Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New york
Overview
Founded in 1824, and the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world, Rensselaer today is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university. Rensselaer has five schools—Architecture, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management, and Science—that offer more than ninety-five graduate degrees in over forty disciplines. A master’s degree in information technology, offering many multidisciplinary options, is also available.
There are 1,291 graduate students, of whom 29 percent are women, 89 percent are full-time students, and 67 percent study at the doctoral level.
Rensselaer’s graduate students are hired in a variety of industries and sectors of the economy and by private and public organizations, the government, and institutions of higher education. Their starting salaries average $70,855 for master’s degree recipients ($61,335 for master’s degree recipients in engineering).
The Location and Community
Rensselaer’s campus is located on a hill in a beautiful parklike setting, with a striking combination of traditional ivy-covered buildings and newer, modern sites. The campus overlooks downtown Troy, New York, which is located on the upper Hudson River (the heart of America’s Industrial Revolution) and has beautiful, old brownstone neighborhoods. Troy is situated in the northeastern United States, 150 miles north of New York City, with easy driving access to Boston (3 hours); New York City (3 hours); Montreal (4 hours); Niagara Falls (5 hours); Baltimore, Maryland (6½ hours); and Washington, D.C. (7½ hours). From shopping malls, performance venues, and museums to serious skiing and from hiking and biking to virtually every kind of eatery, this is an area with something for everyone.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
Rensselaer awards advanced degrees in the Schools of Architecture, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management, and Science.
The School of Architecture offers the M.Arch. as a first-professional degree for students with bachelor’s degrees in any field; this program requires 3½ years of study. The M.S. and Ph.D. in architectural sciences are also available, with concentrations in ecological building systems, acoustics, and lighting.
The School of Engineering ranks among the top engineering schools in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report survey and is ranked in the top ten by practicing engineers. The School offers Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Master of Science (M.S.), Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. Programs include aeronautical engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer and systems engineering, decision sciences and engineering systems, electrical engineering, electric power, engineering physics, industrial and management engineering, manufacturing systems, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, operation research and statistics, and transportation. The M.Eng. program is a nonthesis degree intended for professional practice. A student with an accredited B.S. or its equivalent can typically complete this degree in one year.
The School of Science offers M.S. and Ph.D. programs in biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics, and physics. Master’s degrees are available in applied mathematics, applied science, biochemistry and biophysics, information technology, multidisciplinary science, and natural sciences.
The School of Management grants the degrees of M.B.A., M.S., and Ph.D., with a focus on the intersection of management and technology. An Executive M.B.A. is also offered.
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers the master’s degree in communication and rhetoric; ecological economics, values, and policy; economics; electronic arts (M.F.A.); human-computer interaction; science and technology studies; and technical communication. A doctorate may be obtained in communication and rhetoric, cognitive science, ecological economics and science and technology studies. Interdisciplinary programs are offered by most departments.
Facilities & Resources
Research is supported by state-of-the-art facilities such as the new Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies; the George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation; the Rensselaer Libraries, whose electronic information systems provide access to collections, databases, and Internet resources from campus and remote terminals; the Rensselaer Computing System, which includes public UNIX workstations, a shared toolkit of applications for interactive learning and research and high-speed Internet connectivity; and a high-performance computing facility that includes an 18-node SP2 parallel computer with sixty-eight CPUs. In addition, the academic departments have extensive research capabilities and equipment. There are also numerous centers and institutes, including Integrated Electronics and Electronic Manufacturing, Materials Research, Composite Materials and Structures, Lighting Research, Science and Technology Policy, Infrastructure and Transportation Studies, and the Geotechnical Centrifuge Research Center. Other research support units include the Fresh Water Institute and the Scientific Computation Center.
Expenses and Aid
Full-time graduate tuition for the academic year is $33,000. Other costs (estimated living expenses, insurance, etc.) are projected to be about $13,270. Therefore, the cost of attendance for full-time graduate study is approximately $46,270. Part-time study and cohort programs are priced differently. Students should contact Rensselaer for specific cost information related to the program they wish to study.
Financial Aid:
Financial aid is available in the forms of teaching and research assistantships, which include tuition scholarships and stipends. Rensselaer assistantships and university, corporate, or national fellowships fund many of Rensselaer’s full-time graduate students. Outstanding students may qualify for university-sponsored Rensselaer Graduate Fellowship Awards, which carry a minimum stipend of $19,000 and a full tuition and fees scholarship. All fellowship awards are calendar-year awards for full-time graduate students. Summer support is also available in many departments. Low-interest, deferred-repayment graduate loans are also available to U.S. citizens with demonstrated need.
Housing/Living Expenses:
Graduate students at Rensselaer may choose from a variety of housing options. On campus, students can select one of the many residence halls and immerse themselves in campus life. There are abundant, affordable options off campus as well, many within easy walking distance.
