The aim of the doctoral program is to provide comprehensive knowledge of existing theory and how it applies to problems in science and engineering along with the opportunity to extend the world’s knowledge significantly beyond those bounds. A student seeking a Doctor of Philosophy degree should have a Master’s degree in mathematics, statistics, science, or engineering. Being an applied program, particular emphasis is placed on educating students to recognize the relevance of analytical and numerical methods to the solution of specific problems and to enable them to develop new methods when they are needed.

The education aims to produce an applied mathematician or applied statistician with the ability to develop new theoretical results and apply them as the need arises. Central to this goal is the research part of the program. Both the ability to conduct the research successfully and to report it in a coherent and fully documented dissertation is essential to the program. The program is kept sufficiently flexible, however, to permit students to develop their own specific interests.