Graduate studies

Do you wish to:

• Apply mathematical techniques to problems within the physical, biological or societal sciences?
• Build models of natural phenomena?
• Construct efficient computational descriptions to aid research and development of new products?
• Discover new mathematics for applications?

If so, then pursue the applied track for UNC Mathematics graduate students. Within the applied track students learn the fundamental science of some application domain in conjunction with relevant mathematical techniques. Traditionally, applied mathematics has focused on development of methods for the physical sciences such as continuum mechanics. Currently, we are witnessing a quantification revolution in the biological and societal sciences in which many branches of mathematics are contributing methods that allow precise statements in these sciences, supplementing previous qualitative descriptions.

This is an exciting time to study applied mathematics. Not only will you be able to develop new mathematics, but you will have the versatility to apply this knowledge in domains as varied as astrophysics, mechanics of insect flight, ocean dynamics, or disease transmission in societal networks. The inherent premise of science is identifying regularity in some phenomenon, and the applied mathematician’s mission is to state such regularity in precise terms drawing upon extensive background knowledge of mathematics.