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The objective of the Computational Science and Engineering (CS&E)
Program is to provide students with an
environment in which they can develop skills necessary to seamlessly
blend computational and mathematical techniques with a specialized
discipline. It is becoming increasingly clear that these tools will
serve as the backbone leading to major advances in all
fields of research. To achieve this objective, an alliance of several
departments from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of
Engineering has been established to sponsor and staff an
inter-departmental, interdisciplinary, graduate degree program in
computational science and engineering.
The term ``Computational Science and Engineering" is used to
represent an interdisciplinary field comprising
a specific scientific or engineering discipline,
applied mathematics (including numerical mathematics),
and computer science. The applied mathematical aspect
emphasizes mathematical modeling of
the physical world and the discretized version thereof, whereas
the computer science aspect emphasizes the development of software
and hardware tools (including libraries, environments, protocols,
and devices). Until recently, these two disciplines evolved in
isolation without consideration of each other's requirements and opportunities.
In order to effectively
harness the resources made available by the
fast-paced evolution of computer software and hardware, a
close-knit coupling of the disciplines is required.
The CS&E Program seeks to produce
researchers capable of such integration through a curriculum that
includes the disciplines of computer science, applied mathematics,
and an engineering or science specialty.
This objective is achieved through complementary requirements:
students from computer science or mathematics will
carry approximately one-third of
their total course load in an engineering or scientific discipline
outside their department, while engineering or science students will carry
approximately one-third of their total course load in computer science and
mathematics. In addition, certain core CS&E courses will be
required of all CS&E degree candidates, including parallel computer
architecture, and computational linear algebra.
These courses are designed to
emphasize the interdisciplinary aspect of the program.
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