems, including practice with modern middleware platforms. They will learn about the concepts underlying distributed algorithms, since they may very well have to implement some of these algorithms themselves in the context of building fault-tolerant systems. Students will have the option of learning about software engineering for enterprise applications, including the use of middleware such as Web services to achieve integration of enterprise architectures, both within an enterprise and across different enterprises. They may also focus on developing Web-based applications using languages such as PHP and AJAX, and using software architectures such as REST. Finally, students may also focus on data mining, including both algorithms and applications of existing data mining tools.

• CS 549 Distributed Systems
• CS 561 Database Management Systems

and any two of the following courses:

• CS 513 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering
• CS 546 Web Programming
• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 574 Object-Oriented Analysis and Design
• SOC 611 Web Fundamentals

Related M.S. degrees:

    M.S. in Computer Science, particularly the concentrations in:

• Databases, Security, and Privacy
• Software Engineering and Databases
• Databases and Service-Oriented Architecture
• Health Informatics
• Web Application Development

Security and Privacy

Students will obtain a deep technical background in security and privacy, particularly in the cryptographic foundations of the tools that the security specialist will need to use. They know that cryptographic tools require a deep understanding of their properties to be deployed properly, rather than simply treated as black boxes. They will obtain a background in algorithm design and implementation, and discrete mathematics for cryptography, prior to learning about the most popular cryptographic algorithms and protocols. They will also learn about both the technical and the social aspects of privacy, where legislation is still grappling with how to resolve individuals' privacy rights with the immense benefits to be gained from vast on-line information resources, and where technical solutions can inform the legal and social debate.

• CS 503 Discrete Mathematics for Cryptography
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World
• CS 579 Foundations of Cryptography
• CS 600 Advanced Algorithm Design and Implementation

Related M.S. degrees:

    M.S. in Security and Privacy

Enterprise Security and Information Assurance

This program is for students interested in security and privacy, particularly as it pertains to businesses, governments, and other forms of enterprises. They will get a basic grounding in security concepts, including the various forms of threats and defenses. Students will learn how enterprises can protect themselves against attacks and exploits both from inside and outside the organization, including ensuring that critical data survives such attacks. Security governance is an important part of such mechanisms. They will learn how to recover from a security attack, determining the cause and sometimes the source of the exploit. Finally, students will also learn about both the technical and the social aspects of privacy, where legislation is still grappling with how to resolve individuals' privacy rights with the immense benefits to be gained from vast on-line information resources, and where technical solutions can inform the legal and social debate.

• CS 573 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
• CS 578 Privacy in a Networked World
• CS 594 Enterprise Security and Information Assurance
• CS 665 Cybersecurity Forensics

Related M.S. degrees:

    M.S. in Computer Science, particularly the suggested concentrations:
         Software and Security Engineering
         Databases, Security, and Privacy
    M.S. in Security and Privacy

Service-Oriented Computing

This program is for students who are working in an existing domain where they see the growing use of and need for IT skills. The program provides an accelerated professional education program that provides them with the skill sets that they need in order to use and manage the IT that is being deployed globally today. Students may have little or no background in software development, but they want to be a professional in a particular field with IT skills. This program will provide students with very focused training in the skill sets that are required to make them technically capable of taking existing frameworks and using them to develop new client-specific applications. The focus of the program is very much on front-end skills:

• Requirements acquisition and analysis
• Human-computer interaction
• Web design and information architecture
• Ethical and privacy issues

The kinds of tasks that students will pursue will range all the way from designing and implementing web pages, to developing distributed collaborative applications with sophisticated database back-ends using frameworks, such as Websphere and .NET.

