The Graduate Group in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science at the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 2007 by Charles L. Epstein, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Computational Mathematics. The Graduate Group in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science of the University of Pennsylvania offers a full graduate program in mathematics, conferring the degrees of Master of Arts (M.A.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). This program aims to provide well-rounded training for careers in research, teaching, or industrial work in which advanced mathematics, or large-scale computation is used effectively.
Graduate Study in Applied Math and Computational Science
The graduate group offers introductory courses in applied mathematics, with many courses on relevant subjects offered by other departments and graduate groups throughout the University. Doctoral students in AMCS typically work on interdisciplinary research projects drawn from image analysis, robotics, machine learning, mathematical biology, bioinformatics, and genomics, as well as more traditional applied math fields like materials science, fluid mechanics, numerical analysis, inverse scattering, finance, and condensed matter physics. A significant difference between Pure Mathematics and its applications is the central role now played by large-scale computation in Applied Math.
The AMCS Graduate Program is designed to help students transition from being an undergraduates to becoming a professional mathematician or computational scientist. The program is structured to guide each student through each year of their studies. During the first year, AMCS students at Penn typically take courses in applied algebra, applied analysis, probability and stochastic processes, and computational tools. Additionally, they are required to attend the AMCS colloquium, where renowned leaders present talks on the frontiers of Applied Math and Computational Science. By the end of the first year, students are expected to have chosen the general field in which they wish to pursue their dissertation research. In the second year, students take more specialized courses in mathematics, as well as courses relevant to the areas of empirical science connected to their research interests. Ph.D. students usually begin work on their thesis by the third year, while master’s students typically complete their thesis in the second year (thesis not required for master’s students). Students also attend seminars related to their research interests, which are offered in a broad range of topics and levels by departments and institutes throughout the University. All graduate students are required to have a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) to graduate.
The AMCS grad group office is located in David Rittenhouse Laboratory (DRL) 4W5, which it shares with the Departments of Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy. Facilities include the Mathematics Reading Room (with a non-circulating mathematical book collection, computers, including a lounge, the Math-Physics-Astronomy library (a circulating library of books and journals), and computer labs.