COSSE - Computer Simulations for Science and Engineering
Computer Simulation for Science and Engineering (COSSE) is a master's programme within the multidisciplinary field of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE), which is an enabling technology for scientific discovery and engineering design.
CSE involves mathematical modeling, numerical analysis, computer science, high-performance computing and visualization. The remarkable development of large scale computing in the last decades has turned CSE into the "third pillar" of science, complementing theory and experiment.
CSE offers scientists new insights in scientific problems and tools for extracting and using detailed information from volumes of data. CSE also provides reliable information for design in engineering disciplines, thereby shortening and economizing the design cycle for products and processes.
The aim of COSSE is to train professionals in CSE. The creation, investigation, implementation, evaluation and documentation of computational models in science and engineering is a process which puts high demands not only on technical skills but also on the communication with other professionals. Since the connections to applications is of great importance CSE practitioners must have good knowledge of, and substantial collaboration with experts in, those disciplines.
By involving CSE-expertise from four high-ranked European universities a top quality education in CSE is established. COSSE is a two-year program comprising compulsory and elective courses with focus on numerical and applied mathematics, object oriented numerical programming, high performance computing, scientific visualization and at least one application where CSE is of great importance, e.g. fluid dynamics, material science, bioapplications, etc. The studies are completed with a half-year project in a Master's Thesis, which can be done in an industrial environment or in a research group.
Programme outline
The COSSE master's programme is a two-year programme including compulsory mobility for the students. They will enter in one of the universities (the "home university") and continue the second year at one of the other universities in another country (the "host university"). The combination of universities is free, however, the number of students will balanced among the universities by the coordinator.The first 60 ECTS credit points are taken at the home university and the remaining 60 ECTS credit points are taken at the host university.
The programme includes three semesters of courses followed by the fourth research semester spent on the Master's Thesis (30 ECTS) under the supervision of both the home and the host university.
Illustration of programme outline:
Please note that it is not possible to combine the two German universities. The students receive doubles degrees, i.e a degree from both the home and the host university. The second year includes a choice of a specialization according to the chosen host university. The specialization may be selected according to the following possibilities:
- KTH: biocomputing, computational materials science
- TU Berlin: computational control theory, computational optimization
- TU Delft: computational fluid dynamics, numerical linear algebra
- Erlangen: scientific visualization and image processing, high performance computing
The specializations offered reflect the research areas of each institution and their spear head competencies.
Learning outcomes and career possibilities
The COSSE-students will become very familiar with the tools of CSE, which includes:
- mathematical modeling techniques
- simulation techniques (discretizations, algorithms, data structures, software in CSE)
- analysis techniques (data mining, data management, visualization)
The students will become experts in the generic tools as applied to one of the specializations offered by the universities. Upon graduation from COSSE the students have acquired
- familiarity with selected scientific and engineering application areas and their mathematical models
- a knowledge base and skills ranging from formulation of a mathematical model to constructing software for high-performance computer architectures
- effective communication skills for interacting with the professional community as well as management and the society at large, on written and oral presentations
- a degree of independent and critical appraisal of the capability and limitations of, and results produced by, computational modeling.
As for career opportunities, a COSSE Master's degree opens several opportunities:
- to join the international research coomunity by continuing PhD-studies in CSE and science/engineering fields where simulation and high-performance computing is applied: fluid dynamics, electromagnetics, molecular physics, quantum chemistry, material science, chemical engineering, structural mechanics, biocomputing, and many more
- to employment in "end-user" high-tech industry and "provider companies", using and development tools for advanced computer simulation in pharmaceutical, automotive, materials, aeronautics, power generation, micro-electronics, etc. industry
- to start new innovative companies which are based on CSE expertise.
Workshop
A compulsory part of the programme is the joint workshop. After the beginning of the second semester (typically in February) students, scholars, and teachers of all partner universities will meet to advise students on their specialization and the elective courses, including possible topics for their Master's thesis. The workshop will include joint research and cultural activities and provide contacts to research departments in academia and industry. The hosting will alternate. After the workshop each student will have chosen a specialization and a host university for the second year of studies.
Degree Project
The degree project (master's thesis) comprises 30 ECTS credits, and is carried out in the second half of the second year of the programme.
Students are supervised and examined by faculty from both the home and the host university. Topics of degree projects are suggested at the work shop or by teachers at the home or host university. The project work may be performed in a research group at the institute or as a project in industry or consulting company. The result of the project is presented as a written report and in an oral seminar.
