Computational Science Concentration

Undergraduate Concentration

The enormous progress in computational technology has generated a new methodology for learning and advancing the traditional sciences such as physics, chemistry and biology. Computational science combines the application of numerical methods, models and algorithms in the context of solving problems that are intractable by traditional methods. It is distinct from computer science, which is the study of computers and computation and it is different from theory and experiment, the traditional forms of science, in that it seeks to gain understanding principally by the analysis of mathematical models.

The goal of the computational science concentration is to provide an opportunity for students to learn about the interplay between science and computation. The concentration is especially suitable for undergraduate students majoring in the sciences, mathematics or computer science, but students in other majors will be considered on an individualized basis. Students completing the computational science concentration would be able to enter graduate programs in their majors or newly created interdisciplinary graduate programs in computational science, and would be well prepared to go into industry.

For more information, please visit the Computational Science Department’s website.

Concentration Requirements

Because of the sequential nature of many of the requirements and the relatively large number of major requirements for students in the concentration, students are encouraged to plan early and carefully. A student’s choice of advanced courses must be approved by the concentration faculty. The requirements vary depending on the student’s major and interests, but all students are required to complete the following (or equivalent):