Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery and Engineering

This program trains University of Michigan graduate students to conduct computationally intensive research, and prepares them to function effectively in interdisciplinary research and product development settings that employ high-performance computing.

Overview

Advances in computational algorithms and HPC hardware have transformed CDE into a predictive science that yields quantitative insights into the behavior of realistic systems. CDE is now a fundamental tool in scientific research and modern design and manufacturing practices. The Graduate Certificate in CDE recognizes students’ competence in this field, and prepares them for success in wide range of areas.

The program is open to students in all academic units pursuing M.S. or Ph.D. degrees at the University of Michigan. Academic requirements include coursework in approved classes, an experiential component such as internships, and attendance at MICDE events. M.S. students have the opportunity to participate in the Multidisciplinary Design Program.

Questions? Please email [email protected].

Overview

Academic Requirements

Application Procedures

Current Students

Tracking Progress

Graduation

Funding Resources

Current Enrollment

History

Academic Requirements

 

There are four fundamental requirements for earning a Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery and Engineering.  Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Coursework

Nine (9) graduate credit hours of coursework in approved courses.  A non-exhaustive list can be found here. These courses are designated either Methodology or Applications — at least six (6) of the nine (9) credit hours must be designated as Methodology.

If you are pursuing a master’s degree or an embedded master’s degree within a PhD program please note that no more than one course (3 credits) can be double-counted between the master’s degree and the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering

If you wish to take a course that is not yet listed on the course list, submit a syllabus, and explain why this course should be included, to [email protected]. You must do this prior to submitting the pre-application form.

CDE-Related Experience

A CDE-related experience approved by the CDE Program Committee. This can take the form of non-credit activity like an internship, practicum or professional project equivalent to a three credit-hour course, or additional coursework of at least three credits from the approved course list.

Masters students can participate in the Multidisciplinary Design Program to fulfill this requirement. To find out more about this option, please visit https://mdp.engin.umich.edu/micde/.

Annual Symposium

Attendance at the MICDE Annual Symposium, which will provide graduate students an opportunity to present the results of their research in talks and poster sessions. All students are required to attend at least once; Ph.D. students are encouraged to present a poster in the poster competition.

MICDE Seminars

Regular attendance at the MICDE Seminar Series, which brings internationally known CDE scientists to campus. Students are required to attend at least 7 seminars. 

Application Procedures

Questions? Please email [email protected].

Before Applying:

  1. Discuss the certificate with your advisor. Students are encouraged to discuss their proposed study program with their research advisor or graduate coordinator before filling out the pre-application form.
  2. Submit the pre-application form. Note that to fill the form:
    • You must be logged in with your UMich ID
    • You cannot save the form before submitting it, so you must have all the information ready
    • Exceptions for courses not on the approved list can be obtained provided that the courses are rich in computational content. If you wish to take a course not on the approved list, please submit a syllabus and explain why this course should be included, to [email protected]. You must do this prior to submitting the application form.
  3. After your pre-application form is reviewed and approved, you will receive an email with instructions on how to proceed with the Rackham application. Please wait to be sure that your pre-application is approved before submitting the Rackham application, as the $10 Rackham application fee is not refundable.
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Eligibility

Students applying for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering must be enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program at the University of Michigan. You must have completed at least one semester in your current degree program to enroll.

U-M Dearborn or U-M Flint graduate students may enroll in the program but will be required to pay the U-M Ann Arbor credits rate for classes taken on the Ann Arbor campus.

Z

Eligibiliity

Students applying for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering must be enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program at the University of Michigan. You must have completed at least one semester in your current degree program to enroll.

U-M Dearborn or U-M Flint graduate students may enroll in the program but will be required to pay the U-M Ann Arbor credits rate for classes taken on the Ann Arbor campus.

Enrollment Deadlines

Admission to the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering may be granted at any time, but please note the following deadlines:

Fall enrollment: Apply by August 1

Winter enrollment: Apply by December 1

Application instructions for Rackham students

  1. Complete Rackham’s Pre-approval Form for Dual Admission in order to add the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering onto your current Rackham degree program. This form requires a signature of approval from the authorized signer in your current graduate program. Without approval and an authorized signature on the form, the application will not be processed and the application fee of $10 will not be refunded.
  2. Go to the Rackham Graduate School Dual Admission Application on ApplyWeb. (For more assistance, see “Dual Admission” instructions.)
  3. Select the following degree program: Computational Discovery and Engineering. The Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering ”program code” is 02101.
  4. Make sure to upload your University of Michigan transcript from Wolverine Access (unofficial is OK).
  5. For the Academic Statement of Purpose, upload a printout of the confirmation email you received when you submitted the pre-application for the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering.  (If you need a copy of this, please email [email protected].)
  6. In the Recommendation section, write “Computational Discovery Certificate — Waived by Dept.” in the First Name field.
  7. For the Personal Statement, upload a document stating “Computational Discovery Certificate — Personal Statement Not Required.”
  8. Pay the $10 application fee via Visa or Mastercard.
  9. Email [email protected] once you have completed the online application so that we know to look for your application. Please attach the signed Pre-approval Form for Dual Admission that you uploaded in your Rackham application.
  10. As long as the application is complete and you have no holds from Rackham Admissions, it usually takes about two weeks between application and enrollment.

Application instructions for non-Rackham students

  1. Go to the Rackham Graduate School Application.
  2. Select the following degree program: Computational Discovery and Engineering. The Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering ”program code” is 02101.
  3. Make sure to upload your University of Michigan transcript from Wolverine Access (unofficial is OK).
  4. For the Academic Statement of Purpose, upload a printout of the confirmation email you received when you submitted the pre-application for the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering.  (If you need a copy of this, please email [email protected].)
  5. In the Recommendation section, write “Computational Discovery Certificate — Waived by Dept.” in the First Name field.
  6. For the Personal Statement, upload a document stating “Computational Discovery Certificate — Personal Statement Not Required.”
  7. Pay the $10 application fee via Visa or Mastercard.
  8. Email [email protected] once you have completed the online application so that we know to look for your application.
  9. As long as the application is complete, it usually takes about two weeks between application and enrollment.

Current Students

Tracking Progress

Coursework:

  • Students must complete nine credit hours of approved courses to earn the CDE certificate — at least six from the list of Methodology classes, and the rest from Applications classes.
  • View the list of approved courses. Note:
    • If there is a course you would like us to consider that is not on the list, please send the name of the course, and a syllabus to [email protected]. Make sure to mention you are inquiring about the Certificate in CDE program. There are separate approval processes for each MICDE program, so please don’t assume a course is approved for one if it’s approved for another.
    • Special Topics must be approved individually as their content changes frequently.
    • Please email [email protected] if you would like to use a course that is not listed.
    • Example Course Choices: View course groupings as examples of possible choices for students from various departments.

CDE-Related Experience:

Please email [email protected] to propose a CDE-related experience if this was not established at the time you app.  Complete the CDE-Related Experience form (including departmental signatures) to verify completion of this requirement and turn it in to MICDE before the end of the semester in which you plan to graduate.

Annual Symposium:

We have records of all registrants and presenters. Please be sure that you have registered to attend and/or present at least one MICDE Annual Symposium during your current degree.

MICDE Seminars:

Please use the “MICDE Seminars Attendance Form” to record your seminar attendance.

Graduation checklist for Masters students

Please do the following in your final semester before graduation:

  1. Early in your final semester: Email [email protected] to report that you plan to graduate, and to confirm that your requirements are complete.
  2. Complete the CDE-Related Experience form (including departmental signatures) to verify completion of this requirement and turn it in to MICDE before the end of the semester in which you plan to graduate.
  3. Complete the Rackham Dual/Joint Degree Election Form. Have the form signed by your academic/research advisor or departmental academic coordinator (electronic signature is OK). Once the form has all of the necessary signatures, please send it to [email protected] and copy your masters department and [email protected].
    • ONLY courses counted towards the 9 credits should go on this form (not the CDE-related experience – if applicable)
    • Masters degree courses go in the left column while the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering courses counted towards the 9 credits of coursework go in the right column.
    • You can only double-count 3 credit hours, that is, the left and right columns can have at most 3 credit hours in common.
  4. Apply for graduation via Wolverine Access.  Click on the Student Business link within the Students tab on Wolverine Access.  You can access the Apply for Graduation page through both the Student Center and Degree Progress/Graduation tabs.

    All paperwork with signatures are due by the last day of classes of the semester you plan to graduate from your home degree.  Failure to submit all required documents may result in you not being able to graduate with the certificate.

    Graduation checklist for Ph.D. students

    Please do the following in the semester before you plan to graduate:

    1. Early in your final semester: Email [email protected] to report that you plan to graduate, and to confirm that your requirements are complete.
    2. Complete the CDE-Related Experience form (including departmental signatures) to verify completion of this requirement and turn it in to MICDE before the end of the semester in which you plan to graduate.
    3. If you will be graduating with an embedded masters degree or another certificate, complete the Rackham Dual/Joint Degree Election Form. Have the form signed by your academic/research advisor or departmental academic coordinator (electronic signature is OK). Once the form has all of the necessary signatures, please send it to [email protected] and copy your masters department and [email protected].
      • ONLY courses counted towards the 9 credits should go on this form (not the practicum – if applicable)
      • Masters/certificate courses go in the left column while the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering courses counted towards the 9 credits of coursework go in the right column. Do not list any courses other than those you’re applying to the masters/certificate.
      • You can only double-count 3 credit hours, that is, the left and right columns can have at most 3 credit hours in common.
      • This form is not required if you will only be graduating with a Ph.D. and the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering.
    4. Apply for graduation via Wolverine Access before the deadline set by Rackham.  Click on the Student Business link within the Students tab on Wolverine Access.  You can access the Apply for Graduation page through both the Student Center and Degree Progress/Graduation tabs.

      All paperwork with signatures are due by the last day of classes of the semester you plan to graduate from your home degree.  Failure to submit all required documents may result in you not being able to graduate with the certificate.

      Current Enrollment

      This bar graph represents the numbers of students from across campus who are enrolled in our Computational Discovery and Engineering certificate program as of September 2021.

      Home schools and departments include: College of Engineering, College of LSA, School of Public Health, Medical School, College of Pharmacy, Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Industrial & Operations Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, Chemistry, Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, Mathematics, Physics, Biostatistics, Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, School for Environment and Sustainability, School of Kinesiology, and School of Information.

      This list is not exhaustive, and continues to grow.

      graph of students

      Program History

      Last updated July 2023

       

      2013

      Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering approved

      100+

      Alumni of the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering since 2013

      The Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering has had participants from the following home programs:

      • Aerospace Engineering
      • Applied & Interdisciplinary Mathematics
      • Applied Physics
      • Bioinformatics
      • Biomedical Engineering
      • Biophysics
      • Chemical Engineering
      • Chemistry
      • Civil Engineering
      • Climate & Space Sciences & Engineering
      • Earth & Environmental Science
      • Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
      • Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
      • Environment & Sustainability
      • Environmental Engineering
      • Epidemiology
      • Industrial & Operations Engineering
      • Information
      • Materials Science & Engineering
      • Mechanical Engineering
      • Medicinal Chemistry
      • Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
      • Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences
      • Physics

      We welcome all students with an interest in computational science to apply!

      Faculty Leadership

      For all questions about the Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery & Engineering, please email [email protected].

      Monica Valluri

      2023 – present

      Monica Valluri

      Krishna Garikipati

      2013 – 2023

      Krishna Garikipati