1. Department of Computer and Information Science
Discovery Day FALL, 2005

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Why CS at SUNYIT? Excellent learning environment
Low student/faculty ratios; among the best in SUNY or elsewhere
Section enrollment typically 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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)

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

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

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

16. 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

17. 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 Computer Organization

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

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

22. CS Program: Advanced Coursework
Advanced Electives
Three courses to be selected from advanced electives or graduate courses
See
Capstone Project (2 credits)

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

24. CS Program – Core Course Flowchart

25. 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

26. 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

27. CIS Program: Core Course Flowchart

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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)

31. 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

32. 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)