M.S. in Mathematics & Statistics
Georgetown University - Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Key Information
Campus location
Washington, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 semesters
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 2,139 / per credit *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* cost per credit for academic year 2019-2020.
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
The primary mission of the MS degree program in Mathematics and Statistics is to prepare students for professional careers in disciplines which make use of the mathematical and statistical sciences. The curriculum is intended for individuals who have strong backgrounds, but not necessarily baccalaureate degrees, in mathematics. It is the only such program in the greater DC area, and it culminates in an MS degree in Mathematics and Statistics.
The program derives its philosophy from government and industry organizations in the DC area and has placed graduates into government agencies, defense and financial firms and nonprofits. There is a steady demand for highly trained professionals in data analytics, applied mathematical and statistical modeling and cloud computing, and our students have proven to be exceptionally competitive in the job market. A thriving internship program in mathematical and statistical consulting helps to train and place students and graduates into exciting jobs and satisfying careers.
The degree requires 10 graduate courses and is built around a core of four applied mathematics and statistics courses consisting of probability, applied mathematics, mathematical statistics and numerical mathematics. The curriculum is filled out with math/stat electives, and every student is also encouraged to take a non-math/stat elective as well. Math/Stat electives include computational science (Matlab, SAS, R, and cloud introduction), regression analysis, stochastic processes, financial mathematics, time series, data mining, Bayesian statistics, linear programming, machine learning, data analytics, mathematics of climate, sparse sampling and representation, social network analysis, survey sampling, and cloud computing. Some examples of non-math/stat electives are Biostatistics, Computer Science, econometrics, public policy surveys and computational neuroscience.
From this rich and diverse curriculum, our students emerge with key practical skills in areas of national priority. In addition to the career-enabling aspects of the degree, our students also develop a love and appreciation for the beauty and excitement of the world of applied mathematics and statistics.
The program is open to both full time and part time students, the latter of whom are typically working professionals in the DC area who may take advantage of our evening classes to obtain relevant and up-to-date training. About 30-40% of students in the program are working professionals. These valued colleagues add diversity and seasoning to the student body, as well as key connections to the DC area workforce. The program actively facilitates robust networking within the program for all students and faculty.
Full-time students can expect to complete the program in three semesters plus one summer. Part-time students may take as many courses per semester, within reason, as their work and personal obligations permit. There are successful alumni who have finished in two years as part-timers, and others who have elected to take 10 consecutive semesters, including summers, to complete the 10 courses. Flexible graduate school rules allow this wide choice of options. However, unnecessary delays in completing the degree are not in the best interests of the students or the program, and so the nominal course load is required to be three completed courses per calendar year, consecutively and including summers.
The program enrolled its first class in the fall semester of 2006 and has grown to a stable and continuing size of about 100 students. Each fall semester we enroll roughly 30-35 new students, and there is an admission window for spring semesters as well, with an average of about 5-7 new students.
Several courses (but not all) in the curriculum are now using lecture capture technology whereby registered students may participate live (audio/video/chat) in classes from off-site using the Zoom teleconferencing software. The MP4 files of Zoom classes are also archived so that the class audio/video may be web streamed for class review by registered students. This option is part of the University Instructional Continuity program and is intended as a substitute for regular class attendance during emergency campus closings. Information on which classes plan to use Zoom may be obtained by contacting the graduate program.
Our graduates have advanced to these organizations: Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Federal Aviation Administration, Mitre Corporation, SAIC, Booz-Allen-Hamilton, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, Accenture Corp, US General Accounting Office, Anser Corp, SRA Inc, Northrup-Grumman, CSSI Inc, Schaefer Corp, KPMG, State Department, Watson-Wyatt, US Military, IMF, NASA, Elder Research, DecisionQ Corp, Mathematica Policy Research, Insight Policy Research, Strategic Management Systems, Promontory Group, Merrill-Lynch, Price-Waterhouse-Coopers, Bank of America, FolioFn, Deloitte, Institute for Defense Analysis, IBM, Rand Corp, Public Opinion Strategies, McKinsey Corp, Citi Bank, Houlihan-Lokey Corp, Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd, LS3 Technologies, Inc, Mitre Corp, Living Social, Blue Cross, civilian defense and security organizations, Advisory Board Company, Ernst-Young, FBI, CIA, actuarial companies, private financial and investment firms, independent consulting firms, Ph.D. programs, Georgetown Medical School, Rand Corp, Acumen Corp, Apogee Integration.
PREREQUISITES FOR APPLYING
To enter the program students need to have, at a minimum, the equivalent of a mathematics minor, which for our purposes means three semesters of calculus, culminating in multivariable calculus, plus linear algebra. Other courses in mathematics and statistics will strengthen an application. The minimum grade point average for admission is 3.0 (B average). Students who do not satisfy all of the prerequisites but have a strong academic record in a field that draws significantly from mathematics and statistics (eg, economics, engineering, biology, computational social sciences) may consider taking the prerequisite courses at their local area colleges and then applying. Applications from prospective students who are in the process of taking the last such prerequisite classes will be accepted and evaluated. It is important to understand that satisfying the prerequisites does not alone guarantee admission. Admission is competitive and is the result of a number of factors including academic record, letters of recommendation, breadth, and depth of academic background and experience, and strength of academic institutions attended.
