Computational Science and Engineering, Ph.D.
School College: College of Engineering
Degree(s) Offered: Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Dukka KC Email: dukkakc@ncat.edu Phone: 336-334-7437
Department Chair: Dr. Marwan Bikdash Email: bikdash@ncat.edu Phone: 336-334-7437
Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) is an interdisciplinary graduate program (granting M.S. and Ph.D. degrees) designed for students who seek to use advanced computational methods to solve large problems in diverse fields ranging from the basic sciences (physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc.) to sociology, biology, engineering, and economics.
The mission of Computational Science and Engineering is to graduate professionals who (a) have expertise in developing novel computational methodologies and products, and/or (b) have extended their expertise in specific disciplines (in science, technology, engineering, and socioeconomics) with computational tools.
Additional Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program in Computational Science and Engineering an applicant must satisfy the following requirements: (1) A Master of Science or of Engineering degree in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) or in science, engineering, business, economics, technology or in a field allied to computational science or computational engineering field with a minimum GPA of 3.00/4.00.
An applicant requesting financial aid is strongly encouraged to provide a resume.
Program Outcomes:
- Students will demonstrate critical thinking and ability in conducting research in engineering, science and mathematics through computational modeling and simulations.
- Students will demonstrate mastery in communicating research results through publications that indicate effective content, organization and adherence to journal publication conventions.
- Students will explain the underlying principles behind scientific visualization of large data sets.
- Students will perform independent research in order to generate a dissertation of an original idea and to publish technical papers.
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. program in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) requires 72 credit hours beyond the student's Bachelor of Science degree or the equivalent thereof.
A minimum number of credit hours must be satisfied in each of the following several categories. The minimum requirements are as follows: (a) 24 credit hours for graded course work; (b) 2 credit hours for Ph. D seminars; (c) 3 credit hours are for professional practice/development; (d) 3 credit hours for qualifying exam; (e) 3 credit hours for Ph. D proposal defense; (f) 12 credit hours for dissertation research.
Graded Course Requirements:
The requirements consist of the following elements:
1. The successful candidate shall pass at least 9 credits from the CSE Core courses.
2. The successful candidate shall pass a total of 2 credit seminar hours. Each seminar is for 1 credit hour.
3. The successful candidate shall pass 15 credit hours of approved Domain Courses. The approved domain courses include any graduate level course from the College of Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agribusiness, Animal Sciences, Natural Resources and Environment Design, and Business and Economics. Other courses must be approved by the CSE.
Subject Core Course(s)
- CSE 701 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 702 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 703 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 704 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 801 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 802 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 803 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 804 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 805 (3.00 credit hours)
- CSE 806 (3.00 credit hours)
Course Subject Area
- CSE 620 Introduction to Computational Science CSE 700
- CSE 711 Computational Techniques & Modeling for Nano-science and Nano-engineering
- CSE 712 Nano-Scale Technology
- CSE 713 Multi-Scale and Multi-Physics Modeling
- CSE 750 Topics in Computational Science
- CSE 785 Special Topics
- CSE 885 Special Topics
Ph. D. Level Pass/Fail Courses
- CSE 991 Doctoral Qualifying Exam 3 credits
- CSE 992 Graduate Seminar 1 credits
- CSE 993 Doctoral Supervised Teaching 3 credits
- CSE 994 Doctoral Supervised Research 3 credits
- CSE 995 Doctoral Preliminary Exam 3 credits
- CSE 997 Doctoral Dissertation 2 to 12 credits
- CSE 999 Continuation of Doctoral Thesis 1 credit
Computational Methods Track:
This track is designed primarily for students with undergraduate degrees in engineering, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science who will be trained to develop problem-solving methodologies and computational for solving challenging problems. Students in this track typically possess significant prior training in fields such as mathematics, numerical analysis, and high-level programming languages. Students with undergraduate degrees in other science and technology fields may also be admitted if they meet the admission and course requirements, including prerequisites of the domain department. Research in this track includes but is not limited to computational quantum chemistry, computational nuclear and high-energy physics, computational solid or fluid dynamics, computational material science, bioengineering, computational geometry, computational nonlinear dynamics, computational statistics, engineering design and automation, applied and environmental geophysics, computational seismology, nonlinear computational mechanics and dynamics, superfast algorithms for numerical and algebraic computational, and distributed and high-performance computing.
Students interested in this Track are encouraged to consider the following courses. CHEM 673, CHEN 640, CIEN 644, COMP 681, COMP 733, COMP 747, COMP 755, ELEN 668, ELEN 865, GCS 631, GCS 632, INEN 742, ITT 702, MATH 631, MATH 650, MATH 651, MATH 652, MATH 712, MATH 751, MATH 765, MATH 781, MEEN 847, MEEN 716, and MEEN 618.
