The Doctor of Professional Studies in Computing

  • The Doctor of Professional Studies (DPS) in Computing program began its first semester in the Fall of 1999. The program is now in its eighth year and in May graduated its fifth class. DPS students maintain full-time jobs, while completing the three-year program. Student dissertation areas have included: Biometrics, Broadband Wireless Network Access Services, Data Warehousing, Distributed Systems Architecture, Pattern Recognition, Patterns and Pattern Languages, Visualization of Data, Genetic Algorithms, Software Component Integration, Web site Personalization and Privacy, Data Security, and Web Services for Businesses.

    As Kathleen Bravo, a 2005 graduate, wrote in reference to the program, "....The DPS degree has definitely helped to further my career and because of it, my services are in demand... Thank you!"
  • The Students - With three classes in attendance in the Fall of 2006, there are a total of 55 students, 45 men and 10 women from 7 states and Canada. The classes are ethnically diverse with 11 African-American, 13 Asian, and 6 Hispanic students. They entered the program with master's degrees from institutions such as Adelphi, CUNY, Florida State, Johns Hopkins, Iona, NYU, Penn State, Polytechnic, SUNY, University of Pennsylvania, University of Toronto, Villanova, and, of course, Pace. DPS students are employed full-time by a wide range of employers including: Blue Sky Studios, IBM, ITT, Lehman Brothers, MetLife, Montefiore Medical Center, St. Francis College, Sun, Verizon, Westchester County, and Yale University, among others.
  • Faculty and Staff - Dean Susan Merritt holds primary responsibility for overseeing the DPS program with Dr. Fred Grossman, Program Chair, and Dr. Charles Tappert, Associate Chair. Chris Longo handles administrative duties and provides support on the resident weekends. The program also has a graduate assistant.

    Teaching faculty include Joseph Bergin, Howard Blum, Paul Dantzig, Michael Gargano, Fred Grossman, Fran Gustavson, Allen Stix, Lixin Tao, and Charles Tappert. Many SCSIS Faculty members participate in the Research Seminar course and serve as dissertation advisers and dissertation committee members.

    Distinguished guest lecturers this year were: Dr. Norm Kerth, the "Father of Retrospectives"; Drs. Mary Lynn Manns and Linda Rising, co-authors of Fearless Change ; and Dr. Nalini Ratha, IBM Research.
  • Curriculum - The first year's (fall, spring, and summer) integrated core curriculum is designed to provide an understanding of computing as a coherent discipline and the environments in which computer-based systems operate. In the second year, students pursue elective study in selected areas that support the projected dissertation research. In addition, students participate in a Research Seminar sequence for each of the six semesters of the first two years of study. These seminar courses introduce students to the various methods and styles of computing research. Students devote the third year to completing their research and to writing the dissertation. A total of 48 credits are required for graduation.

    Although students come to campus approximately once a month (5 times per semester), their participation in educational activities is ongoing. Outside of class, in addition to doing their assigned and supplementary readings, writing papers, and preparing presentations, they maintain on-going communication with the faculty and their fellow students via the Internet. Unlike traditional graduate programs, students do not feel isolated. Strong bonding occurs among the students and faculty.
  • Object Oriented/Agile/Java Workshop - Agile software development and object technology figure prominently in the three-semester sequence of courses on software design and development taken by all first year students. Therefore, a free, noncredit, "jumpstart" workshop is offered to entering students in August at the Graduate Center. Instruction continues online for four weeks, and, in genuine workshop style, students proceed at their own rate and in accordance with their interests in the more advanced topics.
  • Assessment - Feedback from both students and faculty is important to us. Program assessment and course opinion surveys for students are completed at the end of each semester for each DPS class. Faculty also complete an assessment of learning and teaching in the DPS. Survey results have assisted us in fortifying novel aspects of the program that are working well and in pinpointing shortcomings.
  • Recruitment - Efforts that seem to have the best results are bulk mailings to targeted groups, emails to past inquirers, and DPS information sessions. Most of the DPS inquiries and applications are received through the DPS Web site, http://seidenberg.pace.edu/dps, as the Web site address is displayed on all promotional material. A total of twelve information sessions, six at the Graduate Center and six at the Midtown Center, were held to promote the program. At each, Dr. Grossman gives an overview of the program, and a representative from Graduate Admission explains the admission process. A professionally designed fact sheet, and full-page ad are used in our recruitment campaigns and promotions.
  • Scholarship Fund - The Marilyn Mead Endowed Scholarship Fund was developed in 2002 through the efforts of Dr. V. Sadagopan. The fund is named in memory of Dr. Marilyn Mead, a 2002 DPS graduate. Dr. Sadagopan is impressed with the care and planning that DPS takes in addressing two primary concerns in computer-oriented doctoral programs on the national level: the under representation of women and of minorities.
  • Special Events - Include an annual barbecue and "kick-off" luncheon.
  • New Cohort Introduced - In fall 2006, the Seidenberg School expanded its Doctor of Professional Studies in Computing program to include a track for education professionals. A cohort of 17 students enrolled in this new program. The class includes educational administrators, librarians, technology specialists and teachers. Like the highly successful tract for industry professionals that has been in existence since 1999, the program allows working education professionals to continue advancing in their careers while pursuing a doctorate on a part-time basis. Dr. David Sachs oversees the program.