Scholarships and Internships
Tuition at Georgetown is charged on a per credit basis; the rate is the same independent of the number of courses taken. Students must be enrolled in at least half-time status (4.5 credits) in order to be eligible for federal loans. Up to date information on tuition and financial aid can be found at http://finaid.georgetown.edu/cost-per-credit-by-program.
The Math/Stat program has a modest and highly competitive merit-based tuition-waiver scholarship program. The largest scholarships provide tuition waivers for one course for the first semester and potentially renewable in any subsequent semester. Full-time students have the highest priority, as part-time students are working and earning income as a general rule whereas most full-time students do not have earned income. Transfer or consortium courses (see Other Options above) will be treated as tuition-waived courses. The scholarship program can support fewer than 10% of students. Any applicant, international or otherwise, may apply for scholarship consideration by checking the appropriate box on the electronic application.
Full-time students are typically interested in finding internships in the summer after their first two semesters. Although internship positions can never be guaranteed, the program has been successful in placing students. It is important to keep in mind that internships are competitive and that good grades and strong resumes are factors in obtaining positions. A common paradigm is for full-time students to obtain internships in the summer after the first year (although internships in the regular semesters are also possible) and to continue the position into the fall of the second year. In some cases, the students then become part-time in the second year as they continue taking classes. Internships can potentially convert to opportunities for full-time employment. It is important to note that internships with the federal government and most of its contractors require US citizenship.
Admissions
Curriculum
THE DEGREE
Graduate degree requirements consist of 30 credits of graduate-level courses (usually 10 courses) and a minimum GPA of 3.0 to graduate. There is no thesis option. Course requirements are as follows:
CORE COURSES (REQUIRED)
- Math 501 Probability and Applications (fall semester only)
- Math 502 Deterministic Methods of Applied Mathematics (Both fall and spring semesters)
- Math 503 Mathematical Statistics (spring semester only)
- Math 504 Numerical Methods (Both fall and spring semesters)
SAMPLE OF MATH/STAT ELECTIVE COURSES (CHOOSE FIVE OR SIX)
- Math 401 Partial Differential Equations
- Math 412 Mathematics and Climate
- Math 426 Longitudinal Data Analysis
- Math 443 Applied Time Series Analysis
- Math 442 Mathematics of Social Network Analysis
- Math 443 Mathematical Concepts in Data Analytics
- Math 510 Computational Math/Stat (fall semester)
- Math 511 Advanced Math/Stat Computing (fall semester)
- Math 605 Financial Mathematics (spring semester)
- Math 611 Stochastic Simulation (fall semester)
- Math 615 Operations Research
- Math 623 Sparse Representation and Random Sampling
- Math 640 Bayesian Statistics
- Math 642 Statistical Learning
- Math 651 Regression Analysis (fall semester)
- Math 652 Applied Multivariate Analysis
- Math 656 Data Mining (fall semesters)
- Math 657 Categorical Data Analysis
- Math 658 Survey Sampling (alternate summers)
SAMPLE OF NON-MATH ELECTIVES (CHOOSE ONE)
Every student is given the option (that counts toward the degree) to take a non-math/stat elective course in a scientific area that extends or makes use of the tools and techniques of mathematics and statistics. Examples of such elective courses are as follows:
- Computer science (graduate level course, please check prerequisites).
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology.
- Epidemiology.
- Public policy (eg, survey sampling).
- Economics (eg, econometrics).
- Machine Translation (Linguistics).
- Neurosciences.
- Security studies.
- Social network analysis.
For the current and upcoming schedule of classes visit the University Registrar’s webpage at http://registrar.georgetown.edu/.
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
Internships, consulting, and research experiences are integral parts of the program. Therefore, each student is encouraged to participate in such an activity. This can be fulfilled through an internship, a special project in a graduate course or a research collaboration with Georgetown faculty.
Organizations offering internship positions include the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Energy, Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture, Controller of the Currency, Federal Reserve Board, Federal Aviation Administration, various financial consulting firms, DecisionQ Corp, NASA, Army National Guard, Center for Advanced Defense Studies, Insight Policy Research, Elder Research and Fannie Mae.
OTHER OPTIONS
Since the program emphasizes a more applied and practical curriculum, some traditional topics such as algebra, topology, abstract real and complex analysis, and measure theory-based probability are not part of the curriculum. There are options in the form of tutorials and directed studies for students who have the need for such courses. A limited number of graduate courses can be transferred from other institutions, with the primary criterion being that such courses cannot have counted towards a previous degree. Courses can also be taken through the DC Consortium of Universities (www.consortium.org). Transfer and Consortium courses are subject to accumulated credit caps and approval by the program. Consortium courses are not especially encouraged, because the quality of instruction in math/stat at Georgetown is of dependable and exceptional quality, but can be approved with justification.
Gallery
English Language Requirements
Certify your English proficiency with the Duolingo English Test! The DET is a convenient, fast, and affordable online English test accepted by over 4,000 universities (like this one) around the world.