How to Apply / Application
Applications and all supporting credentials should be submitted well in advance of the preferred semester of entry to allow sufficient time for departmental review and processing. Since the first departmental aid awards are made in early February for the next academic year, applicants are encouraged to submit all required credentials by January 15 to ensure full consideration for admission and assistance. Late applications are considered only with departmental approval.
International Students
We offer a variety of programs and services to our international community of over 1200 students and scholars. Our goal is to assist each one of you with whatever questions or concerns that you may have.
All international transcripts must be recorded in English or officially translated to English. Transcripts in the original language must accompany all translated documents. Uncertified translations, or translations by students, will not be accepted. The TOEFL or IELTS is required of all international applicants whose native language is not English.
Who to ContactI
Admissions
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 Eighth Street
Troy, New York 12180-3590
Graduate Department Research
• Aeronautical Engineering. Departmental projects generally are concerned with the design, operation, and handling of high-speed atmospheric and space vehicles. Interdisciplinary projects include the design and construction of advanced-composite aircraft structures, a miniature remotely piloted vehicle, transient heat transfer in spacecraft, aeroelasticity and structural analysis, helicopter technology (through the Center of Excellence in Rotorcraft Technology), computational and experimental fluid mechanics, and advanced propulsion.
• Architecture. Programs are available in architecture (3½-year professional degree); lighting; architectural sciences; building conservation; sonics in architecture; workplace design and computing; and advanced studies in architecture, emphasizing the theoretical, scientific, technical, and aesthetic potentials of modern spaces.
• Bioinformatics. Design and applications of algorithms for sequence database searching, sequence alignment and sequence analysis, molecular modeling.
• Biology. Molecular biology, biophysics, biochemistry, applied and environmental microbiology, plant biology, freshwater ecology, bioinformatics.
• Biomedical Engineering. Biomaterials, biomechanics, biofluids, computational bioengineering, cellular and tissue bioengineering, computing and signal processing, systems physiology, biomedical imaging, clinical medicine and anesthesiology, and electrical impedance imaging.
• Chemical and Biological Engineering. Interfacial phenomena; nonlinear diffusing; thermodynamics; combustion and high-temperature kinetics: generation of air pollutants; polymer engineering: biocatalysis and biochemical engineering; membrane and chromatographic separations; processing of semiconductors and other advanced materials; process control and design; and mesoscale/nanoscale engineering.
• Chemistry. Biochemistry and biophysics, organic and bioorganic chemistry, natural products synthesis, medicinal chemistry, materials chemistry, polymer chemistry (synthesis and physical properties), analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, electrochemistry, coordination and organometallic chemistry, nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry, photochemistry (including laser techniques), physical chemistry, physical organic chemistry, solid-state chemistry and crystal growth, spectroscopy (laser, microwave, NMR, ESR, vibrational, fluorescence, and in situ environmental probes), and surface science.
• Civil Engineering. Geotechnical, earthquake, structural, infrastructure, and transporting engineering; mechanics of composite materials and structures; and computational mechanics. Research activities emphasize advanced computer-based modeling techniques with direct ties to simulation and state-of-the-art field and laboratory testing.
• Cognitive Science. This doctoral program includes integrated cognitive systems, computational cognitive modeling, and cognitive engineering. Areas of research include machine and human reasoning, computational psychology, cognitive engineering, and perception and action. The program is designed to be interdisciplinary and hands-on with intensive theoretical studies.
• Communication and Rhetoric. Research areas focus on computer-mediated communication, human-computer interaction, Web marketing/persuasion, visual and hypermedia communication, rhetorical and cultural dimensions of technology, electronic communities, and advanced technical communication.
• Computer and Systems Engineering. Research and academic programs are available in intelligent network management, neural networks, wireless networks, software engineering, advanced image processing, parallel computation, digital signal processing, computer vision and pattern recognition, computational geometry, computer graphics and visualization, gigahertz microprocessor design, artificial intelligence and robotics, and distributed manufacturing systems.
• Computer Science. Research and academic programs are available in computational science and engineering, computer vision, collaborative design, database systems, generic programming and software design, human-computer interaction, medical imaging, networking, parallel and distributed computing, robotics, and theory and algorithms.
• Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems. Programs are offered in industrial and management engineering, manufacturing systems engineering, operations research and statistics, and information systems. The program in industrial and management engineering combines the quantitative and behavioral sciences with the classical approach to industrial engineering as applicable in both manufacturing and service systems. The program in manufacturing systems engineering focuses on quality systems, information systems, management processes and technology, and systems modeling pertaining to manufacturing. The program in operations research and statistics offers advanced study in mathematical modeling optimization and statistical techniques applicable to a wide range of practical problems. Research at the doctoral level is conducted with particular emphasis on information systems, manufacturing systems engineering, operations research and statistics, industrial engineering, and systems engineering.
• Ecological Economics, Values, and Policy. Program is focused on the theory and practice of sustainability: the economic, political, social, cultural, and ethical implications and interactions of science, technology, environment, and society.
