Program Guide | GMU College of Science

Program Guide

Department of Computational and Data Sciences

Doctoral Program in Computational Sciences and Informatics (CSI)

Spring 2022 version (Last update February 06, 2022)

Prepared by Eduardo López

Welcome to CDS

Dear Student,

Welcome to the Computational Science and Informatics PhD program at Department of

Computational and Data Sciences (CDS) at George Mason University.

In this guide, we explain some of the basics of being a student of the program. Below, you will

find general guidance on what the program is about in practice, what you should expect and

prepare for, and how to maximize the benefit of being here. There are some practical diagrams

and tables, and suggested programs of study to help you get started.

It is important that you understand the official rules of the program as laid out in the University

Catalog that corresponds to your term of admission or any subsequent change of catalog year

you may request. Another important source of information is contained in the University

Graduate Policies, which outline general rules that all graduate students at George Mason

University must follow. Our program complies with both the College of Science and George

Mason University rules. Students should also be mindful of the university calendar, updated

regularly, which specifies a variety of information including dates for finals, dates for

submission of important documents (including dissertations).

Important supplementary documents/links:

University Catalog for CSI PhD

GMU Academic Graduate Policies

COS graduate/faculty Handbook

University Calendars (part of the University Registrar’s website)

The CDS department website contains additional information

Department website

Table of contents

Welcome'to'CDS

'....................................................................................................................'2!

Computational'and'Data'Sciences'Department'Officers

'.................................................'4!

Schematic'of'PhD'requirements'and'approximate'timeline'..............................'5!

CSI'PhD'Quick'Start'Guide'..............................................................................................'6!

Brief'Description'of'the'PhD'Milestones

'...........................................................................'7!

Sources'of'Funding

'...............................................................................................................'8!

Where'to'start'each'process'........................................................................................'10!

Explanation'of'Course'Requirements'......................................................................'11!

Explanation'of'Candidacy'Exa m ination'...................................................................'12!

Formation'of'Dissertation'Committee

'.............................................................................'13!

Doctoral'Dissertation'Proposal'..................................................................................'14!

Doctoral'Dissertation'....................................................................................................'15!

Checklist'for'Research'Advisors'(including'Forms)

'......................................................'16!

Table'of'forms'and'requirements

'....................................................................................'17!

Suggested'Preliminary'Programs'of'Study'by'student’s'areas'of'interest'...'18!

Sample'Coursework-'Data'Science'Template

'............................................................................'19!

Sample'Coursework-'Modeling'Template

'..................................................................................'20!

Course'Offering'Rota'......................................................................................................'21!

Courses'by'Topic'.............................................................................................................'22!

Reductions'and'Transfers'of'Credit'..........................................................................'23!

Key'dates'for'Term'.........................................................................................................'24!

Useful'Contacts'and'Resources'...................................................................................'25!

Computational and Data Sciences Department Officers

Department Chair

Jason Kinser

jkinser@gmu.edu

703-993-3785

Research Hall, Room 230, MSN 6A12

Director of Graduate Studies CSI PhD

Eduardo López

[email protected]

703 993 1516

Research Hall, Room 254, MSN 6A12

Director of Graduate Studies CSS PhD

Anamaria Berea

[email protected]

703-993-3624

Research Hall, Room 226, MSN 6A12

CDS Academic Programs Administrator

Karen Underwood

kunderwo@gmu.edu

703-993-9298

Research Hall, Room 227, MSN 6A12

Schematic of PhD requirements and approximate timeline

*Gray shadow reflects approximate (but highly advisable) times. Note that the advancement to candidacy and dissertation

defense deadlines are exact.

CSI PhD Quick Start Guide

Newly admitted students about to start the CSI PhD should take the steps below to

get going quickly. Any doubts or question should be addressed to either the program

administrator or the director of graduate studies.

1) Before you start in the program:

-"Read"and"understand"this"handbook,"posted"online"at"

https://science.gmu.edu/media/csi-phd-guide-21)"

-"Register"for"classes"

-"Core"classes"should"be"prioritized"to"the"first"couple"of"semesters"from"starting"the"

program.""

