COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AND QUANTITATIVE WORLD MODELING PATHWAY (CSM)

The CSM pathway introduces students to modeling techniques and provides students with a solid foundation in the quantitative simulation, evaluation and prediction of natural and social phenomena such as the collision of galaxies, protein folding and the behavior of markets. Its principal pedagogical and intellectual goal is to make students aware of the power of the quantitative, algorithmic method for understanding the world. The idea is to provide a course of undergraduate studies which imparts sufficient general knowledge, intellectual depth and experience with quantitative reasoning and modeling techniques for students to be comfortable and proficient in incorporating this intellectual experience for a better understanding and more control of the natural and social worlds. Students can use this experience as an enrichment of their major and liberal education, or as a stepping stone to pursue, if desired, a more intensive specialization in any of Wesleyan's quantitative reasoning departments.

The pathway requires an introductory physics course (PHYS 113 or 116); an introductory computer science course (COMP 112 or 211; COMP 114 or COMP 115); one of the following courses: computer science II (COMP 212), computer structure and operation (COMP 331), algorithms and complexitiy (COMP 312), or principles of databases (COMP 354); one upper-level introductory modeling course: modeling and data analysis: from molecules to markets (PHYS 221) or algorithms and clusters (PHYS 340); and one course from a list of approved computer science, economics, or science courses.

All courses for the CSM pathway should be taken for a grade (A-F). CSM course requirement details click here.