划分部门和课程的线是模糊且相交的。教师，学生，甚至程序本身都可以整合和合作。在当今世界，计算机科学专业的毕业生需要了解业务。工程师需要有效沟通的能力。架构师必须掌握新的信息技术工具。传统上，理学硕士课程只涉及一个主题，例如化学，物理或数学。但是，大学毕业生当前和将来将面临的工作环境是他们的工作越来越桥联多个专业领域的环境。应用科学硕士课程是基于Rensselaer的信念，即过去几十年的理科毕业生和大多数当前的毕业生没有为当今的跨学科世界提供足够的教育。选择存在于许多科学领域。
The lines dividing departments and curricula are blurred and intersecting. Faculty, students, and even the programs themselves integrate and cooperate. In today's world, computer science graduates need to know about business. Engineers need the ability to communicate effectively. Architects must master new tools of information technology.The Master of Science degree traditionally has been in a single subject matter, e.g. chemistry, physics, or mathematics. However, the working environment that college graduates face today and will face in the future is one in which their jobs increasingly bridge more than one area of specialization. The M.S. in Applied Science program is based upon Rensselaer's belief that science graduates of the past few decades and most current graduates are not educated adequately for today's interdisciplinary world. Options exist in many areas of science.