Research & Academics

Computational Science and Engineering Degree Program at Rice University

As a consequence of the rapid increase in computing power over the past decade, modern science and engineering have become increasingly reliant on computation as an aid to research, development, and design. Indeed, one can hardly imagine a large-scale engineering project that does not call upon some aspect of the mathematical and computational sciences. However, using the newest and most powerful computers requires a knowledge of parallel and vector capabilities along with a variety of other things such as visualization, networking, and programming environments. In addition, new algorithms and analytic techniques have been developed that enhance the power of these computational tools.

The Computational and Applied Mathematics Department, in conjunction with the Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Earth Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Science and Engineering, and Statistics Departments, has established the Computational Science and Engineering Degree Program. The core courses are open to all majors within the university. The program is intended to focus attention on modern computational techniques and to provide a resource of training and expertise in this area. A number of institutions have similar programs in place, including Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Each represents a different philosophy concerning the nature of computational science and more importantly, the nature of the desired expertise of the recipient of an advanced degree in this area. Our program is designed to provide training throughout the university, produce practitioners at the Masters level and to advance the field through original research at the Ph.D. level.

The program is governed by a committee of faculty chosen by the Deans of Engineering and Natural Sciences, with ultimate oversight by the Provost. The Computational Science Committee (CSC) is responsible for assisting the student in designing an appropriate course of study. It also sets the examination requirements for each student and insures the integrity of the degree program. The CSC consists of five to ten participating faculty. It is not a separate department but rather a mechanism for initiating the inter-disciplinary research required to advance computational science.

The degree program consists of two degree tracks. One of these will lead to a Ph.D. and the other to a professional masters degree.

The Professional Masters Degree

At the master's level the intent is to produce a professional expert in scientific computing who will be able to work as part of an interdisciplinary research team. The program is structured within the professional masters degree requirements outlined on page 143 of the 2003-04 Rice University General Announcements. A recipient of this degree will be well trained in state-of-the-art numerical methods, high performance computer architectures, use of software development tools for parallel and vector computers, and in the application of these techniques to at least one scientific or engineering area. The curriculum for the professional masters degree consists of a variety of topics from computational and applied mathematics, computer science and a selected application area from one of the engineering departments or from the physical sciences. The core courses of this program are designed to provide training in computational science throughout the university in an effort to promote a uniform professional approach to modern scientific computing and to familiarize students with recent advances in high performance computing.

Requirements for the professional masters degree include successful completion of thirty semester hours or more of advanced courses (300 level or higher). The program of study is designed by the student with the advice and approval of the CSC. It is required to adhere to the following specifications:

Required Courses
Note: COMP=Computer Science, CAAM=Computational and Applied Mathematics, ELEC=Electrical and Computer Engineering and CENG=Chemical Engineering

COMP 412 or ELEC 425, CAAM 420 (taken as soon as possible), CAAM 421 (taken as soon as possible), and one of CAAM 451, 452, 453, 454, 471.

Computational Science Electives
Four courses selected from the courses listed below including two at the 500 level.

Open Electives
Two approved courses from a department other than CAAM or COMP at the 300 level or above. Students may elect to undertake a computational project within a participating department to satisfy this requirement. Examples would be ELEC 490 or 590 and CENG 584.

General Requirements
At least four of the selected courses must be at the 500 level or above. There is no thesis requirement. The elective requirements are fulfilled from the following list of courses.
COMP 382 Algorithms
COMP 412 Compiler Construction
COMP 421 Concurrent Programming
ELEC 425 Computer Architecture
COMP 515 Advanced Compilation for Vector and Parallel Processors
ELEC 525 Advanced Architectures
COMP 515 Advanced Compilation
CAAM 335 Foundations of Applied Mathematics I
CAAM 336 Foundations of Applied Mathematics II
CAAM 353 Computational Numerical Analysis
CAAM 420 Introduction to Computational Science
CAAM 451 Numerical Linear Algebra
CAAM 452 PDE
CAAM 453 ODE
CAAM 454 Nonlinear Optimization
CAAM 471 Operations Research
CAAM 551 Advanced Numerical Linear Algebra
CAAM 552 Numerical PDE I
CAAM 553 Numerical PDE II
CAAM 554 Numerical Nonlinear Programming
CAAM 571 Topics in Linear Programming

Application Areas
Appropriate sequence from participating application area at the level of 300 or above.

On this list is one new course, (CAAM 420) Introduction to Computational Science, which serves as the core course of the program. This course is a survey of the topics that make up the program in scientific computing. This one-semester course is designed to appeal to all the sciences that now rely on computing. The intent of the course is twofold: it helps the candidates for the professional degree to appreciate the scope of the program so they will be better prepared to design an effective individual selection from the courses listed above and it serves the broader needs of the affiliated departments by introducing the student to state-of-the-art technology in scientific computing. The remaining courses are selected to provide training in modern computational science techniques, introduce state-of-the-art numerical techniques, cover concepts in high-performance computing and promote the use of visualization and graphics. Hands-on experience with state-of-the-art supercomputers and parallel computers will be a major component of this program.

The Ph.D. Degree Program

Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy follow the guidelines of the Computational and Applied Mathematics Department. These are:

• Satisfactory completion of a course of study approved by the CSC. This course of study is intended to be similar to the requirements of the professional master degree outlined above. In particular, an advanced sequence of courses or a computational project in an application area other than CAAM or Computer Science is required.
• Satisfactory performance on preliminary and qualifying examinations and reviews administered by the CSC.
• Satisfactory completion of two semester courses or a reading examination on an approved foreign language.
• An original thesis acceptable to the CSC.
• Satisfactory performance on a final public oral examination on the thesis; the procedure is given in the general rules of the university.

Recruitment, Financial Aid and the Associated Department
Students are recruited either directly into the CSE Program or indirectly through one of the participating departments.

In all cases, however, the student must fulfill the admissions requirements of one department which will then agree to act as the student’s associated department. The student then participates as a normal graduate student within that department in every way except that the curriculum and examination requirements are set by the CSC.

This means that the student must fulfill the normal teaching requirements of the associated department, as well as any other normal duties.

Funding for the first year of those CSE students who seek the Ph.D. has been provided by graduate fellowships through the George R. Brown School of Engineering. It is assumed that all CSE Ph.D. students will be supported from research grants for the subsequent years.

Contact:
Graduate Recruiting Secretary
CAAM - MS 134
Rice University
6100 Main Street
Houston, TX 77005
gradapps@caam.rice.edu