Freshman Year
Term I
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
MA 115	Calculus I	3	0	3
CS 115**	Intro. to Computer Science	3	2	4
	Science I	3	0	3
CS 146	Web Fundamentals	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education I	0	2	1
TOTAL		12	4	14
Term II
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
MA 116	Calculus II	3	0	3
CS 284	Data Structures	3	1	4
MA 134	Discrete Mathematics	3	0	3
	Science II	3	0	3
	Science Lab	0	3	1
HUM	Humanities	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education II	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	6	18
	Sophomore Year
Term III
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 383	Comp. Org. & Prog.	3	0	3
CS 385	Algorithms	3	1	4
CS 334	Automata and Computation	3	0	3
MGT 111	Org. Behavior and Social Psychology	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education III	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	3	17
Term IV
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 392	Systems Programming	3	0	3
CS 496	Principles or Programming Languages	3	0	3
CS 347	Software Development Process	3	0	3
MA 222	Probability & Statistics	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education IV	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	2	16
	Junior Year
Term V
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 442	Database Management Systems	3	0	3
CS 511	Concurrent Programming	3	0	3
MA 331	Statistical Methods	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education V	0	2	1
	TOTAL	15	2	16
Term VI
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 492	Operating Systems	3	0	3
CS 488	Computer Architecture	3	0	3
	Science/Math Elective	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities	3	0	3
CS	SD Elective	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education VI	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	2	16
	Senior Year
Term VII
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 551	Software Eng. & Pract. I	3	0	3
CS 573	Fundamentals of Cybersecurity	3	0	3
	Science/Math. Elective	3	0	3
	Tech. Elective**	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
TOTAL		15	0	15
Term VIII
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 552	Software Eng. & Pract. II	3	0	3
	Tech. Elective**	3	0	3
	Free Elective**	3	0	3
	Free Elective*	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities	3	0	3
TOTAL		15	0	15

Total Credits: 117-19-127

* Humanities requirements: two Group A courses at the 100 level, two Group B courses at the 100 level, and four courses at the 300/400 level that must include HSS 371.
** If the technical electives and the free electives do not constitute a department approved application area, then the two technical electives must be Computer Science courses (identified by the CS prefix).

Curriculum Summary

The program requires the following courses:

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 Systemss

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

	Freshman Year
Term I
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
MA 115	Calculus I	3	0	3
CS 115	Introduction to Computer Science	3	2	4
	Science I	3	0	3
BT 131	Technogenesis: Introduction to Innovation and Creativity	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education I	0	2	1
TOTAL		12	4	14
Term II
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
MA 116	Calculus II	3	0	3
CS 284	Data Structures	3	1	4
	Science II	3	0	3
	Science Lab	0	3	1
MA 134	Discrete Mathematics	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education II	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	6	18
	Sophomore Year
Term III
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 334	Automata and Computation	3	0	3
CS 383	Computer Organization and Programming	3	0	3
CS 385	Data Structures and Algorithms II	3	1	4
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education III	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	3	17
Term IV
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 392	Systems Programming	3	0	3
CS 496	Principles of Programming Langauges	3	0	3
CS 347	Software Development Process	3	0	3
MA 222	Probability and Statistics	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education IV	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	2	16
	Junior Year
Term V
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 503	Discrete Mathematics for Cryptography	3	0	3
CS 442	Database Management Systems	3	0	3
CS 511	Concurrent Programming	3	0	3
CS 573	Fundementals of Cybersecurity	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education V	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	2	16
Term VI
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 492	Operating systems	3	0	3
CS 488	Computer Architecture	3	0	3
CS 579	Foundations of Cryptography	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
CS 578	Privacy in a Networked World	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education VI	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	2	16
	Senior Year
Term VII
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 551	Software Engineering and Practice I**	3	0	3
CS 576	Secure Systems	3	0	3
CS 577	Cybersecurity Laboratory	0	3	3
CS	CS Elective	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities	3	0	3
TOTAL		12	3	15
Term VIII
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 552	Software Engineering and Practice II**	3	0	3
CS	Security Elective	3	0	3
CS	CS Elective	3	0	3
	Free Elective	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities	3	0	3
TOTAL		15	0	15

