Graduate Studies
Message from Thomas Hillen, Graduate Chair
Welcome to the graduate programs of the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Alberta.
The Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences is one of the leading mathematical and statistical research departments in Canada.
It is an excellent place to pursue your graduate studies in most areas of Pure and Applied Mathematics and Statistics. Historically, the department was known for its strength in pure Mathematics, Analysis and Algebra. These strengths were further developed into one of the leading groups of modern algebra, number theory, algebraic topology, geometry and functional analysis. In parallel, we developed areas such as Fluid Dynamics, Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Physics, Statistics, Financial Mathematics, and Scientific Computation. Many international leaders in these fields are faculty in our department and our research groups are internationally well known and respected. See our research areas for more detail.
We are proud of our graduate education and it is a clear priority in our work. We treat our students well and nominate them for scholarships and awards. The financial funding is comparable with any other Canadian University. Compared the places such as Toronto or Vancouver, the costs of living in Edmonton are significantly lower, hence with the same funding you are better off in Edmonton. See the funding page for more details.
Most of our faculty are internationally well connected and we support our graduate students so that they can participate in international summer schools and conferences. Some of those are organized in our department.
Our mission in graduate education is to educate competent, critical and creative leaders in their field. After graduation you will
- be competent in your area of expertise. You will be an expert in your area and your expertise will open doors to exciting employment.
- be critical of your ideas and the ideas of others. You will find out that not everything you read or hear can be trusted - even in mathematics.
- be creative and know how to develop new theories, new methods, new models, and/or solve hard problems.
If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree in the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, visit the Prospective Students page for more info on programs and admission.
... and visit the page of the graduate chair for more in depth discussions on teaching philosophy, life as a graduate student and employment perspectives. " (Thomas Hillen, Graduate Chair)
Graduate programs
Our graduate programs consist of the following programs:
|
Degree Program |
Research Area |
PhD |
MSc Thesis Based |
MSc Course Based |
Mathematics (Including: Algebra, Classical and Functional Analysis, Geometry, Probability, Topology) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Applied Math (Including: Differential Equations, Dynamical Systems, Fluid Dynamics, Mathematical Biology, Scientific Computing) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Math Finance |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Math Physics |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Statistics |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes, one-year program |
Biostatistics |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Statistical Machine Learning |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Length of programs
The PhD programs are typically completed in five years, the maximum time is six years. MSc programs are typically completed in two years (maximum 4 years), with the exception of the course based Statistics program, which is typically completed in one year (maximum 4 years).
Details about all the programs, requirements, courses and exams can be found on our graduate guidelines.
Much helpful information is given on the websites of FGSR (Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research).