Certificate in Computational Science and Engineering
The foundations of science and engineering are under rapid, dramatic, and irreversible change brought on by the advent of the computer. Steady growth in computer capabilities, and enormous expansion in the scope and sophistication of computational modeling and simulation, have added computation as the third pillar of scientific discovery and have revolutionized engineering practice. Computational science and engineering can affect virtually every aspect of human existence, including the health, security, productivity, and competitiveness of nations.
The Computational Science and Engineering Certificate program is sponsored by the Cockrell School of Engineering, the Jackson School of Geosciences, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Natural Sciences; it is administered by the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES). The program offers highly qualified upper-division students an opportunity for in-depth study and research in computational science and engineering, including computational and applied mathematics, numerical simulation, scientific computation, and visualization. A student who completes the general requirements above and the specific requirements below receives recognition on his or her University transcript and a letter from the director of ICES that describes the program and the work completed. Along with supporting letters from supervising faculty and graduate mentors, these are valuable assets for students applying to graduate school and pursuing competitive job opportunities.
To apply for admission, students must have completed sixty semester hours of coursework and must have a grade point average of at least 3.00. Students are expected to have broad training in quantitative methods, comparable to that provided by Mathematics 408D or 408M, Computer Science 303E or Statistics and Scientific Computation 222, Mathematics 427K, and Mathematics 340L.
Students must complete the following eighteen semester hours of coursework with a grade of at least B in each course:
- Three semester hours in numerical computing chosen from the following: Computer Science 323E, 323H, 367, Mathematics 348.
- Three semester hours in numerical applications chosen from the following: Aerospace Engineering 347, Biology 337J, Biomedical Engineering 341, 342, 346, Chemical Engineering 348, Economics 363C, Geological Sciences 325K, Mathematics 374M, Mechanical Engineering 369L, Physics 329, Statistics and Scientific Computation 339.
- Nine semester hours chosen from the following: Computer Science 377, Engineering Mechanics 360, Mathematics 346, 368K, 372K, 376C, Statistics and Scientific Computation 374C, 374E.
- A scientific computing project supervised by a member of the computational science, engineering, and mathematics (CSEM) graduate program faculty. The research project is completed in a three-semester-hour research methods or individual instruction course, which the student should take during the senior year. The research project may include mentoring by ICES postdoctoral fellows and CSEM graduate students as part of a vertical instructional research team.
With the approval of the certificate program’s faculty adviser, course substitutions may be made within the broad area of computational science and engineering.
More information about the certificate is available at http://www.ices.utexas.edu/programs/cse-certificate/ and in the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, ACE 4.110