2)#Either#before#you#start#or#in#the#first#couple#of # months#from#starting:#

-"Structure"a"program"of"study"(suggested"starting"templates"below)."

-"Discuss"your"proposed"program"of"study"with"the"Director"of"Graduate"Studies.""

Brief Description of the PhD Milestones

To complete the PhD program, students need to satisfy various requirements, schematically

outlined in on

“Schematic of PhD requirements and approximate timeline.” In

summary, a student must complete:

1) coursework/credits requirements,

2) research activity supervised by their research adviser, and

general examinations which include, in order, the candidacy exam, doctoral

dissertation proposal, and dissertation defense. These examinations require

the formation of a dissertation committee.

These requirements have certain rules and need to be achieved in a certain sequence.

Coursework requirements and reduction of credit

These consist of a total of 72 credits distributed as follows: 6 core courses, 18 area

of emphasis courses, 23 of elective courses, 1 of colloquium/seminar, and 24

dissertation credits obtained through CSI 998 and CSI 999 courses. Our PhD

program admits a maximum reduction of 23 credits, based on the completion of

relevant graduate coursework in another graduate degree. With few exceptions,

these credits serve to reduce electives and colloquium credits.

Research requirement and research advisor

Although there is a large course requirement, a PhD is fundamentally a research

degree. Students need to maintain this foremost in their planning. Students, part-time

or full-time, should seek a research advisor promptly. Ideally, by the end of the first

year after the start of their PhD, students should have explored supervision options

and be finalizing arrangements with a research advisor. Students who delay in this

process may encounter administrative complications and possible termination from

the program due to various factors including an inability to meet certain university

deadlines. Typically, research advisors should be chosen from among deparment

faculty members, although in a few cases, a advisor from another deparment may be

more appropriate.

To find a research advisor, discuss with several department faculty members whose

research interests match yours. Mention any possible funding needs and

opportunities in these discussion. It is also a good idea to discuss with each member

their supervision expections, style, and even to discuss with their other current

graduate students so that you know what to expect.

Your research advisor will help set up your dissertation committee (see rules on

dissertation committee below which discuss the case of a advisor outside CDS),

candidacy exam, dissertation proposal, and ultimately your dissertation and defense.

Some of your coursework beyond the basic core courses and some area of

emphasis courses should also be discussed with your research advisor.

Examinations

It is highly recommended that students take a proactive approach to completing

these examinations in a timely manner. The rules for each of these examinations are

explained in detail below.

Sources of Funding

University Presidential Fellowships (cover tuition, stipend including summers, and

university health insurance):

These are available only to new PhD students who have not yet taken any courses of the PhD

program. University Fellowships are offered for 4 years for students that received them in a fall

term, and 3.5 years for students that receive them in the spring term. The university assigns

each PhD program a limited number of these fellowships and, consequently, they are not

always available to new students in a given admissions cycle.

Departmental teaching assistantships (cover tuition, stipend, and university health

insurance):

The department is currently able to support a number of PhD students simultaneously via

teaching assistantships (GTA), distributed equitably between the CSI and CSS PhD degrees

(both offered by the CDS department). Any student holds a GTA for 1 year at a time. A GTA

can be renewed on the basis of good simultaneous academic (course work and research) and

teaching performance, and it is ultimately granted at the discretion of the department. It is

current department policy to grant GTA positions only to those students who hold a prior MS or

have completed at least 18 graduate credits as recognized by GMU. Also, only full-time

students are eligible for GTA support. A student holding a GTA is considered to be enrolled

full-time with 6 credit hours. This funding source requires initial college training when you first

take it on (schedule of trainings is updated yearly and requires the recipient to be available

before the start of the semester).

Students holding assistantships may not engage in

other on- or off-campus employment, including additional assistantships, during the

period they hold an assistantship without explicit written approval from the

department chair, program director, or dean.

Grant-based graduate research assistantships (cover 9 credits of tuition,

stipend, and university health insurance): !

