r/ScientificComputing • u/AbhyuBoi • Apr 05 '26

Best path into computational science/scientific computing?

Hello all!

I finished my A-Levels last year and am a bit confused about what I should do a Bachelors in.

Would a bachelor's in Physics/Math/CS followed by a masters in scientific computing/computational science be better than doing a computational bachelors (like Computational and Data Science (KIT) or Computational Engineering Science (RWTH Aachen))?

I'm really interested in math and simulating physics, but I'm really not sure what path to take.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. what's the difference between computational science and scientific computing? Most sites online use them interchangeably so that adds to the confusion.

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u/SidYaj08 Apr 05 '26

I’m someone who’s doing computational fluid dynamics research in my PhD right now and most of my work is related to high-order numerical methods for PDEs.

As the other commenter said, there’s no single right path into the field. I did my undergrad in physics followed by the MPhil in Scientific Computing at Cambridge and that prepared me reasonably well for what I am doing now. That said, there are still holes in my knowledge. For example, I do not have any exposure to undergraduate fluid dynamics (or any formal class on the subject) and there are times I wish I did.

I think the best path for you is one which has a strong mathematical preparation especially subjects like linear algebra, multivariable and vector calculus, and differential equations, some computer programming experience, as well as some classes on numerical methods. This should be alongside a field of study you are interested in. It could be physics, applied math, aerospace engineering, or some other quantitative field. It could also be a dedicated computational science and engineering bachelor’s like ETH Zurich has (I’m not sure if the RWTH program is similar). For your master’s, provided you have done enough relevant classes, doors to programs like TUM’s CSE and other similar programs will be open.

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u/AcousticMaths271828 Apr 05 '26

Hey, can I ask how you found the MPhil in scientific computing? I'm doing my undergrad at Cambridge right now and it's one of the options I'm considering afterwards if I decide I don't want to do the masters for my course.

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u/SidYaj08 Apr 05 '26

Sure you can DM me