(Courtesy of YU) The Katz School of Science and Health is launching two new master’s programs in computer science for the next generation of tech innovators.
The Agile MS in computer science is for students who want to break into the tech field but do not have an undergraduate degree in computer science; the MS in computer science is for those with undergraduate degrees in computer science who want to do advanced work or specialize in emerging fields. Applications are now being accepted for Fall 2024.
Balancing theory, systems and applications, the research-intensive programs open doors to competitive jobs in research and development (R&D) and in-demand specializations like AI, cybersecurity, networking and software engineering, and prepare students for selective PhD programs.
“The Katz School is an R&D powerhouse in the fields of AI, machine learning, analytics and cybersecurity; and now we are expanding into broader areas in computer science,” said Dr. Honggang Wang, chair of computer science and engineering at the Katz School. “Our nationally recognized faculty are working on significant applications in security, health, autonomous navigation, machine vision, finance and sustainability, which are changing the way the world works and reshaping the global economy.”
Students will have opportunities to collaborate with industry and university faculty on innovative research in areas like smart health and wearable tech, autonomous vehicles, 5G/6G communications and cybersecurity. They will also have access to significant computing capacity, including a high-performance, GPU-based server from MIT Cambridge Research, a fully equipped advanced IoT lab and New York City’s first university-based security operations center focused on cybersecurity.
The best and brightest students will be eligible for the Katz School’s STEM Fellowship, which provides a generous scholarship and the opportunity to showcase research at the school’s annual symposium on science, technology and health.
The Katz School’s faculty includes a Who’s Who of industry experts and disruptors who have garnered a host of prestigious awards, grants and recognition across the globe: Dr. Wang, an IEEE fellow and distinguished lecturer, is a leading researcher with over $5 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Transportation, including work on wearable tech to predict drug relapse and an AI platform that would recognize diet-quality trajectory patterns for various chronic disease outcomes. Dr. Youshan Zang, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering and an expert in computer vision and neural networks, received an Emerging Research Award at the Future Technologies Conference for his work with a student team to develop a machine learning model to improve safety in autonomous vehicles.
In a multiyear initiative led by Dr. Yuri Katz, industry professor at the Katz School and director of data science at Standard & Poor’s Global, graduate students are using AI to forecast climate change’s local impact, with implications for financial risk assessment and policy planning.
And working together, Dr. Marian Gidea and PhD student Samuel Akingbade are pioneering groundbreaking work in dynamical systems modeling to forecast bitcoin bubbles and crashes. Akingbade was recently recognized for his work on modeling energy harvesting at the prestigious Heidelberg Laureate Forum.
“This program is a testament to the commitment of the Katz School of Science and Health to provide accessible and high-quality education in the ever-evolving field of computer science,” said Professor Katz. “I applaud the forward-thinking approach to creating this pathway for motivated and ambitious individuals looking to make a significant impact in the tech industry.”
For more information, visit www.yu.edu/katz/computer-science-agile or www.yu.edu/katz/computer-science
