Offered by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMS) in collaboration with the Center for Information Systems and Technology (CISAT) at CGU, the PhD in Computational Science addresses the need for advanced computational methods to enable scientific discovery across disciplinary boundaries. The program trains applied computational researchers to contribute to cross-disciplinary research and development in modern academic, government and industrial settings.

 

University Policies

Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

 

Admissions Requirements

Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

 

Degree Requirements

General doctoral degree requirements may be found in the Doctoral Degree Regulations section of the Policies and General Information Bulletin. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of and to meet those requirements. 

Course Requirements. A total of 72 units of coursework is required to complete the doctoral degree. These units must include 4 units of Transdisciplinary (TNDY) course(s) per University Policy.

24 units of Mathematics coursework taken at IMS. These include one course each, from at least three of the following four categories:

Mathematical Modeling

• Math 387 Discrete Mathematical Modeling
• Math 388 Continuous Mathematical Modeling

 

Advanced Statistics with Computation

• Math 351 Time Series Data Analysis
• Math 352 Nonparametric Statistics
• Math 353 Asymptotic Methods in Statistics
• Math 355 Linear Statistical Models

 

Advanced Numerical Analysis

• Math 362 Numerical Methods for Differential Equations
• Math 368 Advanced Matrix Analysis and Computations

 

Exotic Algorithms

• Math 293/393 Clinic
• Math 306 Optimization
• Math 364 Machine Learning for Asset Pricing
• Math 375 Quantum Computation and Applications
• Math 454 Statistical Learning
• Math 462 Mathematics of Machine Learning

All other courses needed to satisfy the 24-unit mathematics requirements are electives, chosen in consultation with the student’s PhD advisor.

24 units of coursework in computational science applications.

These may be chosen from the following options:

• IST 302 Databases
• IST 332 Natural Language Processing
• IST 340 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• IST 341 CS Insights via Python
• IST 342 Managing Data at Scale
• IST 343 Data Science Practicum
• IST 344 Data Analytics and Visualization
• IST 345 Generative Deep Learning
• IST 346 Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence
• MATH 259 Methods of Applied Probability and Statistics
• MATH 264 Scientific Computing
• MATH 265 Numerical Analysis
• Math 294 Methods of Applied Mathematics
• MAT 359 Computational Statistics
• MATH 386 Image Processing
• Up to 2 elective courses offered by a different department at CGU or at the Claremont Colleges, approved by the student’s PhD advisor and in an area related to the student’s dissertation research.

24 units of research or approved transfer coursework from a previous Master’s degree. Students who have completed a Master’s degree at CGU (particularly, the MS in Computational and Applied Mathematics) may apply up to 32 units of approved coursework to the PhD in Computational Science.

4 units of Transdisciplinary (TNDY) courses. These may be taken in place of any of the requirement above, provided that three of the four core Mathematics categories are completed.

Residency. Students must fulfill the CGU residency requirement: at least two semesters of full-time study within a two-year period or 48 units within a three-year period. It is recommended that coursework be completed on a full-time basis; while part-time attendance is an option, degree requirements should be fulfilled within a seven-year time frame.

Satisfactory Academic Progress. The University’s policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress applies. Students who do not maintain a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 are placed on academic probation. Students who remain on academic probation after taking an additional 8 units of coursework may be dismissed from the program.

Advising. Upon admission to the program, students are normally assigned a PhD research advisor, who may be from a collaborating institution. While Ph.D. advisors do not need to have an academic appointment, they must themselves hold a PhD.

Qualifying Examination. Students are normally required to pass an oral qualifying examination by the time that they have completed 48 units of coursework. The qualifying examination consists of a term research project supervised by the student’s PhD advisor. The student selects a PhD committee, consisting of at least three faculty members, normally chaired by the advisor, with at least one IMS faculty member and at least one CISAT faculty member. The student prepares a written account of research work performed and its results, and then presents the work orally to the members of the PhD. committee. Should a student fail the qualifying examination, one additional attempt to pass the examination will be allowed.

Research Tools. The following two research tools, intended to help prepare students for independent research, are required:

• Publication requirement: The student must demonstrate research competency by being the principal author of at least one scientific paper submitted to a peer-reviewed journal or peer-reviewed conference.
• Professional experience requirement: The student must demonstrate professional aptitude in one of the following ways:
  • Internship: work experience for a period of no less than 8 weeks and no more than 4 years
  • Presentation: poster or talk at a conference
  • Equivalent experience at the PhD advisor’s discretion

Dissertation Proposal. The dissertation proposal takes the form of a scientific grant proposal to a major funding agency, describing the research project on which the dissertation is based. The student prepares a public oral presentation of the proposal, followed by a private examination by the PhD committee. Upon successful completion of the presentation, the student will be recommended for advancement to candidacy for the PhD degree.

Dissertation Completion and Final Oral Examination. Upon completion of the research, the student prepares the dissertation in accordance with CGU regulations. The student presents the work in public and defends it at a final oral examination by the PhD committee.