Chemistry

T. D. Shine, Chair; J. V. Arena, T. Burkholder, G. Crundwell, N. M. Glagovich, C. A. Jones, M. LaFontaine, R. Troy, B. L. Westcott, Jr. (Dept. phone 832-2675)

The Chemistry Department offers B.S. degrees in chemistry which include specializations in business, computer science, biological chemistry and environmental science, or are designed for those wishing to teach chemistry at the high school level. In addition, the Department offers a B.S. degree which is approved by the American Chemical Society.

The Chemistry Department provides undergraduate and graduate courses in the five major areas of chemistry (analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry). The Department facilities are located in Copernicus Hall and include six major instructional laboratories and two major instrument rooms, as well as two research laboratories. In addition, the Department shares a state-of-the-art computer laboratory, also in Copernicus Hall, with two other departments.

Chemistry students at the undergraduate and graduate level are encouraged to perform research under the mentorship of a faculty member. Chemistry students have the opportunity to work on all of the Department’s chemical instrumentation. These include a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, a Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectrophotometer, two Fourier transform infrared spectometers, two UV/visible spectrophotometers, two high-performance liquid chromatographs, an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, a spectrofluorometer, a BAS 100A electrochemical analyzer, a petrographic microscope, three stand alone gas chromatographs and other assorted pieces of instrumentation. The Department also has a variety of computer workstations for computer-based molecular modeling and investigations.

Major in Chemistry, B.S. (Non-Teaching)

(a) General Program

This program is designed for students wishing to go on to graduate-level studies in chemistry, or those who expect to enter professional chemistry at the bachelor’s level.

47 credits in Chemistry, as follows: CHEM 121, 122, 301, 311, 312, 313, 316, 321, 322, 402, 454, 460, and 461; two credits of CHEM 432 are also required for graduation. Students must also complete PHYS 125 and 126, and MATH 152 and 221. The student must also complete 8 credits from the following approved list: BIO 121 or higher, PHYS 220 or higher, ESCI 121 or higher, or MATH 222 or higher. Computer literacy and experience in the use of chemical literature are recommended. For students contemplating graduate study, a year of German or Russian is recommended. No minor is required.

(b) Chemistry-Biological Chemistry Specialization

This program is designed for students who desire a broad background in chemistry and biology or who are considering a health-related field upon graduation.

58–59 credits, as follows: CHEM 121, 122, 301, 311, 312, 313, 320, 402, 454, 455, 459; BIO 121, 122, 201, 306; and 7–8 elective credits from BIO 316, 318, 319, 416, 495 and CHEM 456. Additionally, students must take PHYS 125 and 126 or PHYS 121 and 122, and MATH 152 and 221.

Major in Chemistry, B.S. (Certifiable for secondary teaching)

This program is designed for those students seeking state certification for teaching chemistry at the secondary level and includes a student-teaching component in the senior year at an area school.

36 credits in Chemistry, as follows: CHEM 121, 122, 301, 311, 312, 321, 322, 402 and 460. In addition, students must take BIO 121; PHYS 125, 126; SCI 420; MATH 121 (or 119), 152 and 221; and 1 credit of science electives approved by the chair.

30 credits also must come from the following courses which require prior acceptance into the Professional Program in the School of Education and Professional Studies: SPED 315; EDTE 315; EDF 415; EDSC 425, 435; RDG 440; SCI 416, 417, 419.

For students contemplating graduate work, a year of German or Russian is recommended. Students who major in Chemistry are not required to complete a minor, but are urged to minor in General Science.

Minor in Chemistry (Certifiable for secondary teaching)

18 credits in Chemistry if the student’s major is Biology, Physics or Earth Science, including CHEM 121, 122, 301, 311 and one Chemistry elective from courses numbered 300 and above. In addition, students must take PHYS 121, 122; BIO 121; SCI 417 and MATH 121 (or 119). For other majors, a certifiable minor in Chemistry requires 30 credits planned with the approval of the chair of the Chemistry Department.

Minor in Chemistry (Non-Teaching)

21 credits in Chemistry, including CHEM 121, 122, 301, 311 and two Chemistry electives selected from courses numbered 300 or above.

Communication

S. Mendez-Mendez, Chair; J. Del Ama, R. M. Fischbach, G. Fitzgerald, Y. Ju, A. Moemeka, C. Pudlinski, K. Ritzenhoff, B. Sevitch, H. Shiau, C. B. Tyson, C. White (Dept. phone 832-2690)

The Department of Communication offers courses leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree which are designed to challenge students interested in the study of human communication. Communication, broadly conceived, is the purposeful exchange of symbolic information. Communication viewed as human behavior can be examined both in terms of its process and its outcomes and effects. The program of study defines a range of communication problems, determines the appropriate method of inquiry and searches for answers to the important questions involving the role of communication in individual relationships, in societal settings, in corporate structures and in global interdependence.

