Dearborn Engineer, Fall 2005 - College of Engineering & Computer ...

DEARBORN Engineer
Computer and Information Science
Graduate Programs: Developing
Software Skills for Today’s Market
The Department of Computer and
Information Science (CIS) offers two
graduate degree programs, one in computer
and information science and another in software engineering.
The computer and information science degree is a classic
computer science degree; students can study in many of the
traditional areas, including operating systems, networking,
computer graphics, information systems, and databases.
They can also study some of the newer cutting-edge areas
such as web or multimedia information systems, web
services, data mining, and automotive networking.
The software engineering program is jointly administered
with the Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, with an emphasis on embedded systems.
“That degree will, among other things, enable graduates to
manage large software projects,” says William Grosky, chair
of CIS. The department also participates in a third program
leading to a graduate degree in information systems technology,
which is primarily run out of the Department of
Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering.
CIS graduate students concentrate in one of multiple
areas, including computer graphics and geometric
modeling, computer networks, database management,
information systems, software engineering, and system
software. Each program involves a mixture of core
courses, concentration courses, cognates, and a project or
thesis, which students conduct under the supervision of a
faculty member. The core courses cover the principles of
the respective disciplines, while the concentration courses
address the application of those principles.
Every five years, both programs are critically evaluated by
both internal and external entities in order to update offerings
to meet the demands of local industries and to incorporate
major developments in the disciplines.
“Our software engineering degree program is unique
in the metro area, and I would say in the country,” says
Grosky. “There are few MS programs in software engineering
and even fewer programs with an emphasis
in embedded systems. This is especially of interest to
the auto companies and the U.S. Army Tank Command.
Students with this training will gain the skills to manage
large software projects, a skill which, so far, has not been
outsourced, and probably won’t be.”
Grosky remains optimistic about CIS graduate students’
career choices in spite of industry trends. “Many computing
jobs have certainly been outsourced,” he says, “but
these are mostly among low-level programming positions.
If you believe government statistics, there will be a need
for many, many people with the skills taught in our programs.
This view has been echoed by Bill Gates, who is
going around the country promoting this position. There
are many different fields that a CIS graduate can enter.
We’ve even had some more entrepreneurial students go
on to start their own companies.”
Austin Krauss, MS in Software Engineering, 2005
Austin Krauss earned his graduate degree in software engineering (SE),
with a concentration in computer graphics and user interface design,
with an eye toward going into computer game development. Although
he had chosen an unusual choice for software development research,
Krauss found support and guidance from his professors. “Overall, I felt
that the professors were receptive to students’ needs and were aware of
the changes in the job market. Their motivation excited me about the
research I was doing.”
Today he works at the California-based Treyarch, a leading developer of
video games best known for its Spiderman series of titles. Krauss credits
his fledgling career to the work he did in CIS. “The program allowed me
to study topics specific to my area of interest under the tutelage and advice
of experienced professors,” he says. “This education allowed me to obtain the dream job I have today. With my
background, I was able to quickly come up to speed on Treyarch’s current processes. In the future, I hope to further
shape our software development processes based on the concepts and theories I learned in the SE program.”
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