Computational Applications Track:
This track is designed primarily for students with undergraduate degrees in chemistry, biology, psychology, business, finance and economics, technology and engineering, and agricultural sciences who will be trained to apply or extend computational tools and methods, as well as data acquisition, processing and visualization techniques, to study computationally intensive problems in their disciplines. This track often includes domain courses requiring lesser training in mathematics and computational technology. Based on their undergraduate field, the students in this track will be typically required to take additional mathematics and programming focused courses.
Students interested in this track are encouraged to consider the following courses: AGEC 705, BIOL 630, BIOL 640, BIOL 755, BUED 624, CHEN 600, CHEN 655, CHEN 760, CHEM 673, BUAD 744, CIEN 754, CSE 712, CSE 713, ELEN 650, ELEN 850, ELEN 865, MEEN 626, MEEN 655, MEEN 847, MFG 674, PHYS 744, PHYS 745.
Seminar Course(s) (2 credit hours)
• CSE 992(1.00 credit hours)
Other Requirements:
Qualifying Written Examination Requirement
The successful Ph.D. candidate must pass a 3-credit hour course consisting of a comprehensive written examination in the following 3 Areas:
1. The CSE Core Area consisting of 6 credit hours from the list of CSE Core courses.
2. The CSE Area consisting of 6 additional credits from graded courses in the CSE curriculum.
3. The Application Area consisting of 6 credit hours from approved courses in the student’s submitted Plan of Study. The Dissertation Advisor must propose these courses and help administer the examination in this Area.
Comprehensive Exam, if appropriate: Required
Licensure requirements, if appropriate: Not Required
Admission to Candidacy
Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree in Computational Science and Engineering: Admission to candidacy for Ph. D. degree in Computational Science and Engineering shall require compliance with all existing Graduate School policies, and shall occur after the student has successfully passed the Qualifying Examination and the Preliminary Examination.
Assistantships
Faculty affiliated with Computational Science and Engineering have a number of research projects funded by the Department of Defense, Defense Threat Agency, NSF, Department of Energy and Industry. Students may receive tuition remission and teaching or research assistantships. University and graduate school fellowships and Title III fellowships for eligible students may also be available. Financial aid is based on merit, need, and the availability of funds.
Internships
Internships are encouraged but not required. CSE students have opportunities for internships in all aspects of Computational Science and Engineering such as: computational modeling and simulation in physical and engineering sciences, visualization, high performance computing, and modeling and simulation in non-physical disciplines such as bioinformatics, social networks, econometrics, and logistics.
Advising
Major Advisor: Initially the Director of the Ph.D. Program will serve as an Academic Advisor for all new students entering the program. Each student in the Ph.D. program is expected to select a Major Advisor by the beginning of the second year with the approval of the Program Director. The Major Advisor must hold a tenure or tenure-track full-time faculty position at the university, and shall subsequently act as the Academic Advisor as well.
Plan of Study: Upon the student’s selection of a research area, the Ph.D. Advisory Committee shall review the student’s prior transcripts, evaluate and recommend any transfer credits, and provide advice to the student. The student shall subsequently prepare a Plan of Study for approval by the Ph.D. Advisory Committee, the Director of the CSE Ph. D. Program, and the Dean of The Graduate School.
Oral Defense of Dissertation Proposal (Preliminary Examination): Three (3) credit hours are required for all students in the program. The dissertation proposal is submitted to the student’s Major Advisor and the Ph.D. Advisory Committee for review. The committee will make recommendations as needed. The proposal must be orally defended by the candidate before the Advisory Committee, and it must be approved by the Committee, and the student can proceed further with his/her research.
Final Oral Examination: The final oral examination is scheduled after the dissertation is complete except for such revisions as may be necessary as a result of the examination, but not earlier than one semester or its equivalent after admission to candidacy and not before all required course work has been completed or is currently in progress.
Dissertation: The doctoral dissertation presents the results of the student’s original investigation in the field of major interest. It must be a contribution to knowledge, be adequately supported by data and be written in a manner consistent with the highest standards of scholarship. Publication is expected.
Committees
Composition of Ph.D. Committee: A Ph.D. Advisory Committee will consist of a minimum of five (5) graduate faculty with the Major Advisor as its chairperson. The Ph.D. Advisory Committee will be recommended by the Major Advisor, with input from the student, to the Director of the Computational Science and Engineering Ph.D. program, for approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The Committee shall supervise the student’s program, administer dissertation review and approval, and finally recommend the awarding of the degree.
Research Opportunities/Experiences
- Computational modeling and simulation in physical and engineering sciences
- Enabling technologies: visualization, high performance computing
