Catalog and Student Handbook 2008-2009

Rensselaer Overview
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, of Troy, New York, founded in 1824, is the nation's oldest technological research university. Well known for its leadership in technology-based education and its rigorous approach to problem solving, Rensselaer is a nonsectarian, coeducational institution. The branch campus in Connecticut has been the home of Rensselaer-wide excellence in advanced Education for Working Professionals for more than fifty years. The Hartford Campus and the Southeastern Connecticut Site provide a challenging educational environment and a dynamic learning experience for students who need to balance their professional, academic, and personal lives.

Education for Working Professionals
Education for Working Professionals (EWP) is one of Rensselaer's core enterprises and encompasses a range of programs designed specifically for current and future workforce leaders with a range of high-end, customized, degree, certificate, and professional development programs. Program content flows from the heart of Rensselaer's research strengths and unique academic programs. The EWP organization supports the Rensselaer vision by forging strategic partnerships with businesses, governments, universities, and innovative professionals who impact society and technology around the nation and the world.

Rensselaer's educational enterprise for working professionals is dedicated to providing a highly interactive learning environment for students who are seeking high-level knowledge while they hone their analytical capabilities and leadership skills and enhance their innovative thinking. The intent is to have Rensselaer graduates--executives, senior professionals, managers, and individuals with high potential-- become architects of their futures. With dramatic increases in the rate of change, working professionals expect and demand an academic environment that fits the evolving needs of their fast-paced world.

Degree Programs
The Hartford Campus offers graduate programs in Business Administration, Management, Computer Science, Computer and Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Information Technology. Specialized programs include the Dual Master's Degrees, the Weekend M.B.A., the Elite Master's Program, and the Rensselaer Fellows Program. Courses are delivered by faculty with significant industry experience, solid academic credentials and scholarship, and exceptional teaching skills whose expertise is grounded in sound research and best practices on a global basis. Each course is designed to meet the needs of working professionals seeking to advance their careers and enhance the success of their organizations. Rensselaer graduates are changing the world every day.

Graduate Certificate Programs
Several graduate certificates are available in Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering. For working professionals not seeking a complete master's degree, Rensselaer's Graduate Certificate programs are tailored to enhance or update skills in a shorter period of time. They have a selective focus and require that a student successfully complete three or four courses in a specific area of study. With an advisor's approval, credits earned may be subsequently applied as electives toward a master's degree.

International Scholars Program
Rensselaer's International Scholars Program (ISP) is a one-year accelerated master's degree program for recent college graduates which includes a ten-week summer term abroad. ISP provides students with the edge they need as they make the transition from college to the working world. The Rensselaer International Scholar will earn a master's degree in either Management or Information Technology, with global emphasis on trade, innovation, security, and competitiveness. Forty percent of the degree will be completed in Europe and Asia. ISP students will visit major corporations in Rome and Shanghai, and will be taught by world leaders in industry.

Executive Education
Rensselaer is a firm believer in lifelong education, and encourages executives and other working professionals to passionately pursue learning throughout their careers. To provide these educational opportunities, Rensselaer offers several Executive Education options. The M.S.-M.B.A. Modernization seminar is specifically designed for experienced business leaders and managers who earned their M.B.A. or M.S. in Management degrees in 2000 or before. The weeklong education series enables seasoned management professionals to reinvigorate their advanced business degree(s) with modern business knowledge and best practices that will drive organizational change, stimulate innovation, and build on their abilities to compete in the current global business community. Rensselaer’s Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship (ICE) program challenges senior leadership to apply Breakthrough Innovation in their industries. The ICE program explores and quantifies the competencies, systems, and practices that are central to the vitality of sustainable innovation within large, established organizations. This fall, Rensselaer will introduce Healthcare ’08, a conference series on the current and future state of the American hospital that focuses on helping experienced healthcare professionals capitalize on the incredible opportunities for growth presented by emerging healthcare technologies and trends in the 21st century.

Rensselaer's Centers for Professional Development
A full range of professional development programs and services are offered at the Hartford Campus. These noncredit programs are designed to provide working professionals and organizations with the critical skills needed to be effective in today's dynamic workplace. Programs generally range from one to five days in length. Training programs and workshops are available in the areas of leadership and executive development, technical and professional development, and computer and information technology. Specialized programs reflective of Rensselaer's research strengths are also available. Rensselaer offers services designed to help companies and individuals understand and define their developmental needs. Services include: needs assessment, custom program development, executive coaching, and multiple delivery options and locations. See the Rensselaer Centers for Professional Development section for more information.

Accreditation
Rensselaer is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, by the Board of Governors for Higher Education of the State of Connecticut, and by a number of professional and academic societies. Rensselaer's Lally School of Management and Technology is an accredited member of AACSB International, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.

Affirmative Action Policy
Rensselaer admits qualified students without regard to age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, marital status, or disability. Rensselaer is committed to equal access and equal opportunity. Should you require special accommodations in order to participate in any of the programs offered, please contact the Director of Operations and Facilities at (860) 548-5392 or the Director of Admissions at (860) 548-2421. Alternative formats of course material may be provided upon request.

Notice Regarding Changes
Rensselaer's Catalog & Student Handbook is an official publication of Rensselaer for its students, faculty, staff and friends. It is published by the Office of Communications, 275 Windsor Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06120-2991.

All information in this Catalog pertains to the 2008-2009 academic year and is correct to the extent that the information was available on the Catalog preparation date. However, Rensselaer reserves the right to change the course offerings, tuition, fees, rules governing admission, requirements for graduation and the granting of degrees, and any other regulations affecting its students. Such changes are to take effect whenever the administration deems necessary whether or not there is actual notice to individual students.