Graduate Program Overview
The Department of Engineering Science and Applied Mathematics offers two graduate programs: an MS program and a PhD program. Qualified students with backgrounds in engineering, mathematics, or science are eligible for admission to either program.
Not all of our incoming graduate students have a BS in math. Many have degrees in engineering or science. The first-year courses are designed in such a way that a common applied math background is formed for all the students, regardless of their undergraduate background.
PhD Program
The PhD program is designed for students who want to pursue research in applied math at the highest level. The PhD program prepares students for independent research, emphasizes flexibility in adapting research areas to current opportunities, and is suitable for students interested in teaching at the university/college level, or those interested in PhD-level research at national and industrial laboratories or similar environments.
PhD students can obtain a master's degree after successful completion of the first year of the PhD program.
MS Program
The MS program is designed for students who want a background in basic applied math skills but are not necessarily interested in pursuing PhD studies. The MS program can be completed in three quarters of study and is suitable for students who intend to work in, for example, industrial environments where specialized PhD training is not required.
The degree is based on coursework. It may include a research project, but no thesis is required. The course requirements are flexible so that students can tailor their degree to fit with their professional goals.
Important: students who have a final goal of the PhD degree should apply for the PhD program, not the MS program. Qualified students who apply for the PhD program, but are not admitted, will be made an offer to enter the MS degree program as an alternative.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide fellowship support for students admitted into the MS degree program.
Faculty Research
The applied mathematics faculty is involved in research that utilizes a variety of mathematical methods associated with asymptotic analysis, bifurcation theory, graph theory, numerical analysis, optimal control, ordinary and partial differential equations, probability and statistics, singular perturbations, stability theory, and stochastic processess.
These methods are employed in the investigation of problems arising in biomechanics, combustion theory, diffusion processes, fluid mechanics, geophysics, interfacial phenomena, molecular biology, queueing theory, reactor theory, solid mechanics, statistical mechanics, transport theory, and wave phenomena.
About the Department
In the ESAM department, there are 13 full-time faculty members (plus several more who are affiliated with other departments but collaborate with us and advise applied math graduate students), three staff members, a number of postdocs, about 45 graduate students, and a number of applied math undergraduate majors.
Thus, we are a relatively small department. As a result, everybody knows everybody else very well. There is a positive, friendly atmosphere in the department. For example, PhD students, postdocs, and faculty all sit in the same hallway, which leads to communication and interaction on a daily basis.
