PhD in Applied Mathematics Florida Institute of Technology

Graduates with a master’s in applied mathematics can expand their subject matter expertise by choosing a Ph.D. in applied mathematics at Florida Tech. As one of only 30 applied for mathematics programs in the United States, Florida Tech’s doctoral program offers several specializations in the field, including nonlinear analysis, stochastic analysis, optimization, numerical analysis, scientific computing, and statistics.

A Degree with Real Flexibility

In addition to the areas of specialization, Florida Tech provides additional flexibility in its Ph.D. in applied mathematics program, allowing doctoral students to design a curriculum that fits their specific research interests and career goals. As a national research university, Florida Tech is committed to providing students with a variety of applied mathematics research experiences, opening up careers in a wide range of industries.

Small Classes — World-Renowned Faculty

Students in the Ph.D. in the applied mathematics program at Florida Tech work closely with professors and fellow students. A small faculty-to-student ratio creates a close-knit academic community that is often impossible at larger universities. Professors in the math department have doctoral degrees in applied and computational mathematics and statistics. Professors—not graduate students—teach all courses, supervise student research projects, and conduct their own meaningful research studies that are often open for student collaboration.

Advanced Research Opportunities

As in any doctoral program, research is the core of the academic program. The Ph.D. in applied mathematics program explores many applied mathematics topics. Research is conducted in areas of science, engineering, medicine, and business through interdisciplinary teams, as well as in the areas of concentration needed for the doctoral degree program. Students take part in research projects such as dynamical systems and chaos theory, stem cell research, computational number theory, optimal control, inverse problems, and antagonistic stochastic games, to name a few.

Great Location

Many doctoral students in the Ph.D. in applied mathematics program are working professionals living in close proximity to the campus in Melbourne, Florida. The university is also a top pick among students around the world for its location within the Florida High Tech Corridor—home to more than 5,000 high-tech companies and the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the nation.

Curriculum

The doctoral program in applied mathematics requires a minimum of 72 semester credit hours after the bachelor’s degree or 42 semester credit hours after the master’s degree.

Each doctoral student must:

1. Complete an approved program of study.
2. Pass a comprehensive examination.
3. Successfully defend a research proposal and file a petition for admission to candidacy.
4. Complete a program of significant original research and present it at the graduate seminar and/or at a professional conference.
5. Prepare and successfully defend a dissertation.

Candidates must submit a manuscript to a refereed journal and are expected to publish major portions of the dissertation in refereed national or international journals or at a peer-reviewed major conference.

Required Coursework

Students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree are required to successfully complete a minimum of 48 semester credit hours of coursework equivalent to 16 5000-level or above courses, ten of which must include the named courses required for the master’s degree in applied mathematics.

Students entering the program with a master’s degree are required to successfully complete a minimum of 18 semester credit hours of coursework equivalent to six 5000-level or above mathematics courses on-site at the Melbourne campus.

Additional coursework in mathematics or a related field might be recommended in order to ensure the student has satisfactory knowledge for research. The academic advisor assists the student in any program plan revisions, which also require department head approval.

Comprehensive Examination

A comprehensive examination committee is appointed by the student’s advisor with the approval of the department head. The committee must include three faculty members from the Department of Mathematical Sciences including the student’s doctoral advisor and one graduate faculty member from another academic unit.

The student must pass a comprehensive examination after the successful completion of all coursework. The examination is written, comprising three parts: analysis, differential equations, and computational mathematics. The subject areas must be approved by the student’s advisor.

A passing score on the comprehensive examination is 80 percent. A student who scores between 70-79 percent on any one part is given a follow-up oral examination conducted by the committee. A written re-test is given for a score of less than 70 percent.

Once the comprehensive examination is successfully passed, the comprehensive examination committee is dissolved and the dissertation committee is formed.

Dissertation Research

The dissertation committee may be different from the comprehensive examination committee with the exception of the student’s advisor and is based on Graduate Policy 2.3.2 Changes in Committee.

The doctoral program requires the completion of a minimum of 24 semester credit hours of research under the supervision of the student’s advisor. At least 15 semester credit hours of dissertation research are required beginning with the term the student is admitted to candidacy.

The graduate policies pertaining to the requirements for the dissertation defense are found here. Before graduation, the student must present their dissertation research at the Graduate Student Seminar hosted by the Department of Mathematical Sciences, or at a professional conference. In addition, each candidate is required to submit a manuscript to a refereed journal and is expected to publish major portions of the dissertation in refereed national or international journals or a peer-reviewed major conference.

Careers

Graduates with a Ph.D. in applied mathematics work in a variety of fields ranging from engineering and science to medicine and economics. Some examples of organizations, corporations, and research institutes that hire mathematicians include government labs, electronics and computer manufacturers, medical device companies, and financial services firms.