• SOC 606 Introduction to Internet Applications
• SOC 510/CS 545 Human-Computer Interaction
• SOC 611 Web Fundamentals
• SOC 542/CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems

Related M.S. Degrees:

    M.S. in Service-Oriented Computing

Enterprise Computing

This program is for students who want to become high-end IT professionals with an interest in enterprise computing. Students will learn about distributed computing from both the reliability and the security points of view. They will learn about distributed computing "in the large," including enterprise application integration and service-oriented architectures (SOA). They will build on skills learned in courses in operating systems, databases, and systems programming for enterprise computing, to learn how to administer server back-ends that are the crux of modern SOA. This will involve ensuring that applications meet their goals in terms of performance, reliability, security, and privacy. A typical backend setup will involve several virtualized servers, running heterogeneous guest operating systems on top of hypervisors, organized in a highly available cluster. Data processing and Web service applications will have service level agreements (SLAs) that must be honored. The administrator must be able to respond to performance issues by dynamically reallocating resources between applications, while at the same time responding to component failures, and potentially also security attacks.

• CS 526 Systems Programming for Enterprise Computing
• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 549 Distributed Systems
• CS 561 Database Management Systems

Related M.S. Degrees:

    M.S. in Enterprise Computing

Networks and Systems Administration

This program is for network or systems administrators responsible for maintaining computers and the networks that connect them. It is very likely some of the machines run database servers, for example for three-tier Web applications. Students will gain a deep understanding of the Internet protocols for setting up routers and diagnosing network problems. They will be responsible for setting up firewalls and administering critical applications, such as email and Web service, for which you will need to be familiar with protocols, such as SMTP and HTTP. They may also be responsible for intrusion detection systems and other aspects of security administration.

Required Courses:

• CS 520 Operating Systems
• CS 521 TCP/IP Networking or CS 666 Information Networks
• CS 615 Systems Administration
• CS 669 Network Management

Related M.S. Degrees:

    M.S. in Computer Science, particularly the concentration in:
        Network and Systems Administration

Health Informatics

Students of this program will learn to use data mining methods to derive, in an exploratory manner, valuable healthcare knowledge in terms of associations, sequential patterns, classifications, predictions and symbolic rules. They will be able to describe and use tools for preserving the privacy of confidential data, as well as explain some of the social and legal aspects of privacy. Students will be able to explain health care IT standards such as UDEF and HL7, explain health care terminology, and perform system selection and evaluation in the areas of telemedicine, dental informatics, consumer health informatics, and hospital/clinical informatics. Special attention is given to web services and mobile computing as they relate to the health care industry.

• CS 513/SOC 550 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• CS 544/SOC 552 Health Informatics
• CS 548/SOC 542 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 578/SOC 551 Privacy in a Networked World

Related M.S. degrees:

    M.S. in Computer Science, particularly the concentrations in:

• Databases, Security and Privacy
• Software Engineering and Databases
• Databases and Service-Oriented Architecture
• Health Informatics

Quantitative Software Engineering

This program is intended for students who are seeking the skills needed to apply software technologies to the realization of secure and reliable software products on time and within budget. The Quantitative Software Engineering programs are geared toward four kinds of students:

The formally educated computer professional who aspires to a managerial career and wants comprehensive hands-on training in the skills needed to identify customer requirements, develop software designs, manage a software development team, and evaluate the resulting software product relative to customer specifications.

The formally educated computer professional who wants to remain an individual contributor, yet wants a solid foundation in the practical application of computer science technology to the realization of software products.

The computer professional whose educational background is not in computer science or computer engineering, but who has learned software skills on the job and who now wants a software engineering education.

The engineer or manager who now wants a software engineering education.
Required Courses:

• CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering

and any three of the following courses:

• CS 533 Cost Estimation and Metrics
• CS 548 Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems
• CS 564 Software Requirements Acquisition and Analysis
• CS 565 Software Architecture and Component-Based Design
• CS 567 Software Testing, Quality Assurance, and Maintenance
• CS 689 Software Reliability Engineering

Related M.S. Degrees:

    M.S. in Quantitative Software Engineering

Distributed Systems

Required Courses:

• CS 521 TCP/IP Networking or CS 666 Information Networks I
• CS 549 Distributed Systems

and any two of the following courses:

• CS 511 Concurrent Programming
• CS 520 Operating Systems
• CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing
• CS 546 Web Programming

Related M.S. Degrees:

    M.S. in Computer Science, particularly the concentrations in:
        Databases and Service-Oriented Architecture
        Computer Systems and Software Engineering

Computer Systems

Required Courses:

