Computational Science

OFFICE: Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science 206H
TELEPHONE: 619-594-3430 / FAX: 619-594-2459
WEBSITE: http://www.csrc.sdsu.edu

Graduate Information

Faculty

José E. Castillo, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics, Program Director
Peter V. Blomgren, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics
Ricardo Carretero, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics
Andrew L. Cooksy, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Robert A. Edwards, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Juanjuan Fan, Ph.D., Professor of Statistics
Gustaaf B. Jacobs, Ph.D., Professor of Aerospace Engineering
Calvin W. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Physics
Sunil Kumar, Ph.D., Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Richard A. Levine, Ph.D., Professor of Statistics
Ralph-Axel Müller, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
Shangping Ren, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science
Forest L. Rohwer, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Eric L. Sandquist, Ph.D., Professor of Astronomy
Anca Mara Segall, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Satish Kumar Sharma, Ph.D., Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Samuel S.P. Shen, Ph.D., Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Mathematics
Usha Sinha, Ph.D., Professor of Physics
Satchi Venkataraman, Ph.D., Professor of Aerospace Engineering
Fridolin Weber, Ph.D., Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Physics
Tao Xie, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science
Ashkan Ashrafi, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Barbara Ann Bailey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Statistics
Arlette R.C. Baljon, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics
Jianwei Chen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Statistics
Christopher W. Curtis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
Jerome E. Gilles, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
Xiaobai Liu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science
Bo-Wen Shen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
Mauro Tambasco, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics
Naveen K. Vaidya, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
Wei Wang, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science
Joaquin Camacho, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Ke Huang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Parag Katira, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Lyuba Pavlovna Kuznetsova, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics
Antoni Santolaria Luque, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Huu Ngoc Duy Nguyen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Kenneth M. Nollett, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics
Nicholas J. Shikuma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

Admission to Graduate Study

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/ apply along with the application fee.

All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to Computational Science.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all post-secondary institutions attended;
- Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
- Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
GRE scores (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682);
English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).

Master of Science Degree in Computational Science

The following materials should be submitted electronically to the Computational Science Research Center at San Diego State University. Refer to the Graduate Admissions website (http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/admissions/grad/programs/index.html) for application instructions. Consult the department website (http://www.csrc.sdsu.edu/masters_checklist.html) for details concerning required materials.

Three letters of recommendation from persons in a position to judge academic ability;
Personal statement of motivating interest for the program and briefly describe research interests and educational goals.
Copies of unofficial transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended.

Ph.D. Degree in Computational Science

Students must apply and be admitted to University of California, Irvine (UCI) and SDSU; however, prospective students must apply to UCI first. Qualified applicants will then be given application instructions to SDSU. Admission will be granted to a limited number of qualified students. Completed applications are due by December 15 for the fall term, although later applications may be allowed at the discretion of the admissions committee. The admissions review process may include personal interviews of applicants.

The following materials should be submitted electronically to the Computational Science Research Center at San Diego State University. Refer to the Graduate Admissions website (http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/admissions/grad/programs/index.html) for application instructions. Consult the department website (http://www.csrc.sdsu.edu/doctoral_checklist.html) for details concerning required materials.

Three letters of recommendation from former or current professors, supervisors, or other appropriate persons;
Applicant’s statement of purpose, explaining their interest in the program;
Current resume;
Joint doctoral program in computational science applicationform;
Copies of unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.

Master’s Degree Programs

General Information

The computational science program offers a Master of Science degree. It is offered in collaboration with the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Computer Science, Geological Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics, in the College of Sciences.

The requirements for entering this program consists of one year of computer programming such as C or Fortran, competence in linear algebra and calculus, with background equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in the area of interest. Graduates of this program will have a solid foundation in a field of science and the additional training and experience required of computational science professionals. Fundamental science, in one of the specializations, dominates the program. This is supplemented with additional courses in computational science. Real scientific problem-solving is emphasized, through a thesis that could be done in conjunction with a carefully managed extramural research program. A significant proportion of the students in this program will be employed in positions related to their area of studies, thereby providing opportunities for extramural support. Graduates will be prepared for positions in scientific research, scientific programming, and software engineering.

Associateships

Graduate teaching associateships and graduate nonteaching associateships may be available from the individual departments. See the appropriate department of this bulletin for more information.

Admission to the Degree Curriculum

All students must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Admission and Registration . If the undergraduate preparation of the students in the desired specialization is deficient, they will be required to take courses for the removal of the deficiency. These courses, taken by students as a classified graduate student, are in addition to the minimum 30 units required for the master’s degree. A complete student program must be approved by the computational science program director. The requirements for entering this program consist of one year of computer programming (e.g., C or Fortran), competence in linear algebra and calculus, and a background equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in the area of interest.

Advancement to Candidacy

All students must satisfy the general requirements for advancement to candidacy as described in Requirements for Master’s Degrees .

Doctoral Program

http://www.csrc.sdsu.edu/doctoral.html

General Information

San Diego State University and University of California, Irvine (UCI), offer jointly a doctoral program in computational science. The participating faculties are from the College of Engineering and College of Sciences at SDSU and the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science and Samueli School of Engineering at UCI.

Admission to the Degree Curriculum

In order to be considered for admission into the program, applicants must fulfill the general requirements for admission with graduate standing to both institutions. Applicants must have received a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics discipline from an accredited institution with standards equivalent to SDSU’s and UCI’s. Applicants with degrees in other areas may be admitted conditionally and may be advised to take additional courses. Applicants must have an undergraduate or master’s grade point average of 3.0. Successful applicants must demonstrate they are well qualified to pursue, with distinction, advanced study and research.

Faculty Advisers and Doctoral Committee: Upon admission to the program, the student will be assigned two faculty mentors, one from SDSU and one from UCI, as appointed by the program director. After completing the first year of study and receiving a progress evaluation, the student will select the following: a primary doctoral adviser (from either SDSU or UCI), a co-adviser (not from the same campus where the primary adviser is a faculty member), four other faculty members affiliated with the program (two from each campus), and one outside member (a UCI faculty member not affiliated with the program) to serve on a seven-person doctoral committee. The doctoral adviser will aid in the development of a suitable course of study for the student, administer the student’s qualifying examination, monitor progress of student research and administer the defense of the doctoral dissertation.