Letter from the CDS Chair
Welcome to the Computational and Data Sciences (CDS) website. For the past five years, CDS has been the fastest growing department in the College of Science at George Mason University. The employment opportunities are vast, and plenty of high-paying jobs are available to our graduates. Even during our lockdown years, some students are securing jobs in the Fall semester that will be ready for them when they graduate in the Spring.
George Mason University has excelled during these past two years in providing a safe environment for students and faculty. The following website displays updated data about the cases since the semester started. Mason is a community of 50,000 people, but the number of cases has been kept extremely low. This safe environment will be maintained as Mason returns more activity to campus. Mason is a safe place to be. https://www2.gmu.edu/campus-covid-19-data
CDS is one of a handful of departments in the world that offers the full gambit of degrees in computational and data sciences: BS (Bachelor of Science), CERT (Graduate Certificate), MS (Masters), PhD-CSI (PhD in Computational Sciences and Informatics), and PhD-CSS (PhD in Computational Social Science). These programs explore the fields of computational science which focuses on modeling and simulation, data science which deals with large data manipulation and analysis, and computational social science which is a unique field studying interactions of humans and their environment.
The CDS department also offers a BAM (Bachelors and Accelerated Masters) which is designed for a student to earn both BS and MS degrees in five years.
CDS is a young department and expanding into many ventures. Graduate research remains strong, and undergraduate research is now emerging. Undergraduate students are also participating in departmental clubs and datathons. Recent successes are shown at https://science.gmu.edu/news/mason-team-wins-prize-virtual-virginia-datathon
2021 marks the beginning of the CDS BS program on the Mason-Korea campus. This unique program will allow students to study on the Korean campus for three years and then finish their studies on the Fairfax campus. https://masonkorea.gmu.edu/programs/sc-bs-cds
Students interested in this program are encouraged to examine our web pages. Spend a moment learning about the faculty and their research domains. If this type of science spurs interest, then feel free to contact the department to learn more about the programs being offered. https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/computational-data-sciences
CDS is a fast-growing department in a burgeoning field. However, there is room for you.
I hope to see you soon – in person! Until then, stay safe and healthy.
Jason M. Kinser, D.Sc.
Chair, Computational and Data Sciences Department