Departmental faculty holding grants can support graduate research assistants, as

allowable per grant, for varying periods. The grant Principal Investigator (PI) is the

supervising entity, and the graduate researcher can work 20 hours per week,

receives a stipend, 9 credits of in-state tuition and is eligible for health insurance.

Graduate research positions are handled by the PI. In general, these assistantships

are set up in 1-year increments, renewable on the basis of performance and funding.

Students holding assistantships may not engage in other on- or off-campus

employment, including additional assistantships, during the period they hold an

assistantship without explicit written approval from the department chair, program

director, or dean.

Departmental graduate lecturer positions (paid salary based on Mason adjunct

faculty salary matrix): !

The department hires graduate lecturers on an as-needed basis. It is current

department policy to hire graduate lecturers only when students hold a prior MS or

have completed at least 18 graduate credits as recognized by GMU. A graduate

lecturer must be a student in good academic standing and hires are made based on

a review of relevant qualifications not limited to academic standing. These positions

are advertised via the departmental website and listservs.

Departmental graduate STARS positions (paid hourly wages): !

The department hires between 2-4 graduate STARS (CDS Student Teaching

Assistants) on an as-needed basis. The graduate STAR serves as an in-class

teaching assistant, helping students as needed via one-on-one methods, and assists

the instructor with grading homework assignments in lower-level classes. This

position pays an hourly rate salary based on hours worked per week. The graduate

STAR reports to the STARS program coordinator and is asked to attend meetings

and training, as required. These positions are advertised via the departmental

website and listservs.

Provost Office grants for specific purposes or specific groups:

The University Provost offers a number of funding opportunities for a variety of purposes and

groups. These funding sources are explained in detail at https://provost.gmu.edu/academics-

and-research/graduate-education/awards-and-grants, and include grants for thesis completion,

travel, and access and inclusion.

External funding sources:

For students that do not have department or university support, it is encouraged that they seek

support from external funding bodies including NSF, foundations, private funders, or (for

foreign students) governments.

Help with External Fellowship applications:

The George Mason Office of Graduate Fellowships is an information and support center

dedicated to helping graduate students search for and apply to external fellowships that can

help them pay for their graduate studies. Consult with them if you are considering preparing

applications to external fellowships and/or sources of funding. Website:

https://gradfellows.gmu.edu/

10!

Where to start each process

Process

First point of contact

Filing program of study

(preliminary)

CDS Academic Programs

Administrator

Reduction of credit

CDS Academic Programs

Administrator

General academic questions

(e.g. more appropriate course)

Director of Graduate Studies or

Research Advisor

General administrative questions

(e.g. procedures to follow)

CDS Academic Programs

Administrator

Candidacy examination

Committee Chair

Dissertation Proposal

Committee Chair and/or

Research Advisor

Dissertation Defense

Committee Chair and/or

Research Advisor

11!

Explanation of Course Requirements

The CSI PhD course credit requirements are divided in the following categories: core

courses (6 credits), area of emphasis courses (at least 18 credits), electives (up to 23

credits), seminar/colloquium (1 to 3 credits), and dissertation credits (up to 24 credits

of CSI 998 and CSI 999 with at least 6 credits of CSI 999).

A minimum of 72 credits are needed to complete the credit requirements of the PhD.

It is allowed to complete more than 72 credits, but not advisable (cost, time).

Core courses (6 credits)

Choose two among CSI 690, CSI 695, CSI 702, and CSI 703

Area of emphasis courses (at least 18 credits)

A complete list of courses that count towards this category can be found in the

catalog (https://catalog.gmu.edu/colleges-schools/science/computational-data-

sciences/computational-sciences-informatics-phd/#requirementstext). This list can

change over time (but not often). After choosing your two core courses, the other

courses that could be chosen as core courses can count towards area of emphasis.

Not all CSI coded classes can count towards area of emphasis (see below).

Electives (up to 23 credits)

These classes can be taken from among the list of valid area of emphasis classes,

from other departments in the university, from universities that belong to the

Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area (up to 6 credits), or

be satisfied as part of a reduction (or transfer of credits). Combinations of these

choices are valid to complete the needed credits.