• CS 514 Computer Architecture
• CS 520 Operating Systems

plus any two of the following courses:

• CS 511 Concurrent Programming
• CS 516 Compiler Design
• CS 521 TCP/IP Networks
• CS 522 Mobile and Pervasive Computing
• CS 549 Distributed Systems

Computer Graphics

Required Courses:

• CS 600 Advanced Algorithm Design and Implementation
• CS 537 Interactive Computer Graphics
• CS 638 Advanced Computer Graphics
• CS 558 Computer Vision

Theoretical Computer Science

Required Courses:

• CS 600 Advanced Algorithm Design and Implementation
• CS 601 Algorithmic Complexity
• CS 630 Automata and Formal Languages
• CS 634 Decidability and Computability

Foundations of Computer Science

Required Courses:

• CS 550 Computer Organization and Programming
• CS 570 Programming in C++
• CS 590 Algorithms
• MA 502 Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science

Multimedia Experience and Management

Required Courses:

• CS 537 Interactive Computer Graphics
• CS 540 Introduction to Quantitative Software Engineering
• CS 545 Human Computer Interaction
• CS 538 Visual Analytics or CS 539 Gaming or CS 638 Advanced Graphics

Related M.S. degree:

M.S. in Multimedia Experience and Management

The purpose of the Ph.D. program is to educate students for a career in computer science research. The goal is for the quality of Stevens graduates to be on par with those produced by the best Computer Science departments in the country.

Full-time study. To make progress on leading-edge subjects in a fast moving field like computer science requires full-time study. It is nearly impossible to do work that is important, timely, and novel at the pace afforded by part-time effort—either one's result will be "scooped" or conditions will change within the field, rendering the work no longer current. Accordingly, Ph.D. students will be admitted only for full-time on-campus study. The department is committed to provide support (tuition and stipend) for all full-time doctoral students. Such support may come either as a research assistantship or a teaching assistantship. Students are also encouraged to apply for outside scholarships.

Advised study. Each doctoral student must at all times have a single advisor who is a tenured or tenure-track Stevens faculty member. The relationship between advisor and student is not merely an administrative one. Starting early in his/her career, the student will work on research projects to be determined by the advisor and student. Through this day-to-day interaction, the student will learn the form and content of high quality research. The student's advisor will also guide the student through the program, e.g., advising on such matters as which courses to take, when to attempt the qualifying exam, what dissertation topic to pursue, etc.

Advisor-advisee relationship. The department aims to admit only students whose background and interests match those of the faculty. Each admitted student will be assigned an advisor whose expertise is well matched to the student. It is hoped that most students will remain with their initial advisors throughout their career, performing research with him/her. However, the advisor-advisee relationship is a voluntary one. If either the student or the faculty member becomes dissatisfied with the relationship, then the student must seek another advisor among the faculty. A student can change advisors at any time provided that the student's new advisor is willing to accept the student.

Requirements. The Ph.D. degree requires 84 credits beyond the Bachelor's degree. Students who already possess a Master's degree may be granted up to 30 credits. The 84 credits may be fulfilled by some combination of: prior MS degree, enrollment in classroom courses, and enrollment in research participation (course CS 960). The division of a student's effort between classroom courses and research participation will vary from case to case, and is a decision that should be made by the student in consultation with and with the approval of the student's advisor. There is no minimum number of classroom courses for the doctorate.

Progress review. Each student's progress is reviewed by the entire computer science faculty near the end of the fall and spring semesters. Preparatory to this review, the student must submit a brief progress report describing the student's progress since the last review, as well as his/her plans for the time up to the next review. After drafting the report, the student must submit it to his/her advisor for approval. Once approved, the report must be submitted to the Computer Science department office.

Students who are doctoral "candidates" must also submit a second, separate, report to the Dean of Graduate Academics' office. The definition of the term "candidate" is left to each department, and the Computer Science department defines candidates to be students who have passed the qualifying exam, both written and oral parts. The report for the graduate dean must be submitted on a special form—the "Doctoral Activity Report," (DAR)—available at www.stevens.edu/registrar/forms/Doctoral_Activity.pdf. It is acceptable to write a single report and submit the DAR to the department, as well as to the graduate office.

