Graduate Program

Transferring from Another Rensselaer Degree Program

Applicants to Troy campus Computer Science graduate degree programs from other graduate degree programs at Rensselaer must meet the same requirements as applicants from outside Rensselaer. The Troy campus graduate degree program is extremely competitive and emphasizes research. In order to be admitted, students must be invited to join one of the department's research groups.

Graduate students in other Rensselaer departments and students in the distance and Hartford programs should apply through the Admissions office. Admissions will arrange to have the students' documents sent to the Computer Science department. To supplement the documents already on file, these students must submit two new recommendations and a new statement of background and goals which includes information on which research group the student wishes to join. Students must also submit GRE General test scores if none are already on file.

Students in the Troy campus Computer Science MS program who wish to join the PhD program must also submit two recommendations and a new statement of background and goals. These students' GRE scores and other documents should already be on file with the department. These students may apply through a Graduate Change of Status form rather than through the Admissions office.

When the new documents have been added to a student's file, the file will be circulated to the relevant research group for review, just as applications from outside applicants are circulated.

When the prospective advisor is already familiar with the applicant's work, it may sometimes be possible to reduce the number of documents that must be submitted. Contact the department for details.

There is one situation in which students changing degree programs do not have to go through the above steps. Computer Science Ph.D. students who wish to enroll in the Master's program need only to get approval from their advisors. The MS program can then be added using a Graduate Change of Status form.

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