Seminar/Colloquium (1 credit, cannot be counted towards area of emphasis)

These are taken as 1-credit semester classes and involve attending (generally)

weekly seminars presenting current research from members of the department and

beyond. Up to 3 credits can be used to satisfy the PhD credit requirement.

Dissertation credits (up to 24 credits, with a minimum of 6 credits of CSI 999,

cannot be counted towards area of emphasis)

These are labeled CSI 998 and CSI 999. You can take CSI 998 once you have an

approved dissertation committee. You are required to take a minimum of 6 credits of

CSI 999 and maintain continuous enrollment in it until your final dissertation is

submitted to the library. Once you have completed all other requirements, including

the 72 credits, but are still working to complete your dissertation, you are considered

registered full-time by registering 1 credit of CSI 999 per semester.

Special and Remedial Courses (500-level count towards area of emphasis)

Due to the diversity of backgrounds in the department, some students require

preparatory courses to undertake the bulk of the PhD program. Students needing to

quickly improve their programming skills are encouraged to take CSI 500

(Computational Science Tools) and CSI 501 (Introduction to Scientific Programming).

Students needing to improve their general mathematical skills are encouraged to

take CSI 600 (Quantitative Foundations of Computation Science) although the

credits for this course cannot be counted towards the 72 credits of the PhD. In

addition, the department offers special topic courses (normally new courses in trial),

coded CSI 709. Per semester, there may be one, several, or none. Topics change.

12!

Explanation of Candidacy Examination

The Candidacy Examination consists of a written, an oral, and (if applicable) a

computational part. All parts are mandatory. The Candidacy Examination should

determine mastery of fundamental knowledge and familiarity with current research in

topics that contribute directly to the student’s dissertation research area.

Dissertation committee requirement

To organize the candidacy exam, a student must have identified a research advisor

and formed a dissertation committee with the help of the advisor. In case the

research advisor is not core faculty of the CDS department, the candidacy exam will

require a committee chair that is CDS core faculty. If the research advisor is a CDS

core member, then they also function as chair of the committee.

Recommendation of Timeline of Candidacy Exam

Students should aim to take their candidacy exams around 1.5 to 2 years from the start of the

PhD (for full-time students) and around 2.5 to 3 years (part-time students). Practical

considerations make it problematic to take the exams after 2.5 years for full-time students and

3.5 years for part-time students.

Exam rules and procedures

1) The composition of the Candidacy Examination is defined by a list of topics

that are reasonably well understood in the scientific and technical community.

Material covered may include content from courses taken by the student.

After agreement is reached between the student and the committee, the list of

exam topics and the proposed exam date are documented on Form #3, which

is filed with the CDS office.

2) The written and computational parts of the exam must be submitted to the

Director of Graduate Studies by the chair of the student’s committee at least

one week prior to the examination.

3) The written portion will be administered and taken on campus and completed

without collaboration, in a room assigned by the committee chair. The exam

can be designed so that the student has the option of choosing a subset of

questions to answer.

4) After completion of the written portion of the exam, the computational project

is assigned, if applicable. In general, the student will have two weeks or less

to complete the computational project.

5) The oral exam will be scheduled and administered by the committee, and can

include discussion of the student's computational project, the student's

proposed dissertation research, and the student’s performance on the written

portion of the exam.

6) The Candidacy Examination is graded by the committee, which informs the

student of the results in a timely manner. The entire exam process should be

concluded within one semester.

7) Students have two opportunities to pass the Candidacy Examination. In some

cases, only some parts of the exam may require retaking.

Results of Candidacy Examination

Upon successful completion of all parts of the exam, Form #4 is filled and signed by

the committee members and the Director of Graduate Studies and added to the

student’s file by the Academic Programs Administrator along with the graded exam.

13!

Formation of Dissertation Committee

Current rules of the CSI PhD program require at least 4 members in the committee, satisfying

the category of Mason Graduate Faculty. The following rules have to be observed:

1) At least two members of the committee must be core faculty members of the CDS

department.

