Updated May 30, 2008
The Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science proposes to revamp its current Ph.D. in Mathematics and modernize it into a Ph.D. in Computational Sciences, effective Fall 2009. In this document, the terms Computational Science and Computational Sciences will be used interchangeably and refer to the discovery, implementation, simulation, and application of models to solve scientific and engineering problems. Commonly computational science involves the development of computer software and/or computer systems to solve large-scale or multi-scale scientific problems that are intractable through purely theoretical methods.
The proposed program equips graduates with a distinctive blend of theoretical and computational skills, for employment in industry, research laboratories and institutions of higher education. While the bulk of their coursework will be undertaken in this Department, their research topics may range across the computational aspects of a broad spectrum of disciplines.
A relatively small number of programs with the same overall goals exist in this country. Most have a similar title, although their focus varies, quite naturally, according to the resources with which they are blessed. Nonetheless, each offers students the opportunity to work within an interdisciplinary setting wherein the ultimate goal is the solution of a scientific problem using state-of-the-art computational techniques.
A distinctive feature of this proposal is that all core aspects of a student’s program of study, constituting in general the first two years of study, are undertaken within our one interdisciplinary department. Thus the program benefits from the synergies that result while avoiding the administrative and philosophical obstacles frequently confronted by programs that cross academic divisions.
What is Computational Sciences?
The terms “Computational Sciences” and “Computational Science” are relatively new in the scientific lexicon. See below for an extended discussion.
Why the MSCS Department at Marquette?
- A natural outgrowth of a history of successful interdisciplinary doctoral work in a naturally interdisciplinary Department
- A substantial number of junior faculty who are active computational scientists and will form the basis of this program for years to come
- A natural magnet for future computational resources and expertise
- It builds on already existing collaborations between MSCS faculty and faculty in the Science departments, the College of Engineering, and in other regional institutions such as the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes WATER Institute;
- Region-wide efforts to establish expertise in and access to high performance computing
What makes this program distinctive?
- This would be the first program of its kind in the region;
- In contrast to other programs, the core areas of mathematics, statistics, and computer science are housed in a single department, making management, integration and collaboration easier;
- Its origins in the Biomathematics specialization of the Ph.D. in Mathematics provide a distinctive core, when compared with programs whose origins have been in scientific computing, physics, or engineering;
- The attractiveness of Marquette University itself, where graduate students and undergraduate students alike receive the benefits of cura personalis.
