Florida State University 2008-2009 General Bulletin Undergraduate Edition
Program in Computational Science
College of Arts and Sciences
Director: Max D. Gunzburger
Program Overview
Over the last few decades, computations have joined theory and experimentation to form the three pillars of scientific discovery and technological design. Many of the important problems facing society can only be solved by teams of individuals from a variety of disciplines. Integral to these teams are computational scientists, who provide the simulation, optimization, and visualization algorithms used to solve problems on computers. Broad, cross-curricular training is crucial to maximizing the effectiveness of the computational scientist. As an interdisciplinary field of study, therefore, the main goal of computational science is the development of computational tools that have applicability over a range of scientific disciplines.
The faculty of Florida State University's School of Computational Science (SCS) consists of biochemists, biologists, computer scientists, engineers, geophysicists, mathematicians and physicists, with an even broader spectrum of interests to be represented in the future. These scholars and experts ensure that the school is ideally positioned to offer an innovative graduate program that imparts a synergy between disciplines, thus providing the student with extensive interdisciplinary training.
The graduate programs in computational science at FSU are recent innovations; the MS program began in the fall of 2006, and the PhD track launched in the fall of 2007. For the latest information about the status of programs and new courses, please refer to our Web site at http://www.scs.fsu.edu.
Admission Requirements
Note: Please review all University and college-wide degree requirements summarized in the "College of Arts and Sciences" chapter of the Graduate Bulletin.
Students considering graduate work in computational science should exhibit a strong desire to develop, analyze and implement computational algorithms. Typically, incoming students will hold a Bachelor's degree in mathematics, computer science, an applied science or engineering, and will be proficient in at least one object-oriented programming language.
An application for admission, application fee, official transcript from each college attended, and a transcript of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores should be sent to the Office of Admissions, A2500 University Center, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2400. Note that domestic students may submit an application online.
In addition, the following information should be submitted to Graduate Director, 400 Dirac Science Library, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4120: 1) a letter of intent that explains the basis for the applicant's pursuit of the degree and his/her experience and commitment to the field of computational science, 2) a curriculum vitae, and 3) three letters of recommendation from individuals who know the applicant's education and/or professional background. In addition, the applicant should complete the online application for SCS found at our Web site. A student seeking admission to the program should have taken the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) within the last three years with a minimum combined score of 1100 (a minimum of 650 on the quantitative aptitude portion). Foreign nationals whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL examination with a minimum score of 550 or the equivalent.
The student should also refer to the SCS Web site or contact the graduate administrator for any revisions to the requirements listed above since publication of this document.
Definition of Prefix
ISC—Interdisciplinary Natural Science
Undergraduate Courses
ISC 3313. Introduction to Scientific Computing (3). Prerequisite: MAC 2311. Corequisite: 2312.
ISC 4933r. Selected Topics in Computational Science (3). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. May be repeated to twelve (12) semester hours.
Graduate Courses
ISC 5224. Introduction to Bioinformatics (4).
ISC 5225. Molecular Dynamics: Algorithms and Applications (3).
ISC 5226. Numerical Methods for Earth and Environmental Sciences (3).
ISC 5227. Survey of Numerical Partial Differential Equations (3).
ISC 5228. Markov Chain Monte Carlo Simulations (3).
ISC 5229. Multiscale Modeling of Materials (3).
ISC 5305. Scientific Programming (3).
ISC 5306. Programming Skills for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (3).
ISC 5307. Scientific Visualization (3).
ISC 5315. Applied Computational Science I (4).
ISC 5316. Applied Computational Science II (4).
ISC 5317. Computational Evolutionary Biology (4).
ISC 5318. High-Performance Computing (3).
ISC 5906r. Directed Individual Study in Computational Science (1-3).
ISC 5907r. Directed Individual Study in Computational Science (1–3).
ISC 5934. Introductory Seminar on Research in Computational Science (1).
ISC 5935r. Selected Topics in Computational Science (3–12).
ISC 5936. Numerical Methods for Stochastic Differential Equations (3).
ISC 5939r. Advanced Graduate Student Seminar in Computational Science (1–3).
ISC 5948r. Graduate Internship in Computational Science (3–6).
ISC 5975r. Thesis (3–12). ISC 6981r. Dissertation (1–12).
ISC 8964r. Doctoral Qualifying Examination (0).
ISC 8965r. Doctoral Preliminary Examination (0).
ISC 8977r. Master's Thesis Defense (0).
ISC 8982. Dissertation Defense (0).