Master's in Computational Science and Engineering

Secondary Field in Computational Science and Engineering

Doctoral students from across the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences can complete a Secondary Field in Computational Science and Engineering.

Completion of the Secondary Field will equip students with rigorous computational methods for approaching scientific questions. These approaches include mathematical techniques for modeling and simulation of complex systems; parallel programming and collaborative software development; and methods for organizing, exploring, visualizing, processing and analyzing very large data sets. CSE is an exciting and rapidly evolving field that exploits the power of computation as an approach to major challenges at the frontiers of natural and social science and all engineering fields. In keeping with Harvard's emphasis on foundational knowledge, our program focuses on cross-cutting mathematical and computational principles important across disciplines.

How to Apply

Students interested in applying to the CSE Secondary Field should fill out and submit the application form no later than the Fall semester of their third year of study. Applications may be submitted twice a year, in the spring semester (deadline, March 1) and fall semester (deadline, October 1), to the Academic Operations Administrator in the Office of Master's and Professional Programs (SEC 1.312-12). Questions about Secondary Field requirements should be directed to mastersprograms@seas.harvard.edu. The application, which will include a proposed Plan of Study, must also be approved by a student’s home department Director of Graduate Study and their advisor. 

Advising and Other Activities

Daniel Weinstock, Director of Master's Education, will be responsible for front-line advising of students in the CSE Secondary Field. Students interested in the secondary field are encouraged to reach out to Dr. Weinstock before submitting an application.

Students enrolled in the Secondary Field are encouraged to participate in the activities of the Computational Science and Engineering community, including technical and interdisciplinary colloquia, skill-building workshops, and tech treks to local companies working to apply computation and data science in many different domains.

Secondary Field Requirements

To earn the Secondary Field in Computational Science and Engineering students must complete a Plan of Study with four courses meeting the requirements below and pass a short oral examination by a faculty committee.

Each student's plan of study for the Secondary Field will include:

Core Courses

At least one Applied Mathematics and one Computer Science or Applied Computation core course:

  • AM 205            Numerical Methods
  • AM 207            Advanced Scientific Computing: Stochastic Methods for Data Analysis, Inference, and Optimization
  • CS 205            Computing Foundations of Computational Science
  • AC 207            Systems Development for Computational Science

Electives

One or two electives in Computer Science or Applied Math, or additional core courses.

As a substitute for one of the courses in (2.), either a “domain elective”—an approved computation-intensive course within the Ph.D. domain—or a semester-length independent computational research project (AC 299r -  Click to access the required AC 299r form).

Upon completion of required coursework, each candidate for the CSE Secondary Field will be required to give an oral presentation on a computational research project - typically a small part of the student’s doctoral thesis work or a computational side project worked on in their lab. Students will be expected to display achievement of the CSE program’s learning outcomes, including the ability to compare and evaluate competing approaches and communicate their work in an interdisciplinary context.

SEAS will organize a Secondary Field presentation event once each semester. Additional details about the oral defense can be found here.