Graduate Program

Program Contacts
Director of Graduate Studies: S Taylor, st999@georgetown.edu, 202-687-0285
Assistant Director of Graduate Studies: J Liang, jm2741@georgetown.edu, 202-687-8527

***The Graduate Program is hosting an on-campus open house for prospective applicants on Thursday, February 21 at 5:30pm. Please contact us for more details.***

Overview

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 long standing and successful 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 permitted 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 webstreamed 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.