Master's in Computational Science and Engineering

Degree Requirements

The following course requirements apply to both the SM and ME degrees in Computational Science and Engineering. Note that the term "course" refers to a typical Harvard semester-length course, i.e., a 4-credit FAS course or its equivalent. 2-credit courses such as AC 298r count as "half of a course" in the context of these requirements.

Degree Program Options

 

Master of Science (SM) in 2 semesters

Master of Science (SM) in 3 semesters

Master of Engineering (ME) in 4 semesters with thesis

Credit requirements

32

32-48

64

Typical course load

8 classes

8-12 classes

8-10 classes plus 24-32 credits of research

General Requirements

  1. Eight letter-graded courses are required for the degree. As many of these as possible should be SEAS 200/2000-level courses. ME students must take 32 additional credits, which can be satisfied by electives courses, non-letter-graded research credits (as AC 302), or a combination of the two.
  2. No 300/3000-level courses may be included among the eight required, letter-graded courses.
  3. Up to three of the eight courses may be 100/1000-level SEAS/FAS courses or U-level MIT courses. Courses lower than the 100/1000-level, including all General Education courses, may not be counted towards the degree.
  4. SM students may include no more than one semester of the reading and research course (AC 299r) and two semesters/four credits of the seminar/project course (AC 298r) among the eight courses. ME students may include up to two AC 299r courses and two semesters/four credits of the seminar/project course (AC 298r).
  5. Harvard Extension School courses and transfer credit are not accepted toward the degree. Waivers for course requirements may be approved on a case-by-case basis, but will not reduce the total number of credits required for the degree.

Grade requirements: In order to be eligible to count for the SM degree, a class grade must be a C (2.0) or higher. In order to be eligible to count for the ME degree, a class grade must be a B- (2.67) or higher. The average grade of all courses counting towards the SM or ME degree must be B (3.0) or higher.

Course Requirements

 

Required for SM in 2 or 3 semesters

Required for ME in 4 semesters with a thesis

Core Courses

AM 205 (Advanced Scientific Computing: Numerical Methods)

✅

✅
  • AM 207 (Advanced Scientific Computing: Stochastic Methods for Data Analysis, Inference, and Optimization)
  • AM 215 (Mathematical Modeling for Computational Science) OR AC 207 (Systems Development for Computational Science)
  • CS 2050 (High Performance Computing for Science and Engineering)

✅✅ Choose 2 of 3

✅✅ Choose 2 of 3

Department Electives Courses often chosen as electives are listed on the CSE courses page.

Computer Science elective

✅

✅

Applied Math elective

✅

✅

Domain Electives may be from COMPSCI or APMTH, or approved courses from other SEAS areas, other FAS departments, other schools at Harvard, or MIT. Up to four credits (two semesters) of the AC 298r seminar course and up to one semester of an Independent Study (AC 299r) may also be counted as an elective.

Domain Elective 1

✅

✅

Domain Elective 2

✅ (May be non-technical)

✅

Domain Elective 3

🛑

✅ (May be non-technical)

Research experience

✅ Fulfilled by AC 297r (Capstone Project)

✅ 32 credits fulfilled by any combination of a second semester of AC 299r, additional electives, or credits of AC 302 (Research Credit).

 

Master of Engineering (ME) Information

The Master of Engineering (ME) in CSE is a two-year program requiring students to complete and defend a thesis project. ME students will spend the majority of their second year working on a substantial computational project that culminates in the submission and oral defense of a master’s thesis. While all thesis projects must have a significant computational component, students are given leeway in finding a project that applies computation to solve a problem in a domain of study that fits with their background and interest.

All ME students must find a research advisor and submit a master's of engineering thesis proposal by mid-April of their first year of study. Thesis proposals will be evaluated by the CSE faculty committee and only those students whose proposals are accepted will be allowed to continue for the second year of the program. Follow this link for more information about CSE ME thesis proposals.