Skip to Main Navigation
The University of Texas at Dallas
Graduate Admissions

Department of Mathematical Sciences

http://www.utdallas.edu/nsm/math/

Faculty

Professors: Larry P. Ammann, Michael Baron, Sam Efromovich, Matthew J. Goeckner, M. Ali Hooshyar, Wieslaw Krawcewicz, Patrick L. Odell (Emeritus), Istvan Ozsvath, Viswanath Ramakrishna, Ivor Robinson (Emeritus), Robert Serfling, Janos Turi, John W. Van Ness (Emeritus)
Associate Professors: Zalman I. Balanov, Pankaj Choudhary, Mieczyslaw Dabkowski
Assistant Professors: Yan Cao, Tobias Hagge, Qiongxia Song
Clinical Associate Professor: Natalia Humphreys
Research Assistant Professor:
Qingwen Hu
Senior Lecturers III: David L Lewis, Paul Stanford, Bentley T Garrett,
Senior Lecturers II: Manjula Foley, Yuly Koshevnik, Joanna Robinson, William Monte Scott
Senior Lecturers I: Mohammad Akbar, Diana Cogan, Malgorzata Dabkowska, Anatoly Eydelzon, Brady McCary, Jigarkumar Patel, Michael Tseng
Adjunct Professors: Jose Carlos Gomez Larranage, Adolfo Sanchez Valenzuela
Affiliated Faculty: Herve Abdi (BBS), Raimund J. Ober (EE), Alain Bensoussan (SOM), Titu Andreescu (SME), John Wiorkowski (SOM)

Objectives

The Mathematical Sciences Department at The University of Texas at Dallas offers graduate study in five specializations: Applied Mathematics, Engineering Mathematics, Mathematics, Statistics, and an interdisciplinary degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. The degree programs offer students the opportunity to prepare for careers in these disciplines themselves or in any of the many other fields for which these disciplines are such indispensable tools. As other sciences develop, problems which require the use of these tools are numerous and pressing.

In addition to a wide range of courses in mathematics and statistics, the Mathematical Sciences Department offers a unique selection of courses that consider mathematical and computational aspects of engineering, biology and other scientific problems.

The Master of Science degree programs are designed for persons seeking specializations in Applied Mathematics, Engineering Mathematics, Mathematics, Statistics, or Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.

The Master of Science degree is available also for those who plan to teach Mathematics or Statistics above the remedial level at a community college or at a college or university. The Master of Science degree is recommended as a minimum, since an earned doctorate is sometimes required.

For information concerning the Master of Arts in Teaching in Mathematics Education, designed for persons who are teaching in grades 6-12, see the Science and Mathematics Education section.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree programs cover two basic areas of concentration: Statistics and Applied Mathematics. They are designed for those who plan to pursue academic, government, financial, actuarial, or industrial careers.

Facilities

The faculty, staff and students have access to a large network of workstations and servers on campus.

Admission Requirements

The University’s general admission requirements are discussed here.

Specific additional admission requirements for students in degree programs in the Department of Mathematical Sciences follow. Students lacking undergraduate prerequisites for graduate courses in their area must complete these prerequisites or receive approval from the graduate advisor and the course instructor before registering.

One of the components of a student’s academic history which is evaluated when the student is seeking admission to the graduate program is his/her performance on certain standardized tests. Since these tests are designed to indicate only the student’s potential for graduate study, they are used in conjunction with other measures of student proficiency (such as GPA, etc.) in determining the admission status of a potential graduate student. Accordingly, there is no rigid minimum cut–off score for admission to the program. Most applicants admitted to either the MS or PhD programs have GRE scores of at least 400 verbal, 700 quantitative, and 1200 combined. However, exceptions are made in some cases when other credentials are especially strong. Higher standards prevail for applicants seeking Teaching Assistantships.

Degree Requirements

Master of Science

The University’s general degree requirements are discussed here.

Students seeking a Master of Science in Mathematics must complete a total of 12 three–credit hour courses. In some cases, credit for 3 hours is approved for good mathematics background. The student may choose a thesis plan or a non-thesis plan. In the thesis plan, the thesis replaces two elective courses with completion of an approved thesis (six thesis hours). The thesis is directed by a Supervising Professor and must be approved by the Head of the Mathematical Sciences Department.