2) One member has to be the committee chair. The committee chair has to be a core

faculty member of the CDS department. The committee chair has the responsibility of

organizing examinations for the student.

3) If the student’s research advisor is a core faculty member of the CDS department, then

this member is also the committee chair.

4) If a member of the committee is not a core faculty member of GMU, they must then be

submitted for approval as Mason Graduate Faculty through the CDS office. This

requires that the committee member possess a PhD, and a CV and possibly other

documents are required to complete this process.

5) It is possible to have a fifth member in the dissertation committee. This is normally done

when the student’s research can benefit from the expertise of an external member of

the scientific community. Fifth members need approval of the Dissertation Chair and

Director of Graduate Studies.

Who are core faculty members of CDS: The PhD program core faculty is composed of

tenured and tenure-track members of the Mason faculty whose primary affiliations are with the

CDS Department. Term faculty members of CDS can be committee chairs with written

permission from the College of Science.

Mason Graduate Faculty status requests are handled by the College of Science. The process

starts by filling out the corresponding form and submitting it to the CDS Academic Program

Administrator for further processing.

14!

Doctoral Dissertation Proposal

Students must prepare a detailed Dissertation Proposal and present the proposal to

their committee for approval. Proposals must be approved by the research advisor

and the dissertation committee and will also be reviewed by the Director of Graduate

Studies.

The proposal should contain sufficient text, illustrations, tables, equations, and

bibliography to represent a clear explanation of the student’s proposed research

project.

The proposal should include a detailed description of the work to be undertaken; its

relation to previous published work; and the scientific, mathematical, and

computational methods to be employed. Proposals should also include a clear set of

goals, methods, and models, and a discussion of the expected results and their

anticipated significance. The discussion should also include any limitations on the

generality of the expected results.

Proposals should discuss hardware/software issues including computational tools,

techniques, and algorithms to be utilized in the research.

An abstract of the dissertation proposal is submitted on Form #4.

Please note: Advancing to candidacy consists of the following:

• Finishing all coursework

• Passing candidacy exam

• Successfully defending dissertation proposal

Students admitted into the PhD program have six years minus one semester to

advance. It is very important that the advancement forms are submitted to the

academic programs administrator no later than the date given below. Forms

submitted after this date are not guaranteed to be processed in time to meet the

advancement deadline. Here are the deadlines for semester advancement:

SEMESTER

PAPERWORK DUE

Spring

November 8

Summer

March 8

Fall

May 25

15!

Doctoral Dissertation

A dissertation is a written piece of original, independent work that demonstrates the

doctoral candidate's mastery of the subject matter, methodologies, and conceptual

foundations in their chosen field of study. Another term of the dissertation is a thesis.

The content of the dissertation should:

1) be relevant and current in the chosen research area,

2) demonstrate an understanding of theoretical/experimental research and,

when applicable, development (as in R&D) issues,

3) demonstrate a mastery of computational tools and techniques,

4) make a research and/or development contribution through either new results

and/or new techniques, and

5) be acceptable for publication in a refereed journal.

A pre-defense in front of the committee should take place a month prior to the

dissertation defense. This allows the committee to make final recommendations and

corrections to the student in preparation to the final public defense of the dissertation.

The final dissertation defense is done as a public presentation, arranged with the

dissertation committee. Upon the successful completion of the defense, Form #7 is

signed and completed by the student and dissertation committee, and submitted to

the CDS office for further processing.

Note: The written dissertation volume must be submitted to the Library along with all

approval signatures per their requirements and instructions. Guidelines for the

content and general format of the doctoral dissertation may be found at

https://library.gmu.edu/udts/process.

16!

Checklist for Research Advisors (including Forms)

To help research advisor help their students remain in both good standing and making

progress towards the completion of their PhD, the following list of recommendations is offered:

1) Be aware of the your students Program of Study (CDS department Form 1): this

helps to keep an eye of a student’s progress and adherence to academic and

research plans.