The outcome of the progress review meeting is that a student is placed into one of three categories: good standing, probation, or terminated. A student in good standing is making satisfactory progress toward his/her degree, and is expected to follow through on the plans outlined in his/her progress report. A student on probation is making inadequate progress toward his/her degree. A student on probation will receive a letter from the faculty that explains what remedial actions he/she must take to return to good standing, and by what time each action must be taken. No student will be terminated without spending at least the preceding semester on probation.

Qualifying Exam. Each student must pass the qualifying exam early in his/her career. The exam has two purposes: to certify that the student is broadly educated in key areas of computer science and to demonstrate that the student has become acquainted with the process of performing original research.

Accordingly, the qualifying exam has two parts, written and oral. The written portion of the qualifying exam tests the student's knowledge of fundamental computer science at an elementary level, akin to that achieved in a Bachelor's program. The written exam tests three subjects: algorithms, programming languages, and operating systems. A student must pass all three subjects in order to pass the written exam. The exam is offered near the end of fall and spring semesters, timed so that grades are available at the progress review meeting. A student may take the written exam at most twice. Any subjects passed the first time need not be taken the second time. The written exam should be taken during the student's first two semesters in the program. The written exam must be completely passed during the student's first four semesters in the program.

The purpose of the oral portion of the qualifying exam is for the student to demonstrate promise in doing independent original research. The student will perform some work as specified by, and under the supervision of, his/her advisor. Ideally, this work would consist of the actual production of publishable research results; however, depending on circumstances, it may be more appropriate for the student to perform some type of pre-research work. The student will write a report detailing his/her effort and accomplishments. The student will give a public, announced talk detailing his/her effort and accomplishments. The paper will be read, and the talk attended, by the student's advisor and two other pre-selected regular Stevens faculty members. These three faculty will decide whether the student has passed the oral exam. In style, the report and the talk must be similar to research presentations given by experienced researchers. If either the report or the talk is judged to be inadequate in either content or presentation, this fact will be taken into account during the faculty's evaluation of the student that semester. The student may be terminated, placed on probation, required to prepare a new report or talk, perform further research, or some other remedial action(s).

The oral qualifying exam must be passed no more than 12 months after passage of the written qualifying exam, or by the end of student's 5th semester in the program, whichever is earlier.

Thesis proposal. To demonstrate that he/she is ready to undertake dissertation research, the student must write and present a thesis proposal. The written document must describe the proposed research so that an appropriately informed computer scientist—although not necessarily someone who is an expert in the topic—can understand the proposal. The written proposal should contain an explanation of the problem and why it is important, a sketch of the proposed solution, and background information that serves to indicate that the problem is unsolved and what prior or related approaches to this or similar problems have already been investigated. After writing the document, the student must make a public presentation of the proposed work. The document must be read—and the presentation should be attended—by the persons who are expected to form the student's dissertation defense committee. The presentation must allow reasonable time for appropriate questions by any person in attendance. After the presentation, the dissertation committee will decide whether the student's proposal indicates that he/she is ready to do the proposed work successfully.

If the proposal is judged to be inadequate in either content or presentation, this fact will be taken into account during the faculty's evaluation of the student that semester. The student may be terminated, placed on probation, required to prepare a new talk, perform further research, or some other remedial action(s).

Dissertation defense. The department follows the Stevens-wide procedures for the dissertation defense, including committee composition.

Required rate of progress. Stevens imposes certain deadlines on the student:

• Students who have a Master's degree must complete the doctoral degree within six years.
• The thesis proposal must be presented at least 12 months before the degree is awarded.
• It is "recommended" that the qualifying exam be attempted no more than one year after entry to the program or after receipt of the master's degree, whichever comes first.
• In addition, a certain rate of progress through the program is typical and expected:
  • The written qualifying exam should be attempted in the first two semesters.
  • The written qualifying exam must be passed by the end of the fourth semester.
  • The oral qualifying exam must be passed by the end of the fifth semester (or no more than 12 months after passage of the written exam, whichever is earlier).
  • The thesis proposal should be presented by the end of the sixth semester.
  • These are only guidelines: meeting all these targets does not necessarily constitute satisfactory progress, nor does failing to meet any necessarily constitute unsatisfactory progress.

