Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Option for Chemistry Graduate Students

Computational Science and Engineering PhD Program

The Department of Chemistry offers an option in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) under its PhD degree program.  To be eligible for the CSE option in Chemistry, a student must fulfill the following requirements:

  1. satisfy all the regular PhD requirements for one of the six specialization areas within chemistry (analytical, chemical biology, inorganic, organic, materials, physical)
  2. take two core CSE courses (listed below) or their equivalent
  3. take two CSE courses offered in chemistry or other departments
  4. the PhD thesis must be related to computational science as well as to chemistry, as judged by the thesis committee
  5. include on the thesis committee at least one faculty member affiliated with the CSE program

Note: the student must satisfy the 5 unit course requirement for one of the six specialization areas within chemistry, but the core CSE courses and the CSE courses in chemistry may count toward this total where appropriate.

CSE Core Courses

  • CSE 401 Numerical analysis: a comprehensive introduction (CS 450)
  • CSE 402 Introduction to parallel programming for scientists and engineers (CS 420)
  • CSE 510 Numerical Methods for PDEs (CS 555)
  • CSE 527 Scientific visualization (CS 519)

CSE Courses in Chemistry

  • Chem 576 Computational Chemical Biology
  • Chem 550 Quantum Dynamics
  • Chem 548 Molecular Electronic Structure

The following courses do not count as CSE courses in chemistry but do contain significant computational component:

  • Chem 442 Introduction to Quantum Chemistry
  • Chem 544/546 Statistical Mechanics

University of Illinois-UC course information (course catalog, timetables, etc.)