WELCOME TO PROSPECTIVE MASTERS STUDENTS

The Masters program in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics offers professional training for careers in business and industry as statisticians, operations research, quantitative finance and applied mathematics. There are Masters tracks in statistics, operations research, quantitative finance, computational applied mathematics, and computational biology. There is also an Advanced Certificate in Quantitative Finance that is available to very strong students in other tracks. Note that because of strong demand, there are substantially higher admission standards for quantitative finance.

The metropolitan New York area has many job opportunities in statistics, quantitative finance and operations researchers in fields of banking and corporate management. Northern New Jersey is the world's leading center of drug research and there are always many openings for statisticians to assist in clinical trials of new drugs. 

Like many other beginning graduate students, you may not be certain in which mathematical sciences field you want training. Because all these fields are in a single department at Stony Brook, it is easy to switch fields, with no loss of progress towards your degree. 

Each track requires 30 credits of coursework. On average, 20 credits involve required courses specific to the particular track. The remaining elective credits may be chosen either from additional courses in your chosen track or other tracks. There is no comprehensive exam required. Students typically take three semesters to complete a Masters degree although some students spend a fourth semester to take additional electives.

Because our Masters training is designed for professional careers in business and industry, our M.S. curriculum focuses on mastery of practical techniques and problem-solving strategies. Theory is kept to a minimum: it is never theory for theory's sake, but rather theory that provides insights for analyzing problems that will arise in your work.

Most of our faculty are involved in collaborative research with scientists at corporate or government laboratories or at biomedical research centers. So their teaching draws on the types of practical, real-world experiences that you will encounter in your future employment.

If you decide you want to continue your studies and earn a PhD, you must take the PhD Qualifying Exams . Upon passing these exams, you will be place into the PhD program and can then join one of the faculty/student research teams. For more about doctoral study, see the adjacent column.

For M.S. degree requirements in the different tracks, see M.S. coursework . 

For a list of the courses offered, see Graduate Courses .

General application information can be obtained at the Graduate School website or one can go straight to the application website.

If you wish to visit our department or want more information, please contact our graduate secretary, Ms. Christine Rota (631-632-8360).