University Catalog 2006-2007

University Catalog > College of Science > Computational and Data Sciences

Computational and Data Sciences

Phone: 703-993-1990
Web: cds.gmu.edu

Faculty

Professors:Becker, Blaisten-Barojas, Cioffi-Revilla, Gentle, Lohner, Papaconstantopoulos (chair), Wegman

Associate professors: Cebral, Wallin, Yang, Zoltek

Assistant professors: Griva, Tollaksen, Weigel, Zhang

Research professors: Borne, Buot, Camelli, Dere, Gomez, Poland, Titarchuk, Tsiper

Senior contract professors: Beall, Guillory

Affiliates:Black, Carr, Polyak, Sauer

Adjuncts:Guharay, Ikossi, Lanzagorta, Luo, Soto, Veytsman

Course Work

The department offers all course work designated CSI, CSS, and NANO in the “Course Descriptions” chapter of this catalog.

Graduate Programs

Computational Science, MS

The interdisciplinary master’s program in computational science addresses the growing national and regional demand for trained computational scientists. It combines a solid foundation in information technology skills with computational courses in a variety of scientific areas. All courses are offered in the late afternoon or early evening to accommodate students with full-time employment outside the university.

The degree is centered on a strong computational component, which comprises 22 credits of course work. The remaining 9 credits represent the scientific component, which centers on specific areas such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and statistics. This provides students with a flexible set of options that can be used to create their own customized curriculum under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students are encouraged to undertake an optional master’s thesis or research project that allows them to gain useful experience in the development of simulations and other aspects of computational science.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have academic backgrounds in physical or biological sciences, engineering, mathematics, or computer science. They should have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of at least 3.00 in their last 60 credits of study. Additionally, applicants should have taken at least one course in differential equations, and should have facility in using a high-level computer programming language. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, a current resume, and an expanded goals statement to the COS Fairfax Campus Graduate Admissions Processing Center. Applicants should also include three letters of recommendation, and an official report of scores on the GRE-GEN exam. The GRE-SUB is recommended if it is given in the student’s undergraduate major. The GRE requirement will be waived if the student holds a master’s degree from a U.S. institution. TOEFL scores are required for all international applicants.

Degree Requirements

Candidates must successfully complete 31 credits as follows:

Computational Sciences and Informatics, PhD

The CSI doctoral program addresses the role of computation in science, mathematics, and engineering, and is designed around a core of advanced computer technology courses. “Computational sciences” is defined as the systematic development and application of computing systems and computational solution techniques to models of scientific and engineering phenomena. “Informatics” is defined as the systematic development and application of computing systems and computational solution techniques for analyzing data obtained through experiments, modeling, database searches, and instrumentation. Computing is now part of a triad, along with theory and experimentation, which provides a new, integrated means of investigation. The resulting interdisciplinary approach often leads to understanding that, in many cases, traditional theory or experimentation alone cannot provide. The close relationship of the CSI doctoral program to the research and development activities in federal laboratories, scientific institutions, and high-technology firms affords students opportunities for continuing or new employment. Scheduled courses and sequences accommodate part-time students, with most courses meeting once a week in the late afternoon or early evening.

Each student completing the CSI doctoral program receives extensive training in a selected area of scientific concentration along with a broad background in modern computational techniques. Graduates are qualified to pursue careers in academia, private industry, and many government laboratories and agencies. The program provides interdisciplinary research opportunities including atmospheric transport and dispersion; bioinformatics and computational biology; climate dynamics and global change; computational chemistry; computational finance; computational fluid dynamics; computational intelligence and knowledge mining; computational mathematics; computational neuroscience; computational physics; computational statistics; computational materials science; Earth observing and remote sensing; and space sciences and computational astrophysics.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have an academic background in physical or biological sciences, engineering, mathematics, or computer science. They should have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of at least 3.00 in their last 60 credits of study. Additionally, applicants should have taken at least one course in differential equations, and should have facility in using a high-level computer programming language. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, a current resume, and an expanded goals statement to the COS Fairfax Campus Graduate Admissions Processing Center. Applicants should also include three letters of recommendation, and an official report of scores obtained on the GRE-GEN exam. The GRE-SUB is recommended if it is given in the student’s undergraduate major. The GRE requirement will be waived if the student holds a master’s degree from a U.S. institution. TOEFL scores are required for all international applicants.

