The educational mission of the Department of Scientific Computing is to provide innovative, interdisciplinary graduate training programs in scientific computing and its applications. Since computational science lies at the intersection of applied mathematics, applied science and computer science, the department has the unique ability to offer coursework and research opportunities in topic areas that cut across disciplines. These include areas such as scientific visualization, multi-scale analysis, grid generation, data analysis, and applied mathematics. The graduate programs in the department are designed to train students to work in interdisciplinary environments where topic areas and techniques undergo constant evolution.

Unlike the faculty of a typical department whose research interests lie solely within a single discipline, the faculty of SC includes members from several departments - Biological Science, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, Geological Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics - and from the School of Engineering. In addition, two of the SC faculty members hold a prestigious Francis Eppes professorship, named after the grandson of President Thomas Jefferson who played a vital role in convincing the Florida Legislature to locate FSU's institutional predecessor in Tallahassee. These professorships are only given to a handful of professors who are ranked at the very top of their field. Another faculty member holds an Eminent Scholar Chair in Supercomputing.

We currently offer a Ph.D. in computational science and a Master's program in computational science with a track that fullfills the requirements for a Professional Science Master's degree (PSM). The PSM is a terminal Master's degree geared towards students interested in an industrial or laboratory setting.

In addition to its own degree programs, the Department of Scientific Computing contributes heavily to the university's educational mission by providing computational resources and office space for more than thirty graduate and undergraduate research students from many departments across campus. These departments include Physics, Biological Science, Geological Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science. For most of these students, the School's computational and visualization facilities and interdisciplinary environment are essential for the success of their research.