Each student must earn a 3.0 minimum GPA in the courses listed for the student’s program.

Applied Mathematics Specialization

MATH 5301-5302 Elementary Analysis I and II (or equivalent)
MATH 6303 Theory of Complex Functions
MATH 6313 Numerical Analysis
MATH 6315 Ordinary Differential Equations
MATH 6318 Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations
MATH 6319-6320 Principles and Techniques in Applied Mathematics I and II
MATH 6308 Inverse Problems and their Applications
MATH 6321 Optimization
Plus two guided electives.

Engineering Mathematics Specialization

MATH 5301-5302 Elementary Analysis I and II (or equivalent)
MATH 6303 Theory of Complex Functions
MATH 6313 Numerical Analysis
MATH 6315 Ordinary Differential Equations
MATH 6318 Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations
MATH 6319-6320 Principles and Techniques in Applied Mathematics I and II
MATH 6331 Systems, Signals and Control
MATH 6305 Mathematics of Signal Processing
plus two guided electives.

Mathematics Specialization

MATH 5301-5302 Elementary Analysis I and II (or equivalent)
MATH 6303 Theory of Complex Functions
MATH 6313 Numerical Analysis
MATH 6315 Ordinary Differential Equations
MATH 6318 Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations
MATH 6301 Real Analysis
MATH 6302 Real and Functional Analysis
MATH 6306 Topology and Geometry
MATH 6311 Abstract Algebra I
plus two guided electives.

Statistics Specialization

Students seeking a Master of Science in Mathematics with a specialization in Statistics must complete the following core courses:
STAT 6331 Statistical Inference I
STAT 6337-38 Statistical Methods I, II
STAT 6339 Linear Statistical Models
STAT 6341 Numerical Linear Algebra and Statistical Computing

One course from each of any two of the following sets of courses:
{STAT 6329, STAT 6343, STAT 7334} Stochastic Processes or Experimental Design or Nonparametric and Robust Statistical Methods
{STAT 6348, STAT 7331} Multivariate Analysis
{STAT 6347, STAT 7338} Time Series Analysis

Students must choose remaining courses as electives approved by the Graduate Advisor for Statistics. Up to two of the following prerequisite 5000-level courses may be counted as electives: MATH 5301, 5302, Elementary Analysis I, II and STAT 5351, 5352 Probability and Statistics I, II.

Other Requirements

Electives must be approved by the assigned graduate advisor. Typically, electives are 6000- and 7000-level Mathematics or Statistics courses. Courses from other disciplines may also be used upon approval. Substitutions for required courses may be made if approved by the assigned graduate advisor. Instructors may substitute stated prerequisites for students with equivalent experience.

Master of Science in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Master of Science in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BCBM) is offered jointly by the Departments of Mathematical Sciences and Molecular and Cell Biology. This program combines coursework from the disciplines of biology, computer science, and mathematics. The BCBM program seeks to answer the demand for a new breed of scientist that has fundamental understanding in the fields of biology, mathematics, statistics, and computer science. With this interdisciplinary training, these scientists will be well prepared to meet the demand and challenges that have arisen and will continue to develop in the biotechnology arena.

Faculty from the Mathematical Sciences Department and the Molecular and Cell Biology Department participate in the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology program, with the Mathematical Sciences Department serving as the administrative unit. Both departments participate in advising students.

For the Master’s degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, beginning students are expected to have completed multivariate calculus, linear algebra, two semesters of general Chemistry, two semester of organic Chemistry, two semesters of general physics, programming in C/C++, and two semesters of biology. Students without the basic knowledge in one area will be required to take leveling courses.