2) Know your student’s deadlines: be aware of the term they entered the program,

how long they have to advance to candidacy and to graduate.

3) Form your student’s committee early: Since candidacy examination requires the

dissertation committee to be formed, please do this with enough time to be ready for

the candidate’s exam.

4) Remember the steps involved in moving the student through the PhD

requirements:

a. Form dissertation committee (fill out CDS department Form 2)

b. Organize and administer candidacy exam (fill out CDS department Forms 3

and 4); if you are not in CDS, coordinate with the committee chair who must

be a CDS tenured or tenure track faculty member)

c. Organize Dissertation Proposal approval by the Dissertation Committee (fill

out CDS department Forms 5 and 6).

d. Organize Pre-defense about a month before final dissertation defense.

e. Organize Dissertation Defense (fill out CDS department Form 7).

17!

Table of forms and requirements

Requirement

Form #

Program of study

Dissertation Committee

Candidacy exam topics/date

Candidacy exam results

Dissertation Proposal abstract

Dissertation Proposal

Approval of Dissertation proposal and

advancement to candidacy

Doctoral Defense

Where to find department forms

All department forms can be found on the CDS department website.

Some other frequently used forms

Re-enrollment form: Required if a PhD student misses two consecutive semesters

https://registrar.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/GRE-Graduate-Re-Enrollment-8.8.18-

1.pdf

Reduction of Credit: Students with a conferred MS/MA degree from a regionally

accredited U.S. academic institution may be eligible for a reduction of credit

https://registrar.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/ROC.pdf!

Substitution/Waiver: Request that a requirement in an academic program be met

by: 1) a transfer course even though not considered equivalent to a Mason course, or

2) a Mason course not usually applied to meet the requirement. Also, to request that,

on some clearly detailed basis, a requirement in the student’s academic program be

waived (does not waive of give credit hours).

https://registrar.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/SWF_0514.pdf!

For additional registrar forms, https://registrar.gmu.edu/forms/!

18!

Suggested Preliminary Programs of Study by student’s

areas of interest

HOW TO USE THESE TEMPLATES:

Two templates (below) are provided in this guide to help students begin the process

of creating their own Programs of Study. One template is for students with interest in

Data Science, and the other for students interested in Modeling and Simulation.

Once the tentative plan is completed, fill it out in a blank Form 1 and hand it in

to the Program Administrator for processing. Any academic questions should

be addressed to the Director of Graduate Studies.

Complete this template within the first 4 weeks in the PhD.

The core courses in each template are aligned with each of the two possible areas

of interests and are therefore suggested to be taken as indicated.

The area of emphasis courses allow more flexibility and depend on the student’s

research interests. The courses in each template are those with widest general

interest for each area. However, before advancement to candidacy, the courses can

be substituted by others that more closely match the student’s research interests,

and should be discussed and revised with the student’s research advisor. Changes

are possible and even encouraged on the basis of research direction. In some cases,

it may be decided that a student should take more than 18 credits of area of

emphasis, which would reduce the credits needed in electives and also credits that

can be reduced or transferred from graduate work prior to joining the CSI PhD. An

updated list of the courses with CSI codes taught in recent years is attached and

updated every term to help create a program of study.

Elective courses: Elective courses should generally be used to emphasize or

complement training in relevant areas and techniques that students require for their

dissertation. Reduced/transferred credits are almost always counted towards

electives and are explicitly written into the program of study. Taking CSS courses

counts as elective courses.

Remedial skills courses: Students requiring courses to improve or refresh their

programming/quantitative skills should consider CSI 500 (Computational Science

Tools) which teaches scientific packages such as R, and CSI 501 (Introduction to

Scientific Programming) which focuses on programming languages. Only one 500

level course will count towards the 48 coursework credits. CSI 600 and

undergrad level courses will not count for credit. However, if the material is

needed it is advisable to take such courses even if credits are not counted.

Admissions with Provisions: The proposed program of study of students

provisionally admitted needs to include all the courses in the provisions in the

first 2 semesters. Follow the rest of this guidance for all other courses.

