Department of Computer and Information Science Discovery Day FALL, 2005

Excellent Faculty Faculty are very diverse Come from a variety of academic and industrial backgrounds including CS, Math, Chemistry, Social/Behavioral Sciences, Philosophy – a strength Devoted faculty: many have been here 15 or more years – dedicated and take teaching seriously Few adjuncts; high quality

CS Department Alumni Distinguished Alumni Many successful alumni – both BS and MS Many have gone on to successful careers in business and industry – from large corporations to startup companies…IBM, GE, ITT, CSC Corp, AT&T, Optelios; some alums have started their own businesses Some have gone on to doctoral programs at, for example, Duke, UMass, Binghamton, USC, Stevens Institute of Technology, Northwestern, Syracuse

Many students stay in the Utica/Rome area Working with local companies such as PAR, Integrated Sensors, Niagara Mohawk, IITRI, Booz Allen, Capraro Technologies Some work at Information Institute of the Air Force at the former Griffiss Air Force Base; great contact for students, lots of interaction Some have formed their own companies Work experience includes internships

Why CS at SUNYIT? Excellent learning environment Low student/faculty ratios; among the best in SUNY or elsewhere Section enrollment typically 15-30 with only a few larger Largest department at SUNYIT; 11 full-time and a few adjuncts; If you want or need attention, you get it

Why CS at SUNYIT? Students exposed to many advanced topics through: Wide set of electives each semester Graduate courses available to undergrads with good GPA Joint BS/MS program – complete both degrees in a total of 4.5 to 5 years of full-time study

Academic Programs Computer Science (BS) Computer Information Systems (BS) Computer Science (BS/MS) Computer Science (MS)

Department of Computer and Information Science BS in CS BS in CIS Required Coursework Electives Package Appropriately to create a ready specialization Solid and General Computing and Inf. Systems Background Accounting Computer Science Economics Health Services Management Marketing Science Technology and Society System Administration Entertainment Computing Data Security / Information Assurance Modeling and Simulation Scientific and Engineering Computing Artificial Intelligence Solid CS Background

General Advisement Issues Normal full-time load is 16 credits; 18 allowed without special permission Consider registering for 18 credits; drop one or more courses if academic difficulty is encountered Full-time status requires minimum of 12 credits; dropping below 12 jeopardizes full-time financial aid (and possibly health insurance carried by parents)

General Advisement Issues (cont’d) Be attentive at first class for appropriate placement; courses can not be given repetitive credit. Do not stay in a class that is clearly too advanced for your background. Pay attention to drop deadlines; failure to know deadline will not prevent an “F” grade

General Issues Take the strongest academic program that you are capable of Consider academic minors or concentrations as a means of strengthening your resume. Consider minors such as Applied Mathematics (highly recommended for federal government employment) or Professional/Technical Communication If your GPA permits (3.25 or higher), consider taking up to two graduate courses while still in undergraduate status. Students entering with strong backgrounds can enroll in the joint BS/MS program.

Mohawk Valley Consortium Full-time students may take one course a semester at partner institutions (MVCC, HCCC, Hamilton, Utica College, Morrisville, Empire State) at no added tuition cost Course must be applicable to student’s degree program Course can not be offered on home campus during the same semester Space available basis

General Issues No cheating, no plagiarism. Crime doesn’t pay! Get to know your advisor Advisor lists posted outside C-130 See Mary Beth Miller (the department secretary) to change advisors – no reason needed

General Education SUNY-wide requirements (for all baccalaureate degrees) Campus Requirements (applicable to all SUNYIT degrees) Departmental Requirements (applicable to CS and CIS majors)

General Education Requires a minimum of one approved course in each category, and a total of not less than 30 credits

General Education (New Plan) Communication Humanities Arts Social/Behavioral Sciences Finite or Discrete Math Calculus, Linear Algebra, or Statistics Laboratory Science Science Elective Foreign Language American History World History Other Civilizations On-Line Communication or Documentation

The CS and CIS Curriculum Follow the joint guidelines and recommendations of ACM/IEEE CS published in 2001 Courses common to both programs CS 108 – Computing Fundamentals CS 240 – Data Structures and Algorithms Additional core course for CS CS 220 - Computer Organization

CS 108 – Programming Fundamentals Emphasis on structured programming Currently taught in C Equivalent courses elsewhere may be taught in C or C++, but not in Visual Basic. Includes arrays and some discussion of pointers and lists

CS 240 – Data Structures and Algorithms May be taught in either Java or C++; check section for language Fundamental data structures Stacks Queues Linked Lists Hash Tables Trees Graphs Prerequisites: Programming Fundamentals, Finite/Discrete Math

CS 249 – Object Oriented Programming Currently taught in Java Equivalent course may have been taught in C++ Prerequisites are Fundamentals, Finite Math, and Data Structures

The CS Program: Intermediate Courses CS 249 - Object-Oriented Programming CS 330 – Operating Systems and Networking CS 350 – Information and Knowledge Management CS 370 – Software Engineering

CS Program: Advanced Coursework Advanced Electives Three courses to be selected from advanced electives or graduate courses See http://www.cs.sunyit.edu Capstone Project (2 credits)

Open CS Electives Available to CS majors for use as unrestricted elective credit: Courses in Information Systems and Information Technology

CS Program – Core Course Flowchart

CIS Program: Intermediate Courses IS310 – Hardware and Network Infrastructure IS 320 – System Analysis and Design IS 325 – Database Management Systems IS 330 – Decision Support and Intelligent Systems Any Two Courses, One at 300 Level or Higher that Have One of the Following Prefixes: ACC, BUS, ECO, FIN, MGT, MKT

CIS: Advanced IS Electives Twelve credits selected from IS 305 – Applications Programming in COBOL IS 315 – Networking of Information Systems IS 340 – E-commerce IS 470 – Database Programming IS 490 – Selected Topics in IS Selections also include about ten CS electives

CIS Program: Core Course Flowchart

Joint BS/MS Program Requirements 145 credits including 33 graduate credits Must meet all specific course requirements for each degree Twelve credits may be simultaneously applied to both degrees Student takes CSC 500 which carries graduate credit and meets Finite/Discrete Math requirement Two graduate courses are applied as advanced undergraduate electives One graduate course is applied as an unrestricted undergraduate elective

BS/MS Program (cont’d) Advantages Immediate admission into a graduate program 145 credits to complete MS vs. 124 for BS and 157 for both degrees Reduced tuition costs May be completed in three years for well prepared junior transfer students

BS/MS Program (cont’d) Joint Program Review after 48 Credits Minimum of 48 credits, maximum of 94 Minimum 3.00 overall GPA; 3.20 in CS Grade of B or better in Fundamentals Data Structures Math Elective (Calculus/Linear Algebra/Statistics)

Odds and Ends Labs are very current Students have many opportunities for hands-on experience; labs regularly updated Four main labs currently used for teaching Support for Windows XP, Free BSD UNIX, Gentoo Linux, and Solaris All Microsoft software (except Office XP) available free to CS/IS majors

Odds and Ends Co-op Available as a course. Student may get up to 4 credits for CS related work during semester or summer Students locate paying jobs (often through faculty, department, and career services)