The major in Communication (B.A.) consists of 39 credits in the department and related courses, including 21 credits of departmental electives and 18 credits of core requirements:  COMM 140, 215, 230, 245, 301 or 302 or 303, and 400.  As part of their 39 credit major, students must take a total of 21 credits from 300/400-level courses, with a minimum of 9 credits from 400-level courses. Students should see the Department of Communication to obtain a Curriculum Guide Sheet to determine the appropriate departmental electives for their program.

Communication majors can also complete two capstone experiences on an optional basis as part of their graduation requirements. The first option is a colloquium presentation in which the student discusses a piece of their work (research paper, video production, internship, etc.) which was done while completing the requirements for the major. The presentation will be made to a group of faculty and students from the Department of Communication. The second capstone option pertains to a student portfolio that the major prepares and submits to the department prior to graduation. The student portfolio should contain several pieces of work that the student selects to demonstrate his or her accomplishments while completing the program. Upon admission to the major, the student should obtain a set of guidelines for preparing the colloquium and student portfolio from the Department of Communication.

Courses are grouped according to certain emphases within the broad field of Communication, allowing the student the choice of an emphasis that is compatible with his or her aims and interests. These emphases are: (1) mass media for students interested in careers in radio, television or film; (2) promotion/public relations for students who wish to develop communication skills for commercial, as well as non-commercial, employment in publicity, promotions, sales and corporate communication and community services; (3) political communication for students interested in developing communication skills necessary for working in state or local government; (4) organizational communication for students interested in pursuing consulting or in serving as managers for private and public institutions; and (5) for students with specialized needs, an advisor-based program is another option. In addition to these educational and occupational opportunities, a student might choose to pursue directions which could lead to an advanced degree in Communication.

The Department of Communication maintains a policy for admission to the major. To be admitted to the Communication major, students must complete 30 credits (15 credits for transfer students with 45 or more credits transferred to CCSU) of general education or courses in their minor and obtain a 2.00 GPA or better. Also, students must complete four required Communication core courses at CCSU: COMM 140, COMM 215, COMM 230 and COMM 245, and achieve a 2.50 minimum overall GPA for the four courses, with no grade lower than a C- in any course. Students who have taken one or more of these courses at another institution should see the department chair for a substitute(s).

Students should not take any Communication courses beyond five of the six core courses (COMM 140, 215, 230, 245 — and for transfer students COMM 301 and/or 302 and/or 303) until they have been admitted to the major. The sixth core course — COMM 400 — must be taken before graduation. Students who have been denied admission to the major may apply courses they have taken in the core to a minor in Communication provided there is no grade lower than a C-. Alternatively, they may repeat courses in which they received a C- or lower in order to raise their GPA.

Students in the process of completing the admission requirements to the Communication major are considered Pre-Communication majors. They should go to the Advising Center located in Willard 100 for academic advising, until their admission to the Communication major. Pre-Communication majors, when enrolled in the last Communication course needed for admission to the major, should go to the Communication Department office and complete a Major and Program Change Form. The chair will sign this form, after evaluating the student’s transcript to determine if he or she meets the admission requirements. Upon being admitted to the major, the student will be assigned a Communication Department faculty member as an advisor. The Registrar’s Office will also be notified that the student’s major has been changed from Pre-Communication to Communication.

Curriculum Guide Sheets listing required and recommended courses for each emphasis are available in the department. A maximum of 6 credits in related courses from outside the department (also listed on Curriculum Guide Sheets) may be counted toward the major. The student may also request to use up to six credits of related coursework outside of the major that were not listed on the Curriculum Guide Sheets. In such cases, students should obtain permission from their advisor and department chair as well as complete a course substitution form. Furthermore, completion of a minor in a related field of study in another department at the University is required. Students should complete a Program Change Form as soon as possible to declare their minor.

Note: Some courses offered by the Department are open to majors only. See course descriptions for information.

Minor in Communication

21 credits in Communication, including COMM 115 or 140, 215, 230, and 12 credits in Communication courses, 6 of which must be numbered 300 or 400. Students may not count both COMM 115 and COMM 140 towards the minor.

