Would you like to confront a tornado in virtual reality and predict its path of destruction? Or understand the behaviour of financial markets? What if you could simulate the outcome of a surgical procedure before it is used on a patient? Or predict how a crowd would behave in the event of a disaster?
What is Computational Science?
Computational Science seeks to explain the complex world we live in using technological simulations. By collecting data and creating computer models, computational scientists can make predictions on varying problems such as how to influence the flow of traffic, how an epidemic will spread or the probability of individuals in society becoming addicted to drugs. The curriculum relies heavily on algorithmic-driven procedures (step-by-step procedure for solving a problem in a limited number of steps), but also involves lots of mathematics and logic. Students will learn to apply this knowledge to different research areas in the natural sciences.
In the Master's you will learn:
- to build computational models from real-life observations;
- to develop skills in turning these models into computational structures and perform large-scale simulations;
- theory that gives you a firm basis for the analysis of complex simulations;
- to analyse the results of your simulations in a virtual laboratory using advanced numerical algorithms;
- to control the power of the largest supercomputers.
To achieve these goals, you will have access to some of the most advanced computing, networking, storage and visualization facilities in the world. When completing the programme, you graduate in one of the many domains Computational Science has to offer, such as Computational Finance, Computational Biology, Numerical Mathematics or Complex Networks.
Joint degree programme with VU Amsterdam
Computational Science is a joint degree programme of the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Courses are taught at locations of both universities. UvA and VU jointly issue a degree certificate to graduates. As a Computational Science student in Amsterdam you benefit from expertise, networks and research projects at both universities and affiliated research institutes.
