Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Computational Science

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science participates in the Interdisciplinary graduate minor in computational science (IGMCS) program. Any student pursuing a master’s or PhD with a major in computer science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering can receive a minor in computational science by completing the appropriate IGMCS requirements. For further information, see the description of the IGMCS below or visit the IGMCS web site at http://igmcs.utk.edu/. The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science also contributes courses to the IGMCS program curriculum.

The Interdisciplinary graduate minor in computational science (IGMCS) is a formal academic program at the University of Tennessee established to allow students to earn a minor in Computational Science simultaneously with a master’s or doctorate in another academic discipline. The program is open to graduate students in all departments, which have an approved minor. The program is administered by a committee composed of representatives, including program faculty, from all colleges that have approved the IGMCS program and which have minor programs.

Requirements

Computational Science is an emerging field of study that is truly interdisciplinary, with participating faculty from Mathematics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and many domain sciences across the curriculum that have embraced computationally intensive methods. Since computational science demands some basic level of understanding and skill in all three of these discipline clusters, the IGMCS program is designed to provide students seeking an advanced degree in one of these three areas with the knowledge and experience in the other two that is necessary to round out their education. Course options consist of courses in Mathematics, Information Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and other participating departments selected according to a plan approved by the respective home departments, which then must be approved by the IGMCS Program Committee.

Procedures

The student’s home department (i.e. the department in which the student is currently pursuing an advanced degree) must have approved a program of courses with the IGMCS Program Committee prior to declaration of the IGMCS minor. That program will specify the sequences of computational science courses, selected from the IGMCS approved list, which are considered appropriate by the home department, and the home department must verify fulfillment of non-computational science degree requirements. Students wishing to participate in this program should contact their college representatives or the Chair of the IGMCS Program Committee.

The student’s graduate committee must include a member of the IGMCS faculty.

The student’s Admission to Candidacy form must contain all courses required for the chosen degree program delineated and labeled “Computational Science courses required for the minor in computational science.” Should the student decide not to apply for admission to the program until after completion of some of the courses, the student’s major professor should file a program change with the cooperating departments and assist the student in obtaining an IGMCS faculty member to serve on the student’s graduate committee.

Successful completion of the minor in computational science is recognized by appropriate documentation on the student’s transcript. Students who do not complete the requirements of the minor will still receive academic credit for the computational science courses they have successfully completed. For more information contact Dr. Terry Moore at tmoore@eecs.utk.edu or visit http://igmcs.utk.edu/.