Prospective Students

Graduate Studies in Mathematics | Engaging, progressive, challenging, rewarding—this is graduate mathematics at SFU.

The Mathematics Department at SFU brings together world-class research faculty in a collegial atmosphere. Learn skills and forge connections to launch your career—in academia and beyond.

“It’s a great program and a great launching point for a career in mathematics, whether you want to go into academia or industry.” —Brittany Hamfeldt, MSc (’09), PhD (’12), Associate Professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology

Research Opportunities

Work side-by-side with research faculty who are leaders in their fields. With Canada Research Chairs and Sloan Research Fellows among our ranks, we continually push boundaries and produce groundbreaking scholarship.

“There are very strong researchers working in the SFU Mathematics Department. Lots of people are working in less traditional areas, doing world-class research.” —Ararat Harutyunyan, PhD (’11), Assistant Professor at Université Paris-Dauphine

Programs

Challenge yourself with rigorous coursework and rewarding research. We offer a breadth of thesis-based MSc and PhD programs in pure mathematics, applied and computational mathematics, and operations research to prepare you for your next steps in your career.

“My MSc helped prepare me for the extra questions that my calculus students ask. They’ll ask me things that are beyond the textbook. That’s when all the coursework in my Master’s comes in.” —Jeremy Chiu, MSc (’13), Instructor at Langara College

Funding

Pursue your studies with peace of mind—all our graduate students receive funding through awards or TA positions. Every MSc and PhD student can count on a guaranteed minimum amount of financial support during their degree.

“I was able to travel all over Canada and I spent about a year [studying] in Paris. There are lots of opportunities available to people studying at SFU.” —Stephen Melczer, MSc (’14), Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania

Alumni Success

Gain skills and connections to thrive in academia or industry. Our graduates are prepared for success and continue on to interesting and rewarding careers.

“What I work on now involves a lot of theory—basically everything I learned at SFU, I’m using today. Working as a Financial Engineer, I use a lot of differential equations and a lot of algebra that I learned in my Master’s.” —Pouya Bastani, MSc (’09), Financial Engineer