Requirements for completing a degree in BCBM are:

Core courses:

BIO 5410 Biochemistry
BIO 5420 Molecular Biology
BIO 5381 Genomics
STAT 5351 Probability and Statistics I
STAT 5352 Probability and Statistics II
MATH 6341 Bioinformatics

Additional core courses for the Computational Biology track:
MATH 6313 Numerical Analysis
MATH 6343 Computational Biology
MATH 6345 Mathematical Methods in Medicine & Biology

Additional core courses for the Bioinformatics track:

CS 5333 Discrete Structures
CS 5343 Algorithms Analysis and Data Structures
CS 6360 Database Design

Elective: A minimum of 7 semester credit hours of elective, approved by the student’s advisor. Typically, electives are 6000- and 7000- level courses in mathematics, statistics, biology or computer science.
Courses from other disciplines may also be used upon approval.

Doctor of Philosophy

The University’s general degree requirements are discussed here.

Each Doctor of Philosophy degree program is tailored to the student. The student must arrange a course program with the guidance and approval of the graduate advisor. Adjustments can be made as the student’s interests develop and a specific dissertation topic is chosen. A minimum of 75 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree is required.

Applied Mathematics Specialization

MATH 6301 Real Analysis
MATH 6302 Real and Functional Analysis
MATH 6303 Theory of Complex Functions I
MATH 6306 Topology and Geometry
MATH 6311 Abstract Algebra I
MATH 6313 Numerical Analysis
MATH 6315 Ordinary Differential Equations
MATH 6316 Differential Equations
MATH 6318 Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations
MATH 6319-6320 Principles and Techniques in Applied Mathematics I and II
MATH 7313 Partial Differential and Integral Equations I
MATH 7319 Functional Analysis

Statistics Specialization

MATH 6301 Real Analysis  
STAT 6331- 6332 Statistical Inference I, II
STAT 6337- 6338 Statistical Methods I, II
STAT 6339 Linear Statistical Models
STAT 6344 Probability Theory I
STAT 7330 Decision Theory
STAT 7331 Multivariate Analysis
STAT 7334 Nonparametric Statistics
STAT 7338 Time Series Modeling and Filtering
STAT 7345 Stochastic Processes

Electives and Dissertation

An additional 18-24 credit hours for Applied Math and 18-24 credit hours for Statistics designed for the student’s area of specialization are taken as electives in a degree plan designed by the student and the Graduate Advisor. This plan is subject to approval by the Department Head. After completion of the first 3 or 4 academic semesters of the course program, the student must pass a Ph.D. Qualifying Examination in order to continue on to the research and dissertation phase of the Ph.D. program.
Finally, a dissertation is required and must be approved by the graduate program. Areas of specialization include, for example:

·      Applied Mathematics: applied analysis, biomathematics, differential equations, relativity, scattering theory, systems theory, signal processing.

·    Statistics: statistical inference, applied statistics, biostatistics, statistical computing, probability, stochastic processes,, time series analysis, multivariate analysis, nonparametric and robust statistics, asymptotic theory.

Other specializations are possible, including interdisciplinary topics. There must be available a dissertation research advisor or group of dissertation advisors willing to supervise and guide the student. A dissertation Supervising Committee should be formed in accordance with the UT Dallas policy memorandum (87-III.25-48). The dissertation may be in Applied Mathematics or in Statistics exclusively, or it may include considerable work in an area of application.

Research

Within the Mathematical Sciences Department opportunities exist for work and/or research in Applied Mathematics, Engineering Mathematics, Mathematics, and Statistics. The opportunity to take course work in several of the other university programs also allows the student to prepare for interdisciplinary work. Such coursework must be approved by the assigned graduate advisor.

Special topics within the Applied Mathematics research area include functional analysis, operator theory, differential and integral equations, optimization, numerical analysis, system theory and control with application in material and molecular sciences, inverse problems with applications in geosciences and medical sciences, relativistic cosmology, differential geometry, applications of topology to biology, mathematical logic, quantum computation and mathematical and computational biology with applications in cardiovascular physiology, neurobiology and cell biology.

Special topics within the Statistics research area include: probability theory, applied probability, stochastic processes, mathematical statistics, statistical inference, asymptotic theory, time series analysis, Bayesian analysis, robust multivariate statistical methods, robust linear models, robust and nonparametric methods, nonparametic curve estimation, sequential analysis, statistical computing, remote sensing, change-point problems, and spatial statistics

For a complete list of faculty and their areas of research, visit the website www.utdallas.edu/nsm/math/faculty .

 

Last Updated: February 3, 2014