Semester each course is to be taken: The list of courses taught in recent years

should help frame a tentative timeframe. Some courses are taught in the Fall, some

in Spring, and some are taught in non-consecutive years. All such details must be

considered. Please also consider this on courses from other departments.

19!

Sample Coursework- Data Science Template

Core Requirements (6 credits)

Cred

Hrs

Institution

Semester

Grade

CSI 695 Scientific Databases

GMU

CSI 703 Scientific & Statistical Viz

GMU

Areas of Emphasis (18 credits)

CSI 672

Statistical Inference

GMU

CSI 674

Bayesian Infer Decis Theor

GMU

CSI 678

Time Series Analys Forecast

GMU

CSI 747 Nonlinear Optimization Apps

GMU

CSI 777 Princpls of Knowledge Mining

GMU

CSI 873 Comp Learn and Discovery

GMU

Electives (23 credits)

Seminar/Colloquium (up to 1 credits)

Dissertation Requirements (24 credits with minimum of 6 999s)

CSI 998 – Doctoral Dissertation Proposal

CSI 999 – Doctoral Dissertation

Crosslisted as STAT 652

Crosslisted as OR 664/SYST 664

Crosslisted as STAT 658

Crosslisted as OR 719

20!

Sample Coursework- Modeling Template

Core Requirements (6 credits)

Cred Hrs

Institution

Semester

Grade

CSI 690 Numerical Methods

GMU

CSI 702 High Performance Computing

GMU

Areas of Emphasis (18 credits)

CSI 678

Time Series Anlys Forecast

GMU

CSI 695 Scientific Databases

GMU

CSI 703 Scientific & Statistical Vislz

GMU

CSI 747 Nonlinear Optimization Apps

GMU

CSI 758 Visualiz/Model Complex Sys

GMU

CSI 786 Molecular Dynamics Model

GMU

Electives (23 credits)

Seminar/Colloquium (up to 1 credits)

Dissertation Requirements

CSI 998 up to 18 credits plus

CSI 999 minimum of 6 credits

Crosslisted with MATH 685/OR 682

Crosslisted with

21!

Course Offering Rota

The following list is the active list of courses for CSI. Other courses that may

appear in the catalog are likely to be inactive and therefore should not be assumed

available unless confirmation that they will be offered is obtained. The CSI program

offers courses under various frequencies due to demand, lecturer availability, gradual

changes in interest of students, and other factors. Some courses are offered by other

departments, but cross-listed with CSI.

Color scheme:

1. Regular black (courses in area of emphasis),

2. Bold black (core courses),

3. Red (courses from other departments crosslisted with CSI),

4. Blue (courses not in area of emphasis),

5. Magenta (Red+Blue categories).

Note: CSI 709 is taught on initiative from individual faculty members and could be

taught in any term

Regularity

Course Code

Course Title

Even, odd

year

All

semesters

CSI 500

Computational Science Tools

CSI 501

Introduction to Scientific Programming

Fall yearly

CSI 590/600

Quantitative Foundations for Computational Sciences

CSI 639

Ethics in Scientific Research

CSI 672

Statistical Inference

CSI 690

Numerical Methods

CSI 695

Scientific Databases

CSI 711

Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics

CSI 777

Principles of Knowledge Mining

CSI 780

Principles of Modeling and Simulation in Science

Spring

yearly

CSI 674

Bayesian Inference and Decision Theory

CSI 678

Time Series Analysis and Forecasting

CSI 702

High-performance Computing

CSI 703

Scientific and Statistical Visualization

CSI 739

Topics in Bioinformatics

CSI 742

The Mathematics of the Finite Element Method

CSI 783

Computational Quantum Mechanics

CSI 786

Molecular Dynamics Modeling

CSI 973

Mathematical Statistics II

CSI 986

Large Scale Molecular Simulations

Fall bi-

yearly

CSI 685

Fundamentals of Materials Science

even

CSI 721

Computational Fluid Dynamics I

even

CSI 782

Statistical Mechanics for Modeling and Simulation

even

CSI 873

Computational Learning and Discovery

odd

Spring bi-

yearly

CSI 747

Nonlinear Optimization and Applications

odd

CSI 758

Visualization and Modeling of Complex Systems

odd

CSI 789

Image Operators and Analysis

even

22!

