Are people students and faculty happy and productive there? Go visit, go to conferences and talk to people, read webpages, etc. There are rankings of math PhD programs out there, but more important to your success is finding an adviser who you will work well with and a community that will support you and help you start your career.
Way more so than choosing an undergraduate institution, picking a PhD program is a complex matching program, with optimality being a function of place, resources, personalities, connections, etc.
GREs Though many schools have recently transitioned away from requiring suject-specific standardized exams, some schools do still require that you take Graduate Record Examinations GREs , both the general and subject tests.
These are basically the graduate analog to the SATs. To do well particularly on the subject test , you'll actually need to study, and perhaps take them more than once, so plan ahead. Different schools weight them differently in their assessment processes—some use them as hard cut-offs, some just use them as part of the bigger picture.
When they're an optional part of your package, if you do well, they can help offset any negative irregularieties that you might have elsewhere in your record. The general GREs are being offered all the time, and can be scheduled online.
The subject tests only happen a couple of times a year September, October, and April at the time this is written—see Registration, Test Centers, and Dates for current information , and require planning significantly ahead of time.
And while it's important not to mess up the general GRE too badly, the subject test is often the one that is more important to your application. Consider organizing a study group—get together every week or two, pick a subject area, and work problems together. Sign up for the next subject test now to give yourself a hard deadline and also so you don't forget to do it later. Professor Daugherty's advice for Applying to PhD Programs in Mathematics This page has been compiled, with help, by Professor Zajj Daugherty at the City College of New York , geared towards undergraduate and masters students who are considering applying to PhD programs in mathematics.
Some of the advice and resources are specifically for CCNY students, but my hope is that most of it will be helpful to anyone considering pursuing advanced degrees in math. See your local math department for more internal resources for preparing for and applying to PhD programs.
How good is good enough? Keep in mind that the majority of people taking the math subject test are other prospective mathematicians. While a few more points might make a difference especially if other parts of your application are weak or unknown , a 50th percentile score on the math subject test is average amongst math PhD hopefuls , a very different scale than average amongst all PhD hopefuls like the general GRE.
As you start to make a list of programs to which you might apply, read their applications process page for any information on how they use GREs. If that information isn't there, you can email a couple of schools whoever is listed as the math department contact for the graduate admission process to ask what their expectations are with respect to GRE scores.
If you do this, as always, be formal, polite, clear, and brief. Occasionally , an institution will require some permanent US residents or citizens to complete the TOEFL as well, so read the requirements for applications far ahead of time, and plan ahead if needed.
Letters of recommendation In general, you'll need about 3 letters of recommendation. These should come from professors who best know your recent work. If you've done any independent studies or research work in the last couple of years, your mentor there is a great choice.
If you've recently done well in an advanced course, and you're pretty sure your professor knew your name, that's another good choice. Your high school math teacher, your calculus professor, or your close relative who has an advanced degree are all poor choices.
Professors who only know you from Fall semester might be ok, but aren't necessarily the best choice since they won't have time to really get to know your work before letters are due. And though there might be special cases, letters from active researchers with permanent positions tend to carry more weight than temporary adjunct faculty.
When requesting letters of recommendation, keep in mind that your professors are probably writing a lot of letters—for PhD programs, fellowships, postdocs, tenure reviews, etc. This means two things: First, don't be afraid to ask, since this is something that they do a lot—they might say no, or that they won't be the best choice for you, but it won't hurt to ask.
Second, if they agree to write for you, be really respectful of your professors' time and provide them with all the resources and information that will help them to write that letter.
They're probably swamped with lots of other tasks, in particular lots of other letters to write and frankly, it's hard to write 20 personalized letters in a single application season without some help from you.
Another word on asking: if a faculty member declines to write a letter or shows reluctance, that is a bad sign.
All letters will be submitted directly to the institution—you will not be able to vet them ahead of time. So don't prod a reluctant letter writer; just find someone else.
Potentially set up a meeting to discuss the process with them. Be polite, respectful, organized, and efficient. For example, here is the list of information that I require from anyone for whom I write letters. If it's not in, don't be alarmed—professors run on very busy schedules, and it might just be slated as a task for close to the due date.
Send a brief, gentle, non-accusatory reminder that the first application deadline is coming up to make sure the task hasn't gotten lost in the shuffle. You can find more information on these funding sources here: DiscoverPhDs funding guide. A doctorate in Mathematics not only demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning, but it also provides you with highly marketable skills. A sample of these skills is listed below.
One of the greatest benefits maths PostDocs will have is the ability to pursue a wide range of career paths. This is because all sciences are built on core principles which, to varying extents, are supported by the core principles of mathematics. Although not extensive by any means, the most common career paths Math PostDocs take are listed below:.
Some typical employers are:. The above is only a small selection of employers. In reality, mathematic PostDocs can work in almost any industry, assuming the role is numerical-based or data-driven.
As a mathematics PhD PostDoc, your earning potential will mostly depend on your chosen career path. However, if you pursue one of the below paths or enter their respective industry, you can roughly expect to earn [3] :. Again, we stress that the above are indicative values only. Actual salaries will depend on the specific organisation and position and responsibilities of the individual. The below chart provides useful insight into the destination of Math PostDocs after completing their PhD.
The most popular career paths from other of highest to lowest is education, information and communication, finance and scientific research, manufacturing and government. Alan Turing was a British Mathematician, WW2 code-breaker and arguably the father of computer science. To this day, Turning pioneering works continues to play a fundamental role in shaping the development of artificial intelligence AI.
Ruth Lawrence is a famous British—Israeli Mathematician well known within the academic community. Her work focused on algebraic topology and knot theory; you can read her interesting collection of research papers here.
Among her many contributions to Maths, her most notable include the representation of the braid groups, more formally known as Lawrence—Krammer representations. Her research has significantly contributed to both abstract algebra and theoretical physics. It contains a wide range of useful information, from the benefits of further education in Maths to details on grants and upcoming events.
Maths Careers — Math Careers is a site associated with IMA that provides a wide range of advice to mathematicians of all ages.
It has a section dedicated to undergraduates and graduates and contains a handful of information about progressing into research. Student Interviews — Still wondering whether a PhD is for you? If so, our collection of PhD interviews would be a great place to get an insider perspective.
Please contact the Director for Instructional Support and Coordination for more information about course selection requests. Students who have completed their Master's degree in Mathematics may often be ready to take the Preliminary Examination without further course study. Preliminary Examinations are three-hour, closed book written examinations that are given in each of the topics listed below.
The questions in the examination emphasize problem solving skills and mathematical ability as opposed to rote memorization.
Students who receive support from the Department of Mathematics are expected to pass the Preliminary Examination according to the rules below. For non-supported students, the University rules apply. All students are supposed to pass three Preliminary Examinations before the beginning of their third year in the Ph.
Students must pass three Preliminary Examinations from the different topic groups listed below.
0コメント