Frequently Asked Questions
Please see below for frequently asked questions related to the Computational Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (CIGP). For questions not found below, please email cigp@purdue.edu.
Computational Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs (CIGP) offers specializations in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) and Computational Life Sciences (CLS) for graduate students in participating departments across the Colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, Health and Human Sciences, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology. CSE and CLS have their own set of courses to choose from in order to enhance your Science and Engineering research or your Life Science research. However, both CSE and CLS do come together for a CIGP seminar course where students have an opportunity to hear new ideas and share interests in computational research.
CIGP is not a degree-granting department; rather, it is a concentration you may earn on your official transcript upon graduation. Your Masters or PhD will be awarded by your degree-granting department. On your transcript, your associated CIGP track will be listed as a concentration. Your degree-granting department is the deciding factor on if you finish with a concentration in either Computational Science (CMSI), Computational Engineering (CMEN), or Computational Life Sciences (CMLS).
Engineering students will have Computational Engineering as their concentration, Science students will receive Computational Science, and students completing the Life Science path will receive a Computational Life Sciences concentration.
This program is a concentration, not a degree-granting department or certificate program. Therefore, there is no additional diploma or certificate provided once you complete the program; rather, CIGP is a concentration that will appear on your official transcript. You may also provide information on your resume or CV regarding the additional courses and objectives required in order to obtain this concentration.
The overall curriculum is the same in the sense that both tracks must take a certain amount of Core Courses, Relevant Courses, and Seminar Courses. The difference lies in the type of courses you will be choosing from. CSE courses are going to be geared towards Science and Engineering research, while CLS will be geared more towards Life Sciences. The similar factors will be the computational aspect of the courses. Both CSE and CLS meet together for CIGP Seminar, where students have the opportunity to share their research with other CIGP students and listen to guest speakers from around campus.
Since CIGP is not a degree-granting Department, students must already be admitted to a Purdue University Department. You may visit our affiliated faculty pages to find a list of affiliated departments and their faculty for both CSE and CLS. Both Masters and PhD students may apply to CIGP after their admissions to their degree-granting department is accepted. Applications are reviewed twice a year, in March and October.