	Freshman Year
Term I
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
MA 115	Calculus I	3	0	3
CS 115	Introduction to Computer Science	3	2	4
	Science I	3	0	3
CS 146	Web Fundamentals	3	0	3
PE 115	Physical Education I	0	2	1
TOTAL		12	4	14
Term II
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred
MA 116	Calculus II	3	0	3
CS 284	Data Structures	3	1	4
	Science II	3	0	3
	Science Lab	0	3	1
MA 134	Discrete Mathematics	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education II	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	6	18
	Sophomore Year
Term III
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
MGT 111	Organizational Behavior and Social Psychology	3	0	3
CS 385	Algorithms	3	1	4
BT 101	Intro. to Business Planning	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	1	4
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education III	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	4	18
Term IV
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred
CS 392	Systems Programming	3	0	3
CS 347	Software Development Process	3	0	3
BT 113	Marketing	3	0	3
BT 115	Financial Accounting	4	0	4
MA 222	Probability and Statistics	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education IV	0	2	1
TOTAL		16	2	17
	Junior Year
Term V
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 442	Database Management Systems	3	0	3
CS 564	Software Requirements Acquisition and Analysis	4	0	4
MA 331	Statistical Methods	3	0	3
	IS Elective	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education V	0	2	1
TOTAL		16	2	17
Term VI
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred
CS 546	Web Programming	3	0	3
CS 545	Human Computer Interaction	3	0	3
CS 578	Privacy in a Networked World	3	0	3
MGT 244	Microeconomics	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
PE 200	Physical Education VI	0	2	1
TOTAL		15	2	16
	Senior Year
Term VII
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 551	Software Engineering and Practice I	3	0	3
CS 573	Fundamentals of Cybersecurity	3	0	3
CS 548	Engineering of Enterprise Software Systems	3	0	3
	Free Elective	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
TOTAL		15	0	15
Term VIII
		Hrs. Per Wk.
		Class	Lab	Sem.
				Cred.
CS 552	Software Engineering and Practice II	3	0	3
	IS Elective	3	0	3
	IS Elective	3	0	3
	Free Elective	3	0	3
HUM	Humanities*	3	0	3
TOTAL		15	0	15

*Humanities requirements: two Group A courses at the 100 level, two Group B courses at the 100 level, and four courses at the 300/400 level that must include HSS 371.

Credit Totals: 119-20-130

Curriculum Summary

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.

Minor in Information Systems
    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

                                                                                                               back to top

Bachelor of Science in Service-Oriented Computing
    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

Basic Study Plan - B.S. in Service-Oriented Computing

* Humanities requirements: two Group A courses at the 100 level, two Group B courses at the 100 level, and four courses at the 300/400 level that must include HSS 371.

Total Credits: 118-20-129

Curriculum Summary

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.

Minor in Service-Oriented Computing

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

back to top

Graduate Programs
    Several types of graduate degrees are offered:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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).

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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).

7. 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.

8. Ph.D. in Computer Science.

1. Master of Science - 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:

4. The remaining nine credit-hours can be from computer science or any other disciplines.
The Computer Science department Web page (www.cs.stevens.edu) contains links to several suggested concentrations, including:

• 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.

back to top

2. Master of Science - Quantitative Software Engineering
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).

back to top

3. Master of Science – Service-Oriented Computing
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

Requirements for graduation

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. 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.
3. 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.

back to top

4. Master of Science – Enterprise Computing
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

Software Engineering
    CS 533 Cost Estimation and Metrics
    CS 540 Fundamentals of Quantitative Software Engineering
    CS 564 Software Requirements Acquisition and Analysis
    CS 565 Software Architecture
    CS 567 Software Testing, Quality Assurance, and Maintenance

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.

  back to top

5. Master of Science – Security and Privacy
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

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 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.

  back to top

6. Master of Science – Multimedia Experience and Management
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

  back to top

7. Graduate Certificate Programs
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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

  back to top

8. Doctoral Program

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.