Degree Requirements

The program emphasizes three intellectual elements: common computational science topics, computationally intensive courses in specific areas of interest, and doctoral research. The course work is divided as follows:

The program requires 72 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, with a minimum of 48 credits in course work, and 24 credits of dissertation research. For those holding master’s degrees, the 72 required credits may be reduced by up to 30 credits, depending on graduate courses completed. At the end of the semester when course work is completed, students must form a doctoral committee, which will write the student’s candidacy exam. The exam includes written, oral, and computational components. Upon passing the candidacy exam and submitting an acceptable dissertation proposal, students are advanced to doctoral candidacy.

Students are encouraged to apply their knowledge to a broad range of natural science problems using computational skills and techniques missing from the more traditional degree programs in science and mathematics. Note that research opportunities are not limited to the listed areas, and many opportunities exist to create new areas of interdisciplinary research that would be difficult to accommodate within a traditional doctoral program. Students are to consult with their advisors to prepare specific plans of study. Complete information regarding the curriculum requirements (including electives) for each area of concentration is available at cos.gmu.edu. In addition to the common core of CSI 700, 701, 703, and 710, required scientific core courses for the specific areas of concentration are as follows:

Students may also pursue interdisciplinary research that combines the areas of concentration listed above with each other and also with high-performance computing, computational neuroscience, Earth systems and geoinformation sciences, computational chemistry, climate dynamics, and bioinformatics, several of which are autonomous PhD programs within COS.

Computational Social Science, PhD

The core objective of the computational social science (CSS) PhD program is to train graduate students to be professional computational social scientists in academia, government, or business. The program offers a unique and innovative interdisciplinary academic environment for systematically exploring, discovering, and developing skills to successfully follow careers in one of the areas of computational social science.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have as background a bachelor’s degree in one of the social sciences; computer science, engineering, or a relevant discipline; and undergraduate courses in these and related areas. Bachelor’s degrees in the physical or biological sciences are also eligible, but applicants may be advised to take additional courses in social science or computer science as prerequisites to admission. Minimal requirements also include one undergraduate course in calculus, and knowledge of a computer programming language—preferably object-based. Applicants should have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of at least 3.25. To apply, prospective students should send to the COS Fairfax Campus Graduate Admissions Processing Center a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, a current resume, an expanded goals statement not to exceed 2,000 words, and the names of two Mason faculty members who may be suitable advisors. Applicants should also include three letters of recommendation from faculty members or individuals with direct knowledge of the student’s academic or professional capabilities. The letters must arrive directly from the senders. Applicants should also submit an official report of scores obtained on the GRE-GEN exam. TOEFL scores are required for all international applicants.

Degree Requirements

The program requires 72 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, with a minimum of 48 credits in course work, and 24 credits of dissertation research. For those holding a master’s degree, the 72 required credits may be reduced by up to 30 credits, depending on graduate courses. A maximum of 24 credits of prior graduate course work may be transferred, provided such credits have not been used for another degree. The 48 credits of courses have the functional distribution and learning objectives indicated below.

Areas for dissertation research include but are not limited to the following:

During the first year, each student will form a graduate studies committee, called the First Year Committee, consisting of the student’s advisor plus two or three appropriately qualified individuals. The committee assists the student in designing a specific plan of study and evaluating the student’s progress by the end of the first year. During the second year, the student forms a doctoral committee, with membership approved by the CSS program director. The committee will advise the student on preparing for the doctoral candidacy exams; and preparing, developing, and defending the doctoral dissertation.

The candidacy exam is taken after students have completed all core requirements and a majority of additional course work (18 plus 15 credits). This typically corresponds to the fifth semester in the program. The purpose of the candidacy exam is to assess the student’s substantive and methodological knowledge in computational social science as a whole and in the chosen area of concentration; the ability to integrate materials from different courses; and the potential for a successful dissertation.