Leave. It is expected that students, once enrolled in the doctoral program, will remain enrolled full-time without interruption until graduation. However, sometimes it is necessary for a student to take a leave for a reason, such as personal difficulty, health, etc. If such a situation arises, the student must petition the faculty in writing for a leave, which, if granted, will last for one semester. To extend the leave, a new petition must be filed. Neither indefinite leave nor excessive repetition of leave is permitted. While the student is on leave, any time limit he/she faces (e.g., completing the qualifying exam within two years) is suspended for the length of the leave.

Exceptions. The faculty reserve the right to make exceptions to any of the rules and procedures described above in order to promote and preserve the health of the doctoral program and to ensure each student's prompt and effective progress through the program.

Laboratories in the Department of Computer Science are used for course-related teaching and special problems, design projects, and research. Students are encouraged, and in many cases required, to gain hands-on experience with a number of different computers and computer operating systems and environments. The emphasis is to provide a broad understanding of the entire operation of the computer and its peripherals, and to instruct students in the use of modern tools. Students are exposed to a range of practical problems in laboratory assignments.

Research laboratories are also heavily involved in both undergraduate and graduate education with special projects and dissertation projects. All research laboratories serve a dual-use function. Undergraduate students use these facilities through special course-related projects and for senior design. Graduate students pursue course-related projects and thesis research.

The laboratory facilities provide the latest equipment and computational facilities (hardware and software). The department is continually involved in expanding, improving, and developing new laboratories to provide the students with the latest tools. Both undergraduate and graduate curriculums are continually reviewed and updated to insure that we provide the current methodologies and technologies and to maintain the standards that are incorporated in Stevens' goals.

The Computer Science Laboratory offers students access to some 25 workstations running NetBSD, a free, secure, and highly portable UNIX-like open source operating system. These workstations are available to the entire Stevens community for education, research, and even recreation. In addition, many courses make use of the lab for programming purposes. The Computer Science department also maintains a state-of-the-art clustered High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF) suitable for research in areas of computer science that may require substantial computational effort. HPCF consists of 30 computing nodes, each with two 1GHz processors and 2GB of memory, communicating with each other over a gigabit switched network. The nodes are connected to a dual-processor I/O server with two 1.5GHz processors and 3GB of memory, providing access to approximately 1.2TB of fast redundant fault-tolerant disk storage.

Members of the Computer Science Department hold a large grant from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology (NJCS&T), focused on research in software engineering aspects of networks and distributed programming. This grant is held jointly with New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

The New Jersey Center for Software Engineering (NJCSE) was founded in mid-2000 as the corporate outreach (technology transfer) arm of this research activity. NJCSE is based at Stevens.

Academic institutions affiliated with NJCSE are Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, and Monmouth University.

NJCSE activities include regular technical meetings with Stevens, Rutgers, and NJIT researchers, and industry representatives. Other activities include a Student Project Showcase and a Career Opportunities Program. As of January 1, 2001, Industry Affiliates included Avaya, Telcordia, Rational, and IBM. NJCSE offers companies state-of-the-art technical programs and early access to some of the best CS graduates in New Jersey.

The Laboratory for Quantitative Software Engineering, supported by a grant from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology and by affiliates of the New Jersey Center for Software Engineering, has several Windows and Linux workstations connected by ethernet and wireless LANs. The Lab is affiliated with the New Jersey Institute for Trustworthy Enterprise Software.

The Lab's use is two-fold:

1. First, it is used by students in the required two-semester Senior Design sequence. Their projects are more profitably implemented on networked workstations than on personal laptops, with which all Stevens students are equipped. A special feature of the Senior Design course is that it uses a novel pedagogic methodology entitled "Live-Thru Case Histories." Further development of, and the study of, the efficacy of the Live-Thru Case History Method are being studied under grants from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology and the National Science Foundation, in part with the aid of custom software being developed in the Lab.
2. Second, as affiliates of both Prof. Barry Boehm's University of Southern California Center for Software Engineering and of the DOD-sponsored CE