The student also selects a faculty supervisor who will be a research adviser and guide for study within the chosen area of specialization. Graduate students may also pursue a Ph.D. in Applied Science with Emphasis in Computational Science. The program is motivated by the role of computation as a third way of doing research in the applied sciences, complementing the traditional modes of experiment and theory. For the Ph.D., a program of advanced course work is selected in consultation with the departmental graduate adviser and the student's research adviser. Following the completion of advanced course work in a chosen area of specialization, the student takes an oral qualifying examination.
Research leading to an acceptable dissertation completes the requirements for a Ph.D. degree.
The Department of Applied Science also participates in the Computer Science program. This program does not require a broad background in physical and chemical science. Computer science is concerned primarily with computer architecture, computer languages and operating systems, computer graphics and scientific visualization, and software engineering methodologies. The department has a special interest in supercomputing and parallel distributed architectures such as artificial neural nets.