Computational Science Research Center

Computational Science Research Center

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Student Handbook

Computational Science Ph.D. Program

Participating Units

  • Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science, UC Irvine
  • Samueli School of Engineering, UC Irvine
  • College of Engineering, SDSU
  • College of Science, SDSU

Program Supervision and Administration

Overall program supervision will be the joint responsibility of a graduate faculty group at UCI and SDSU. A Program Director will be appointed at each campus. The two Program Directors will oversee the operation of the program, advise students, appoint preliminary advisors and recommend appointments to Doctoral Committees. At SDSU, the Office of Graduate and Research Affairs (GRA) processes forms for
advancement to candidacy, checks program requirements, and sends notices to students. At UC Irvine, the Graduate Division processes official graduate student forms, reviews student records to ensure that degree requirements have been met, and sends official communications to graduate students enrolled at UC
Irvine. Diplomas will be issued jointly.

SDSU Program Director: Dr. Jose Castillo – jcastillo@sdsu.edu
UCI Program Director: Dr. Filippo Capolino – f.capolino@uci.edu
SDSU Staff Contact: Parisa Plant – parisa.plant@sdsu.edu
UCI Staff Contact: Jean Macneil – jean.macneil@uci.edu

Admission Requirements

Students must be admitted to both institutions jointly. However, students must apply to UCI first. Admission will be granted to a limited number of qualified students, and therefore application should be made as early as possible. Applications are encouraged from both men and women, and particularly from members of underrepresented groups. Completed applications are due by January 15th for the Fall term, although later applications may be allowed at the discretion of the Admissions Committee. The Admissions Committee has the sole responsibility of deciding admissions, consistent with both campus regulations. The admissions review process may include personal interviews of applicants.

To be admitted to the Joint Ph.D. Program, an applicant must have received a baccalaureate degree in one of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, with background in Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Statistics, and Programming in a language such as C or Fortran. Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of their prior academic record and their potential for creative research and teaching, as demonstrated in submitted application materials. These materials will include official university transcripts, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, Resume and Statement of Purpose from an accredited institution. The applicant must have an undergraduate Grade Point Average of at least 3.0, and of at least 3.50 in any prior graduate course work. The applicant must, in addition, have attained such a scholastic record and present such confidential recommendations as to indicate that he or she is well qualified to pursue, with distinction, advanced study and research. The GRE General is a requirement for admission. Scores on this exam must be less than five years old. Applicants whose primary language is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency in English for admission consideration. A minimum score of 80 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required. Oral communication in English is an important factor for admission into our program so we require, 26 or above in TOEFL iBT spoken component; 8 or above in spoken component of IELTS.

For more information, please visit English Proficiency | Graduate Division | UCI

Please note that all international students, including those with Permanent Resident status, who wish to or will be expected to serve as a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate must pass an English proficiency exam approved by UCI. Please visit English Proficiency for Teaching Assistantships | Graduate Division | UCI for more information.