Mathematics (MSc)

Our Master of Science (MSc) in Mathematics is focused on four areas: financial mathematics, mathematical modelling, statistics and data science, and pure mathematics (in particular, graph theory, Lie algebras and symplectic geometry). Our strength is in preparing students for practical applications and skills applicable in real life.

math-msc-landing.jpg

Program Highlights

  • A variety of course offerings in financial mathematics, mathematical modelling, statistics and data science and discrete mathematics.
  • Supervision by professors who have gained an international reputation for their research.
  • Three program options (thesis, project, or course-based option) and may be completed through part time studies.

Program Details

Options

The MSc is normally completed full-time but may also be completed through part-time studies. There are three program options:

Concentrations

Each option can have one of the following fields of concentration, but it is not compulsory to choose one. The fields of concentration are:

  • Computational Finance
  • Discrete Mathematics and Algebra
  • Financial Mathematics and Risk Management
  • Mathematical Modelling
  • Statistics and Data Analytics

Our faculty specializes in financial mathematics, mathematical modeling, statistics and data science, and pure mathematics (graph theory, Lie algebras and differential geometry). Our strength is in preparing students for practical applications and skills applicable in real-life.

Courses

Not all courses are offered every year; please see current offerings.

Required Courses

Students in the thesis option must complete a minimum of 1.5 credits (including all required courses) listed in the field and MA699: Master's Thesis must be in the student's field of concentration.

Students in the project option must complete a minimum of 2.0 credits (including all required courses) listed in the field and MA695: Major Project must be in the student's field of concentration.

Students in the course-based option must complete a minimum of 2.5 credits (including all required courses) listed in the field.

Course Offerings

“I have come to love the community at Laurier and the Mathematics department. I find everyone I've met to be exceptionally warm and helpful, not just in academic matters but also in providing support in my daily life."

Tian Li, MSc Mathematics International Student

Admissions

Take the first step in your graduate education and apply to one of our graduate programs. Follow our three-step admission process — we’ll walk you through how to apply and prepare for your first day as a graduate student.

Your Next Steps

Questions? Contact David Soave, graduate program coordinator, at mathgradprogram@wlu.ca.

Waterloo Campus

This program is available on Laurier's Waterloo campus.

Laurier's Waterloo campus is home to more than 19,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Tucked into several city blocks, this campus is walking distance to your classrooms, food, and various campus amenities.

Laurier is a leading force in research among Canadian universities, and many of our research centres and institutes are housed in Waterloo.

Learn more about Laurier's campuses.

“I have come to love the community at Laurier and the Mathematics department. I find everyone I've met to be exceptionally warm and helpful, not just in academic matters but also in providing support in my daily life.”

Tian Li, current international student from China

Tuition and Funding

Regardless of the type of graduate degree program you intend to pursue, financial planning is important. At Laurier, we want to provide you with as much information as possible about a variety of scholarship and funding opportunities and equip you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

grad-group-veritas.jpg

Careers

Examples of jobs held by our graduates include:

  • financial analyst
  • statistical analyst
  • data scientist
  • research and planning analyst

Your Path to Post-Degree Success

ASPIRE is Laurier's professional skills development training program for graduate students. The program helps you craft an individualized, extracurricular learning plan tailored to your professional journey and entry to the workplace.

Faculty

Learn about the interests of our faculty members. If you are looking for more information about this program, have questions, or want to set up a meeting, contact a member of our team.

Devan Becker
Assistant Professor

  • Bayesian statistics
  • Spatial statistics
  • Unsupervised machine learning

Kathie Cameron
Professor

  • Graph algorithms
  • Polytime combinatorial optimization
  • Graph theory

Giuseppe (Joe) Campolieti
Professor

  • Applied mathematics
  • Mathematical finance and physics
  • Pricing and hedging of financial derivatives; option pricing and model calibration
  • Path-integral methods; simulation (Monte Carlo) methods

Yuming Chen
Professor

  • Dynamical systems
  • Functional differential equations
  • Mathematical biology

Shengda Hu
Associate Professor
Undergraduate Advisor, Mathematics 

  • Algebraic geometry
  • Symplectic topology
  • Generalized geometry

Marc Kilgour
Professor

  • Multiple-person, multiple-objective decision analysis including game theory
  • Multiple-criteria decision analysis
  • International strategy
  • Environment management

Y. George Lai
Professor

  • Computational finance/Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods and applications
  • Stochastic analysis with applications in finance and insurance
  • Portfolio optimization

Roman Makarov
Associate Professor

  • Mathematical finance
  • Statistical theory and modelling
  • Numerical analysis

Connell McCluskey
Professor

  • Mathematical epidemiology
  • Lyapunov methods
  • Global stability

Roderick Melnik
Professor

  • Mathematical modelling in Applied Sciences and Technologies
  • Applied and Computational Mathematics
  • Low dimensional nanostructures and coupled models
  • Partial differential equations and numerical methods

David Soave
Assistant Professor

  • Statistical genetics
  • Predictive modelling for health outcomes
  • Design and analysis of two-phase studies

Adam Metzler
Associate Professor

  • Applied probability
  • Quantitative finance
  • Credit risk

R. Mark Reesor
Associate Professor

  • Applied probability and statistics
  • Quantitative finance
  • Risk measurement and management

Manuele Santoprete
Associate Professor

  • Applied mathematics
  • Celestial mechanics
  • Chaotic dynamics
  • Geometric mechanics

David Soave
Assistant Professor

  • Statistical genetics
  • Predictive modelling for health outcomes
  • Design and analysis of two-phase studies

Cristina Stoica
Professor

  • Mathematics of classical mechanics, n-body problems in particular
  • Continuous and discrete symmetries in dynamics
  • Geometric mechanics
  • Data science, in particular functional and shape data analysis

Xu (Sunny) Wang
Associate Professor

  • Statistical learning and data mining in drug discovery
  • Mining business and economic data
  • Applied statistics
  • Industrial statistics

Zilin Wang
Associate Professor

  • Survey sampling theory
  • Resampling techniques
  • Multilevel models
  • Nonparametric regression techniques

Chester Weatherby
Associate Professor

  • Number theory
  • Transcendence/algebraic independence
  • Baker’s theory on linear forms in logarithms
  • Special values

Kaiming Zhao
Professor

  • Lie algebra
  • Representation theory
  • Division algebra and linear algebra