The science departments -- Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Computer
Science, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics & Engineering Physics
-- are proud of their commitment to providing exciting,
top-quality programs for undergraduates at Stevens. The quality of
our programs derives from the quality of our world-class
faculty. Undergraduate students are a welcomed part of our
community. They are afforded ready access to faculty and to
ongoing research activities on campus and off campus, and, as they
pursue their studies, undergraduates are encouraged to participate
in research and Technogenesis activities.
The science curricula at Stevens emphasize project-based learning,
encourage and reward independent study and scientific initiative,
offer expanded research opportunities for undergraduates, and
promote the undergraduate thesis as a capstone for a students
course of study. These elements of the curriculum are intended to
enhance the undergraduate experience of the student with a serious
interest in studying the natural sciences or computer science.
The undergraduate programs are separated into two categories of
curricula. The programs in Chemistry & Chemical Biology,
Mathematical Sciences, and Physics follow a unified curriculum,
the Bachelor of Science in the natural sciences. The Department of
Computer Science has developed distinct curricula for each of
four undergraduate programs: Bachelor of Science in Computer
Science, Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, Bachelor of Science
in Information Systems, and Bachelor of Science in Service
Oriented Computing.
The science program at Stevens offers a remarkable opportunity for
a career in today's scientific world. It prepares you to work at
the frontiers of knowledge making significant contributions to
science and the well-being of mankind. Careers in biology,
chemistry, medicine, physics, nanotechnology, mathematics, and
statistics, are accessible through the science program.
The concepts, techniques and attitudes that are common to all
sciences form the core courses of the Science program. You develop
an awareness of the interactions among the various scientific
disciplines and their individual contributions to the advancement
of knowledge - the total picture of science. Additional courses in
a chosen concentration prepare you exceptionally well with both
the tools and knowledge to enter a profession immediately upon
graduation, or to embark on advanced study leading to a graduate
degree.
Studies during your freshman year include courses in biology,
chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics, and a
sequence of courses in humanities. Studies in the humanities
continue throughout the four-year program. In the next three years
you may choose a concentration in the area of chemistry, chemical
biology, mathematics, computational science, applied physics, or
engineering physics. Upon successful completion of your studies,
you are awarded the Bachelor of Science degree.
The minimal formal requirements for the science program are listed
in the semester-by-semester schedule, including the Notes. Courses
may be taken in a different order than listed. Consult the
individual department schedule for more specific details.
In the first two years, students must choose two courses
from Group A and two courses from Group B.
**
The Science Elective must be chosen from:
Ma 227 Multivariable Calculus 3-0-3
Ch 382 Biological Syst 3-3-4
***
Economics can be either Mgt 243 (Macro) or Mgt 244
(Micro).
Thermodynamics can be either Ch 321 or E 234.
Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)
The computer science major is fundamentally focused on the
hardware-software interface. In any computer science major,
operating systems is the most important course for that major. It
teaches fundamental concepts such as interrupt-driven execution,
virtual memory management, I/O devices and protection in
multiprogramming. The computer science major covers additional
topics including:
Concurrent programming
Database management systems
Computer architecture
Cybersecurity fundamentals
In addition, the computer science major is distinguished by its
flexibility. In senior year, a student in Computer Science can
choose from a large number of elective courses. Concentration
areas are suggested groups of Computer Science courses for those
that want to drill down on specific topics. Some example
concentration areas are graphics, design of games, software
engineering, networks, cybersecurity and enterprise
computing. Application areas are groups of courses that include
courses outside Computer Science. Approved application areas
include computer engineering and embedded systems, wireless
networks, financial systems, mathematics and scientific computing.
For additional information concerning the Bachelor of Science
(Computer Science) program, please use the link below to view the
complete program description.
As the need for data security increases in all industries,
including medicine, banking, and homeland security, the demand for
professionals with knowledge in the areas of information assurance
and computer security continues to grow. In 2003, as part of the
National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, the White House identified
as a top priority the necessity of maintaining a pool of
well-trained and certified IT security specialists through
providing comprehensive training and education.
The cybersecurity major builds on a basic computer science
education to also develop the deep technical skills required of a
modern security professional. These skills include a deep
knowledge and understanding of crytography, as well as the ability
to diagnose threats and defences for software systems. Therefore
the pivot course for this major is a course in secure systems that
includes a cybersecurity lab as a co-requisite. The cybersecurity
major includes courses in:
Operating systems
Concurrent programming
Database management systems
Cybersecurity fundamentals
Privacy
Cryptography
Secure systems
This program is structured to provide students with security
expertise within the context of a broad education. The curriculum
not only has a strong focus in science and computer science but
also incorporates aspects of engineering and technology
management. Cybersecurity students in the senior design project do
a project involving secure systems, under the guidance and
supervision of security faculty.
For additional information concerning the Bachelor of Science
(Cybersecurity) program, please use the link below to view the
complete program description.
Information Systems (IS) is designed for those seeking the
background needed to apply information technology to support the
major functions of a business or public institution. Information
systems manage the collection, manipulation, storage, distribution
and utilization of an organization's information. The Stevens IS
major distinguishes itself by its technical rigor, and by
providing high-level skills in software development and systems
analysis. A solid background in business skills is combined with
an information technology background whose technical core is
shared with other majors in the computer science department. Both
strong technical ability and a firm grounding in business skills
are essential for the modern high-end IS professional.
Both the two-year skills spine and the senior-year capstone
project course are shared between Information Systems and Computer
Science majors. This ensures that IS majors obtain the rigorous
grounding in IS skills that the high-end IS professional is
expected to have. While the Computer Science program is designed
to allow majors to drill down to specific technical areas, the
Information Systems program offers a focus on business and
management functions, including basic business skills such as
accounting, marketing and organizational behavior. The IS program
also provides a specific focus on systems analysis and information
management: how an organization (be it business, government or any
other kind of organization) can structure its IS function, and how
the IS manager relates to the rest of the managerial structure.
In recognition of the modern IS environment, the IS program has an
additional emphasis on networked information. Courses in systems
programming, Web programming and databases demonstrate how to
realize the opportunities offered by IS in managing
information. Courses in cybersecurity and privacy address the
technical, managerial and legal hazards that must be addressed in
the modern networked world. Indeed, much of the IS core is shared
with the other majors in the computer science department. While
these majors drill down to technical aspects of computer systems,
IS focuses on organizational aspects of information
management. The IS major includes courses in:
database management systems
cybersecurity fundamentals
privacy
business skills:
economics
accounting
marketing
planning
requirements acquisition and human computer interaction
web programming and service oriented architecture (SOA)
A typical career path for a student majoring in IS is an
entry-level software developer/systems analyst position, rising
eventually to Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technical
Officer (CTO) in an organization. The IS majors emphases on
information management and project management are essential
preparation for either of these career paths.
For additional information concerning the Bachelor of Science
(Information Systems) program, please use the link below to view
the complete program description.
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.
This leads to 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. The tasks that such developers pursue range all the
way from designing and implementing web pages, to developing
distributed collaborative applications with sophisticated database
backends.
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 BS/SOC provides less coverage of the
hardware/software interface and focuses instead on front-end and
distributed application development skills, with an emphasis on
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
For additional information concerning the Bachelor of Science
(Service Oriented Computing) program, please use the link below to
view the complete program description.