Computer Science

J. M. Calvert, Chair;  F. Abdollahzadeh, B. P. Kjell, Z. Markov, B. O’Connell, I. Pevac, R. Rajaravivarma, N. Zlatareva (Dept. phone 832-2710)

The Department of Computer Science offers an honors and an alternative program of study leading to a bachelor of science degree in Computer Science, as well as an interdisciplinary program with Computer Science core. The Computer Science major is one of the first such programs offered in New England, and the honors program is fully accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET (CAC/ABET). Accredited programs must meet or exceed CAC/ABET criteria for faculty, curriculum, laboratory and computing resources, students and institutional support. Central Connecticut State’s Computer Science honors program is the first in the state to receive CAC/ABET accreditation.

All Computer Science (CS) majors take courses covering program design, data structures, assembly language programming, digital design and systems programming. Topics courses, including database design and applications, networking, graphics and visualization, and Web-centric computing, allow the department’s offerings to keep pace with the rapid advancement of computer technology, and are offered for elective credit on a regular basis.

In addition to the regular course work, CS majors may participate in the Cooperative Education program. This program, open to juniors and seniors, allows the student to put her/his skills to use in a real-life setting, receiving academic credit for work in a real-world environment. The interdisciplinary program provides a grounding in Computer Science, Mathematics and Natural Science, and allows the students to cap their program in any of these fields.

State-of-the-art computing facilities and university networking infrastructure provide students access to on-campus specialized software packages and streaming video capabilities, as well as Web-based remote accessibility for on-line teaching and learning.

Major in Computer Science, B.S. (Honors) (Non-Teaching) (CAC/ABET-accredited)

64 credits. Core (18 credits): CS 151, 152, 161, 253, 254, 354. Advanced Area Courses (9 credits): CS 355 plus choice of two from CS 385, 463, 464. Advanced Directed Electives (9 credits): Choice of three from CS 410, 423, 460, 462, 465, 473, 481, 483, and 490, selected in consultation with an advisor. Auxiliary electives (4 credits): Selected, in consultation with an advisor, from those not selected from Advanced Area Courses or Advanced Directed Electives or from CS 290, 300, 301, 398, 407, 498, 499. Mathematics and statistics (15 credits): MATH 152, 221, 218, and STAT 315. Science (9 credits): PHYS 338 plus one of the following sequences: BIO 121 and 122 or CHEM 121 and 122 or ESCI 121, 122, and 123 or PHYS 125 and 126. Majors must also take PHIL 245 and an additional 6 credits in science.

Computer Science honors program majors are not required to complete a minor.

Students in this Honors program are required to take a proficiency test specified by the department during their senior year.

Major in Computer Science, B.S. (Alternative) (Non-Teaching)

38 credits as follows: 30 credits of Computer Science courses, including CS 151, 152, 161, 253 and 254, and 15 elective credits selected in consultation with an advisor. No other CS course numbered below 210 can be counted for this major. 8 credits in mathematics: MATH 152 and 218. This alternative major may be completed in as few as four semesters and allows the student to complete requirements for a minor.

Minor in Computer Science

18 credits as follows: CS 151, 152, 253, 254 and 4 credits of Computer Science electives which are applicable to the B.S. degree in Computer Science.

Interdisciplinary Major — Sciences with Core in Computer Science, B.A.

39 credits as follows: 18–24 credits of Computer Science consisting of CS 151, 152, 253 and 254, plus 4–10 credits in electives chosen from CS courses numbered above 300. 9–15 credits in mathematics chosen from MATH 121, 152, 218, 221, 222, 228, 366 and 477. 3–9 credits in physics or earth science and 3–9 credits in chemistry or biology. Science courses must be laboratory courses.

Criminology and Criminal Justice

S. Cox, Chair; R. Fernandez, J. Hedlund, D. Mitchell, S. Pease, R. Tafrate (Dept. phone: 832-3005)

Major in Criminology, B.A.

39 credits as follows: CRM 110, 133, 238, 231, 222, 337, 435, and 18-credits of electives (12 of which must be at the 300- or 400-level). Also, students are directed to take STAT 215 in Skill Area 2 and PHIL 144 in Study Area 1.

The academic field of criminal justice is interdisciplinary and involves the study of the definition of crime, the causes and control of criminal behavior and the operation of the criminal justice system (i.e., police, courts and corrections). The study of criminal justice is both theoretical and practical in nature and emphasizes theory, policy, planning and evaluation. Through classroom and field experience students are prepared for responsible positions of service in law enforcement, the courts, corrections and youth service agencies. Graduates have taken positions in federal, state and municipal law enforcement, federal and state prisons, halfway house staff and management, federal and state probation, private security and public and private investigation.

Minor in Criminal Justice

18 credits as follows, CRM 110, 133, 222, 337, and 6 credits of electives. Students minoring in Criminal Justice are urged to consult an advisor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department.