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This section was written in collaboration with some of our past graduate students.
When we ask our students why they chose us, the department's size and its advantages are often the first reasons given. Our extremely low student-faculty ratio, coupled with our small class size and the fact that most faculty are pleased to serve as thesis advisers and supervise independent work, means that we can give you individualized, expert guidance that would be hard to find at a larger school.
Compared to graduate programs at other universities, Northwestern University's Department of Mathematics may seem small. But when we ask our students why they chose us, the small size and its advantages are often the first reasons given
Nearly all the University's faculty are well-known, active, publishing researchers. In the math department, we have almost as many faculty as students. To help you get to know our faculty and research, we host departmental teas every afternoon in the Lunt Building, where the math department is based. Our extremely low student-faculty ratio, coupled with our small class size and the fact that most faculty are pleased to serve as thesis advisers and supervise independent work, means that we can give you individualized, expert guidance that would be hard to find at a larger school.
Most of our students complete their PhD within five years -- in part because being a teaching assistant (ta) and not a course instructor for the first several years allows more time for individual studies. Teaching a course, as you would do at a larger school, consumes much more time than the 12 hours a week that you would spend on ta activities at Northwestern. Another time-saving advantage is that we have no formal language requirement, although you may be asked to read a paper in another language. When it comes to formal requirements, each student's unique situation is always taken into consideration.
At Northwestern, it's easy to tailor a program of studies to fit your personal needs. Along with other students, you can organize your own seminars in areas of common interest; these groups are usually joined by faculty who share these interests. The close interactions among students and faculty will also help you get an early start on your own research and thesis challenges.
Northwestern hosts an excellent speakers program, featuring colloquium talks by famous mathematicians. After these talks, members of our department usually go out to dinner with the speaker; students are always welcome. Talking in person with someone whose work you have studied is one of the many benefits of a small program.
At times, graduate study can seem overwhelming. Our graduate student group provides support that will help you handle the demands on you. Tutoring, counseling, and socializing all contribute to the family feeling among our mathematics students and faculty -- making each of our students feel welcome.
Our graduate program in mathematics leads to a PhD degree in various fields of mathematics related to the research interests of the faculty in the department. (See Research Interests of the Faculty). Several of these fields have applied as well as the more pure, theoretical aspects.
Throughout your studies and research, you will receive guidance from distinguished and internationally known mathematicians in these fields. This guidance can be formal, in meetings with your assigned adviser, or informal, through conversations at regular afternoon teas and casual meetings in the Common Room and hallways.
We encourage you to take part in various research activities -- particularly our regular seminars in algebra, algebraic topology, dynamical systems, partial differential equations, and probability, where we present recent research findings. We also take pride in having initiated and actively supported a series of Midwest specialty conferences where new ideas and developments are exchanged. These conferences typically draw about 75 mathematicians from the greater Midwest (often including the East and West coasts).
Another organized research activity is the "emphasis year," a highly effective program in which we designate one priority topic each year. University funds are channeled into activities focused on this topic, supporting an international conference and visiting scholars. These topics often bridge the interests of several faculty members, helping to integrate mathematical interests and to provide an essential infusion of outside talent and energy. Recent topics include dynamical systems, cohomology of groups, commutative algebra, algebraic topology, partial differential equations, algebraic K-theory, and probability.
We strongly encourage you to participate actively in departmental seminars and to attend department colloquia. The colloquia are meant for a general mathematical audience with no specialized knowledge. We distribute a complete calendar of these activities every week.
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