To better meet the needs of graduate students and working professionals in the Hartford, Conn. area, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is taking steps to strengthen the alignment of the Hartford campus’ graduate curriculum with the campus in Troy, N.Y.

This action supports The Rensselaer Plan 2024 goal in graduate education of “developing advanced professional programs that leverage interdisciplinary research and creating technology-enabled learning environments.” Specifically, this will link Rensselaer at Hartford educational offerings to the core research strengths of the Institute. In addition, the realignment of academic and administrative services between the campuses will result in greater efficiency and consistency across Hartford’s graduate programs.

“Our goal is to remain responsive to the needs of students and working professionals in that geographic area by connecting our programs of study to the areas of projected job growth in the region,” said Rensselaer Provost Prabhat Hajela. “We are changing the way we are organized to more closely align the curriculum at the Hartford campus with the Troy campus. We will focus more intently on providing courses that offer students and professionals in the Hartford area greater access to leading-edge research, faculty, and ultimately greater career opportunities for our graduate students.”

A comprehensive market study conducted last year highlighted the need to adjust the graduate education focus at the Hartford campus, and reach a broader audience of working professionals through technology-enabled education that exploits the interdisciplinary research conducted at Rensselaer. As a result of this realignment, more online, blended instruction, as well as additional courses in Rensselaer academic strengths, including computer science and engineering, will be offered at the Hartford campus.

According to Hajela, the alignment of academic programs in this manner will now allow students at Hartford to take classes on the Troy campus. Furthermore, “the academic needs of current Hartford students will be met, even as new programs are developed. We will be recruiting additional faculty and lecturers to meet the academic and program demands,” he said.

Contact:

David Brond
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 
Office: (518) 276-2800
Email: brondd@rpi.edu