Mathematics - PHD at Ohio University

This is a full-time program. Normative time to completion is five academic years if students have MS degree from elsewhere or six years from starting our MS program. The Ph.D. in mathematics is intended for students who wish to advance mathematical knowledge itself, apply such knowledge to problems confronting society and science, and educate others in mathematical methods and ways of thinking. The Mathematics Department offers students the possibility of designing study plans to meet their individual goals and interests. In particular, we offer a broad spectrum of possible research areas for our Ph.D. students, including algebra, analysis, coding theory, computational harmonic analysis, partial and ordinary differential equations, dynamical systems, financial mathematics, mathematical biology, numerical analysis, optimal control theory, set theory, statistics, stochastic processes, and topology.

The first phase in doctoral education in Mathematics is to understand a few subjects deeply and a range of subjects in less detail. Our program accomplishes this through a system of courses and written examinations. An exceptionally well-prepared student can attempt the examinations early and spend relatively little time doing coursework.

The second phase is to become the expert on a specific problem and produce new mathematical results on it suitable for a dissertation. In our program this phase is done one-on-one with a faculty advisor or in a small research group. The dissertation is a scholarly work demonstrating the ability to understand, organize, improve, and present mathematical ideas of outstanding importance, depth, or interest. It must include original mathematical research and be worthy of publication.

Most doctoral students are trained and financially supported as teaching assistants and have the opportunity to teach classes as the primary instructor.