• Economics and Ecological Economics. The department offers an M.S. in economics and a Ph.D. in ecological economics. Areas of research include but are not limited to cost-benefit analysis, environmental valuation, natural resource economics, public sector economics, and regional economics. Ecological economics is concerned with the relationship between economic systems, society, and the environment.
• Electrical Engineering. Research and academic programs are available in semiconductor device characterization, semiconductor power devices, multilevel interconnects, thermophotovoltaic devices, automation and robotics, multivariable and nonlinear control, agile manufacturing, communications and information processing, digital signal processing, advanced image processing, computer communication networks, gigahertz microprocessor design, multimedia systems, electronics manufacturing, and plasma diagnostics.
• Electric Power Engineering. High-voltage transmission and compaction of equipment; large electrical apparatus design; experimental machine analysis; circuit interruption technology; electromagnetics; economic studies of systems; modeling of power systems and component devices; insulation systems; power electronics; adjustable speed drives; and advanced power systems relaying.
• Electronic Arts. The program focuses on creative work in an intermedia context, including computer music, digital video art, computer imaging and animation, interactive technologies, and performance and installation, as well as historical and critical studies.
• Environmental and Energy Engineering. The department offers degrees in environmental engineering, nuclear engineering, and engineering physics. Environmental engineering focuses on water quality, including bioremediation and physicochemical techniques. Topics address disinfection by-product formation, pathogenic protozoan fate in reservoirs, sediment contaminant fate and transport, and mathematical modeling of these and other environmental processes. Research areas include nuclear engineering and engineering physics include fission and fusion reactor technology, nuclear data measurements, health physics, multiphase phenomena, and applied radiation.
• Environmental Science. Groundwater studies, limnology, and aqueous geochemistry.
• Geology. Geochemistry, petrology, structural geology, tectonics, geophysics, seismology, surficial geology, hydrogeology, and planetary science.
• Hydrogeology. Research areas include geochemistry, igneous and metamorphic petrology, structural geology, tectonics, geophysics, seismology, groundwater systems and hydrogeology, chemical hydrology, and river and lake pollution.
• Information Technology. Includes concentrations in bioinformatics, database systems, e-business, human-computer interaction, information systems engineering, management information systems, networking, research, and software design.
• Language, Literature, and Communication. The department offers an M.S. in technical communication and an M.S. and Ph.D. in communication and rhetoric. These programs emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of communication, combining the perspectives of technical writing, graphics, human-computer interaction, rhetorical theory, media studies, composition, speech communication, and literary study.
• Management. The Lally School of Management and Technology offers an M.B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. in management. The theory and practice of integrating management and technology, of turning innovations into commercial or competitive advantages, is interwoven throughout the programs.
• Materials Science and Engineering. Metallic and ceramic materials processing; composite materials and structures; electronic materials; ceramics and glass; melting and solidification; welding and joining; surface and interfacial phenomena; nanostructured materials.
• Mathematics. Applied mathematics and analysis, including methods of applied mathematics, differential equations, functional analysis, numerical analysis, applied geometry, mathematical programming, operations research, and applications of mathematics in the physical sciences, biological sciences, and engineering.
• Mechanical Engineering. Applied mechanics, mechanics of materials, design, energy and thermal/fluid systems, computational and experimental heat transfer, computational and experimental fluid mechanics, manufacturing, structural analysis, advanced composite materials, aeroelasticity, tribology, dynamics and vibrations, computer-aided design, robotics, advanced manufacturing technology, and helicopter technology.
• Nuclear Engineering. Active research is undertaken in areas of nuclear reactor safety, reactor thermal-hydraulics, reactor physics, radwaste technology, fusion reactor engineering, space power, applications of sonoluminescence, and the production of medical isotopes using gamma radiation.
• Philosophy. Cognitive science, philosophy of science and technology, artificial intelligence, social and political philosophy, phenomenology, aesthetics, oriental philosophy, metaphysics, and environmental philosophy.
• Physics. Experimental and theoretical nuclear and particle physics, condensed-matter physics (surfaces and interfaces), astrophysics (interstellar matter and star formation), biophysics, theory of solids, optical physics, and educational research and development in physics.
• Science and Technology Studies. Theoretical approaches encompass critical policy studies, cognitive sciences, cultural theory, ethics, linguistics/semiotics, political economy, simulation/ethnomathematics, and social theory. Research focuses on the material and artificial worlds and issues of the environment, health, information technology, engineering, and design. The STS Department is a place where faculty members and students pursue studies of power, gender, race, colonialism, and the interactions between research and activism.
• Transportation Engineering. Active research is underway in areas of nuclear reactor safety, reactor thermal-hydraulics, reactor physics, radwaste technology, fusion reactor engineering, space power, applications of sonoluminescence, and the production of medical isotopes using gamma radiation.