The exam will consist of written and oral parts. Upon passing the candidacy exam and submitting an acceptable dissertation proposal, students are advanced to doctoral candidacy. The degree is awarded upon the successful defense of a PhD dissertation representing a detailed written report of an original and significant research contribution to the field of computational social science.

Physical Sciences, PhD

The department participates in the PhD in physical sciences administered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Graduate Certificate in Computational Social Science

This 15-credit program is designed for students who seek training in computer simulation and related computational methods for analyzing social systems and processes. The program is open to all students with graduate standing at Mason, and to all students who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. The CSS certificate allows students with social science or computational backgrounds to acquire new knowledge and modeling skills to improve their qualifications and attractiveness to employers in government, academia, or industry. The core courses provide a common foundation; additional elective courses allow for a variety of student interests across diverse social domains.

Students in the CSS certificate program must take both CSS 600 Introduction to Computational Social Science and CSS 610 Computational Analysis of Social Complexity. Students are also required to take a minimum of 9 credits in elective courses (for example, CSS 605, 620, 692). Students may include a maximum of 3 credits of programming courses to meet requirements. Programming courses such as procedural, object-oriented languages, or other approved programming approaches, such as CSI 603 or 604 Introduction to Scientific Programming I and II, may be used with approval of the director. Some courses on computational techniques, modeling, statistics, visualization, graphics, and database packages—such as CSI 606 and 607—may also be used to meet the requirements with prior approval of the director. Students intending to obtain the certificate in CSS must contact the director no later than two semesters prior to completing required credits.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of at least 3.00. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, and a current resume to the COS Fairfax Campus Graduate Admissions Processing Center. TOEFL scores are required for all international applicants.

Graduate Certificate in Computational Techniques and Applications

The CTA program focuses on mastering a variety of basic computational skills. The certificate is independent of the doctoral and master’s programs, and is designed primarily for professionals in technical fields who seek to upgrade their computer expertise. This program is also available as an option for prospective or currently enrolled doctoral or master’s degree students. The program is composed of 15 credits of course work designed to provide an accelerated introduction to concepts in modern computation. Topics include operating systems, environments, languages, graphics, databases, and applications.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have an academic background in physical or biological sciences, engineering, mathematics, or computer science. They should have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of at least 3.00 in their last 60 credits of study. Additionally, applicants should have taken at least one course in differential equations, and should have facility in using a high-level computer programming language. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, and a current resume to the COS Fairfax Campus Graduate Admissions Processing Center. TOEFL scores are required for all international applicants.

Graduate Certificate in Nanotechnology and Nanoscience

This graduate certificate program focuses on mastering a variety of technical skills in the rapidly developing area of nanotechnology. The field highlights the effect of size on the physical and engineering properties of materials, and also on the design of various devices and systems. The certificate enables students to acquire knowledge covering a broad range of instrumentation, modeling, analysis, and production methods that facilitate the solution of practical nanotechnology-related problems in the workplace. The certificate program is composed of 15 credits of course work designed to provide an accelerated introduction to concepts in nanotechnology and nanoscience. Topics include nanomaterials, nanocharacterization, nanostructures, nano-fabrication, nanoelectronics, and modeling for nanoscience. Requirements are 9 credits of core courses, and 6 credits of electives. The prefix of the associated courses is NANO.

The certificate program is a professional certification program that charges students at a differential (premium) tuition rate, with an additional $100 per credit added to the standard Mason graduate tuition rate for students who enroll in this certificate program, regardless of in-state or out-of-state status. The differential tuition is used to fund continuing improvements in the COS educational facilities used to support the certificate program.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should hold a BS degree in any branch of engineering, physics, chemistry, or materials science, with a minimum GPA of 3.00. Exceptions are reviewed on an individual basis. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, and a current resume to the COS Fairfax Campus Graduate Admissions Processing Center. TOEFL scores are required for all international applicants.