PhD in Mathematics & Statistics

Study qualitative and quantitative behaviour of differential equations, including flows, bifurcations, and manifolds, with applications in biological, physical, and social systems.

Explore advanced, rotating topics in applied mathematics under faculty guidance through lectures, seminars, or project-based work.

Implement core computational methods in statistics such as Monte Carlo, MCMC, non-parametric techniques, and the EM algorithm.

Analyze time-to-event data using survival and hazard functions, censored data methods, and both parametric and semi-parametric models.

For the Doctoral program, a recognized master’s degree obtained with high academic standing is required, minimum B (73 per cent) admission average. The Departmental Graduate Program Committee will consider applications for direct entry to PhD with an undergraduate degree in exceptional cases, and for transfer from M.Sc. to PhD. In any event, a member of the department's graduate faculty must agree to act as an advisor to the student.

Complete application submission instructions may also be found on the Office of Graduate Studies webpage or in the Graduate Calendar.

Entry point for the PhD in Math and Stats is Fall (September). The application deadline is July 31 (domestic) and February 28 (international). International applicants are encouraged to apply at least nine months in advance of their start date, and all applicants are advised to apply as early as possible due to supervisor availability.

The PhD in Mathematics and Statistics is typically completed in four years of full-time study or eight years of part-time study.

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral studies provides estimated annual full-time tuition, fees, and living expenses for graduate students at the University of Guelph: Tuition, Fees and Cost of Living.

Full funding is typically provided for full-time, thesis-based students (who do not receive external funding) through a combination of scholarships, teaching assistantships, and/or research assistantships. For more information about funding your graduate studies at Guelph, please visit Funding Graduate Studies.

PhD students may enhance their studies by pursuing a collaborative specialization alongside their degree:

• One Health: Available to students conducting thesis research with a One Health focus.

Learn more about collaborative specializations and eligibility in the Graduate Calendar.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics is an active department with 23 faculty and over 50 graduate students. Specific research areas include:

• Biomathematics, Differential Equations and Scientific Computing
• Computational and Bayesian Statistics
• Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Bioinformatics
• Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
• Mathematical and Statistical Pedagogy
• Network Modelling and Spatial-Temporal Statistics
• Operations Research
• Statistical Finance and Probability
• Quantum Information and Matrix Analysis

Learn more about collaborative specializations and eligibility in the Graduate Calendar.