Computational Science and Statistics (Ph.D.)

Program Coordinator/Contact

Kurt D. Cogswell, Department Head
Donald Vestal, Associate Professor/Graduate Coordinator
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Architecture, Mathematics and Engineering 209, Box 2220C
605-688-6196

Program Information

The CSS Ph.D. program is designed to train students to integrate computational and statistical methodologies to formulate, model, analyze, and solve research problems of interest to the natural, physical, and social sciences, including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, geography/GIS, pharmacy, medicine, economics, and finance. Broadly speaking, the program has strong research components in biostatistics, bioinformatics, and computational methods. More specifically, the program leads to research in a variety of areas that may include: artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic modeling, biological modeling, bioinformatics, biostatistics, computational biology, computational chemistry, computational mathematics, computational statistics, computational physics, computational finance, computer science, data visualization and data mining, ecological modeling, spatial-temporal data modeling, and transport processes.

Course Delivery Format

Courses will typically be delivered in on-campus classrooms, with occasional courses offered online.

Available Options for Graduate Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy

60 Credit Plan

Core Requirements

For further details about program requirements review the department’s webpage and the program handbook online.

Pass qualifying exams over emphasis-area-specific preparatory courses Credits: 0-12
CSS 890 - Seminar in Computational Science and Statistics (COM) Credits: 1 (3 credits required) (must be taken three times for credit)
Dissertation Support Electives Credits: 6-12
CSS 898D - Dissertation PhD (COM) Credits: 1-36 (27-45 credits required)

Additional Graduation Requirements

Must pass qualifying exams based on the program’s core sequences.
Must pass written and oral comprehensive exams, as designed by the student’s advisory committee.

Additional Admission Requirements

GRE: Not required
TOEFL: Department requirement of 575 paper-based, 90 Internet-based
IELTS: 6.0

General Requirements

Graduate students must consult with their advisor before registering for graduate work.

For additional information refer to the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements .