Minor in Computational and Data Sciences

We have established a Minor in Computational and Data Sciences (CDS) that is particularly appropriate for students who are majors in the Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering, or Computer Science.

The Minor in Computational and Data Sciences provides an attractive option for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering students who wish to augment their major degree program with additional courses in scientific computing. By learning the material in this curriculum, students will acquire the knowledge, skills and techniques commonly used across scientific disciplines, which will allow them to apply their Mason education in a practical way in industrial, government, and academic settings.

The structure of the CDS Minor is based on the guidelines found in the George Mason University catalog, which states that:

"Students may elect minor programs of study in addition to major fields by completing the Declaration or Change of Minor section of the Change/Declaration of Academic Program Form. Minors usually require between 15 and 21 credits of study, at least 8 of which must be applied only to that minor and may not be used to fulfill requirements of the student's major, concentration, an undergraduate certificate, or another minor. Students must complete at least 6 credits in their minor at Mason and achieve a minimum 2.00 GPA in courses applied to the minor. Students interested in a minor should consult the appropriate chapters in this catalog."

The Minor in Computational and Data Sciences consists of 18 credit hours of coursework, including:

3 credits - CS 211 - Object Oriented Programming

3 credits - Math 446 - Numerical Methods

9 credits - from any CDS or CSI courses

3 credits - from classes in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Bioinformatics,

Environmental Science and Public Policy, Geography, Geology, Astronomy,

or Statistics at the 300 level or above. Other discipline-based

courses may be permitted with permission of the Undergraduate

Program Director.

Many of the courses listed above have additional prerequisites. Nonetheless, the proposed minor is within efficient reach of most of the students with a major in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, or Computer Science fields across the University, since these students will generally have the prerequisites for the classes listed above.

The Minor in Computational and Data Sciences is intended to broaden and augment the computational skills of Mason students majoring in technical fields. The combination of Computer Science, Numerical Methods, Science, and Synthesis courses in Computational and Data Sciences will significantly enhance the practical knowledge and computational skills when compared with the major field alone.

The following table details the additional courses needed for some selected majors in order to complete the Minor in Computational and Data Sciences. Note that all but 8 credits may be double-counted between the primary degree and a minor. This significantly increases the efficiency of this Minor for students with majors in technical fields. The table assumes that the student takes the currently recommended curriculum for the indicated major stated in the GMU catalog, and may include courses that are not explicitly required for the degree.

Table 1: Additional requirements for selected Science and Engineering Majors to complete a Minor in Computational and Data Science

Major	Math courses	CS courses	Domain courses	CDS courses	Total additional credits
Math	None*	CS 211	None	9 credits	12
Computer Science	None	None	None**	9 credits	9
Electrical and Systems Engineering	Math 446	None	None**	9 credits	12
Physics	Math 446	CS 211	None	9 credits	15
Biology	Math 213,214,446	CS 211	None	9 credits	18
Chemistry	Math 446	CS 211	None	9 credits	15
Geography	Math 213,214,446	CS 211	None	9 credits	18

*Math 446 is allowed as an upper division course for Math majors. It is not required, but it can be counted toward the minor and the major.

**Stat 352 is allowed as an upper division course in engineering, and will count toward the minor.