Ph.D. in Applied Math or Mathematics

​The Ph.D. in math/applied math is a degree involving the extended study of a topic drawn from the research interests of department faculty: Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, Mathematical Medicine & Biology, Numerical Analysis & Scientific Computing, Probability & Stochastic Methods, and Scattering & Inverse Scattering. PhD graduates often find research careers in Technology, Finance, and Academia. A key requirement is the writing and defense of a dissertation. 

Contact information for the program: Pak-Wing Fok (pakwing@udel.edu)​

An outline of the degree requirements for the Ph.D. is as follows.

• Meet the coursework requirement
• Pass the Preliminary Examination requirement
• Pass the Candidacy Examination
• Complete two semesters of experience in teaching undergraduate students, either as a teaching assistant or as an instructor of record.
• Complete 9 credits of MATH 969 (Doctoral Dissertation)
• Complete and successfully defend a dissertation

Only the coursework requirement is described below. The policy document provides more information about the remaining requirements.

There are two options for the coursework requirement: standard and accelerated.

Standard requirement

Students must complete 48 credits which can come from the following sources:

1. Any 600 level MATH course up to a maximum of 27 credits

2. Any 800 level MATH course

3. MATH 868 (“Research") and MATH 870 (“Reading"), up to a maximum of 12 credits combined

4. Any 600 or 800 level non-MATH courses, up to a maximum of 6 credits.

These coursework requirements are a superset of those for the Master's degree which requires 30 credits. An M. S. degree is awarded once the requirements for it have been met.

Accelerated requirement

To qualify for the accelerated coursework requirement, the student must successfully complete the first tier of the Preliminary Requirement before the start of the first semester (that is, by passing all required exams on the first possible date). Such an attempt at the exams counts as one of the student's regular allowed attempts. Additionally, the student must complete the second tier before the start of the third semester.

The accelerated course requirement is 30 credits, which can come from the following sources:

1. Any 600 level MATH course up to a maximum of 9 credits except for MATH 600 and MATH 672. These two courses may not count towards the coursework requirement.

2. Any 800 level MATH course

3. MATH 868 (“Research") and MATH 870 (“Reading"), up to a maximum of 12 credits combined

4. Any 600 or 800 level non-MATH courses, up to a maximum of 3 credits.

Regardless of which track is taken, credit hours for which the grade is below C-minus do not count toward a graduate degree.​

​Ph.D.Admission to the Ph.D. programs in Applied Mathematics and Mathematics is open to students who have completed the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree in mathematics or related fields and who have sound preparation in linear algebra and advanced calculus. On a 4.0 system, applicants should have a GPA of at least 2.5 and an average of at least 3.0 in mathematics and related areas. Applicants who have completed an advanced degree must have done so with a GPA of at least 3.0. In addition, applicants must take the GRE General Test and one GRE Subject Test. It is not required that the GRE Subject Test be in mathematics.

To be eligible for admission, students from a country where English is not a primary language must demonstrate proficiency in English by meeting at least one of the following criteria:

• ​​Score at least 600 on the paper-based TOEFL exam.
• Score at least 100 on the TOEFL iBT, with a minimum score of 20 in each section.
• Score at least 7.5 on the IELTS with a minimum score of 6.0 in each subsection.​