Courses by Topic

Modeling and

Simulation

Data Science

General

Other

Remedial

CSI 780

CSI 672

CSI 678

CSI 639

CSI 500

CSI 782

CSI 674

CSI 690

CSI 685

CSI 501

CSI 786

CSI 695

CSI 702

CSI 711

CSI 590/600

CSI 986

CSI 703

CSI 747

CSI 721

CSI 747

CSI 742

CSI 758

CSI 783

CSI 777

CSI 789

CSI 873

CSI 973

Note: The course CSI 709 is a general topics code, used by faculty to offer courses

that are new or have been requested by students. A CSI 709 course taught in the past

on a particular topic does not guarantee the same topic will be taught again in the

future, and if it is, its schedule and timing is uncertain.

! !

23!

Reductions and Transfers of Credit

Reductions of credit are a process by which a student who has completed another

graduate degree before joing the PhD can request that credits from that prior degree

be accepted in liu of required credits in the CSI PhD.

Transfers of credit are a process by which a student who has taken graduate level

courses that do not form part of a graduate degree before joing the PhD can request

that those credits be accepted in liu of required credits in the CSI PhD.

Rules for reductions and transfers:

1) normally granted towards the electives and colloquium credit requirement,

2) limited to a maxium of 23 credits,

3) for every course used as part of a reduction or transfer request, the course

syllabus must be submitted, and

4) the process should be done in the first year of the student’s study.

This process should be initiated with the Academic Programs Administrator.

24!

Key dates for Term

Actions

Fall

Spring

Summer

Comments

File to graduate

Check out Registrar’s website for deadlines for online and paper

applications:!https://registrar.gmu.edu/students/graduation/timelines/!

Draft Dissertation

to Committee

Chair

week of

August

1st week of

December

1st seek of

March

Draft to

Committee

week of

September

Week of

January

Week of

April

Predefend

week of

October

Week

March

Week of

June

Poll committee

members to get

date/time then let

Academic Programs

know so she can

schedule a room for

predefense

Defend

Mid

November

Week of

April

Week of

July

Same as above.

Dissertation Title

and Abstract to

Academic

Programs

Manager for

advertising the

defense

Minimum of 2

weeks before

defense

Minimum of 2

weeks before

defense

Minimum of 2

weeks before

defense

You will be sent a

template when the

time comes to prepare

your defense

announcement.

Submit

Dissertation to

Library

Check out library’s website for submission procedures and deadlines:

http://libra ry.gm u .edu /u dts

IMPORTANT: Frequently visit the University Dissertation and Thesis Services website for

procedures/timelines: http:// library .gm u .edu/ ud ts!

! !

25!

Useful Contacts and Resources

Graduate admissions

masongrad@gmu.edu

703-993-9700

Office Location: 213 Johnson Center (2nd Floor)

Director of Graduate Programs, College of Science

Melissa Hayes

[email protected]

Suite 1450 Exploratory Hall

703-993-9532

mhayes5@gmu.edu

Office of International Programs and Scholars

(703) 993 2970

https://oips.gmu.edu/

Student Health Services

703-993-2831

https://shs.gmu.edu/

Counseling and Psychological Services

703-993-2380

https://caps.gmu.edu/

Disability Services

703-993-2474

https://ds.gmu.edu/

Office of Compliance, Diversity, and Ethics

(703) 993-1000

https://diversity.gmu.edu/title-ix

Office of the University Registrar (including FERPA)

703-993-2441

https://registrar.gmu.edu/

University Library

703-993-2240!

https://library.gmu.edu/

Stearn Center Student Support Resources Webpage

Many of the links above, as well as many other University offices and resources

useful students can be found in the link below

https://stearnscenter.gmu.edu/knowledge-center/knowing-mason-students/student-

support-resources-on-campus/