American University
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Washington, D.C. 20016-8014


Overview
The University was founded as a Methodist institution, chartered by Congress in 1893, and intended originally for graduate study only. The University is located on an 84-acre site in a residential area of northwest Washington. As a member of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington area, American University can offer its degree candidates the option of taking courses at other consortium universities for residence credit. American's distinguished faculty attracts internationally renowned guests and specialists. The department sponsors a colloquia series that is regularly attended by faculty members and graduate students. The strong faculty-student relationships fostered in the department create a supportive and friendly learning environment. The department includes 18 full-time faculty members at professional rank, 4 of whom are women, and 9 full-time instructors.

Alumni have obtained excellent jobs in government, academia, and business, including research laboratories and consulting firms. American University's emphasis on experiential education outside the classroom may prove a stepping stone to a future career. Graduates of the University's programs have pursued doctoral studies, entered academic and policy-oriented careers, become professionals in their areas of expertise, or found employment in private industry in the United States and around the world. Because so many international students study in the department, alumni work all over the globe and provide an excellent network for job placement. The department boasts a high completion rate. A total of 18 Ph.D.'s and 29 master's degrees have been awarded over the last five years.

The Community
The national capital area offers students access to an unparalleled variety of educational, governmental, and cultural resources that enrich the student's degree program with opportunities for practical applications of theoretical studies. Opportunities for research, internships, cooperative educational placements, and part-time jobs are plentiful. Local bus and rail transportation from the campus provides easy access to sites in the greater metropolitan area. Ties between faculty and both private and public research teams allow students opportunities for field experience through internships such as with the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the World Bank.

Programs of study and degree requirements
The department offers master's programs in statistics and math and doctoral programs in statistics and mathematics education. The M.S. in statistics program has two tracks: mathematical statistics and applied statistics. The applied statistics track places special emphasis on statistical applications and methodology training. The mathematical statistics track provides a theoretical framework for the development of analytic and computational techniques and contains the prerequisites for pursuing a Ph.D. in statistics. The M.S. in statistics for policy analysis program provides technical statistical training together with the fundamentals of policy analysis necessary for evaluating and analyzing a broad range of public policy issues. Students studying for an M.A. in mathematics choose between theoretical study in pure mathematics and a more applied curriculum appropriate to professions such as economics, physics, or management. Students may take up to 6 semester hours of courses in a field of application such as statistics, computer science, economics, or physics.

The Ph.D. program in mathematics education is based on a curriculum of mathematical sciences, including statistics and computer science. Practical training and innovative research are combined to address critical issues in mathematics education and enable graduates to work in a research, classroom, supervisory, or administrative setting. The Ph.D. in statistics program leads to the forefront of statistical theory. This training enables students to be productive researchers in the field.

Facilities & Resources
The Bender Library and Learning Resources Center houses more than 725,000 volumes and 3,200 periodical titles as well as extensive microform collections and a nonprint media center. In addition, more than fourteen indexes in compact disc format are searchable using library microcomputers. Graduate students have unlimited borrowing privileges at six college and university libraries in the Washington Research Library Consortium, all accessible through the online catalog. Dozens of other research collections, including the Library of Congress, are readily available locally. The department houses a computer laboratory with SPARC workstations. Software includes SAS, S-Plus, Mathematica, Pascal, FORTRAN, and C. Several additional University computer laboratories are also available 24 hours a day. The department LAN is connected through the University fiber-optic network. Access to a Cray supercomputer may be arranged. A newly renovated classroom is equipped with fifteen Pentium machines for teaching.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition is $1,948 per credit hour.

Financial Aid: Fellowships, scholarships, and graduate assistantships are available to full-time students. Special opportunity grants for minority group members parallel the regular honor awards and take the form of assistantships and scholarships. Research and teaching fellowships provide stipends plus tuition. Graduate assistantships provide up to 18 credit hours of tuition remission per year. Well-qualified students often teach as lecturers or instructors for the department. Part-time work, loans, and deferred-payment programs are also available.

Housing/Living Expenses: Although most graduate students live off campus, the University provides graduate dormitory rooms and apartments. The Off-Campus Housing Office maintains a referral file of rooms and apartments. Housing costs in Washington, D.C., are comparable to those in other major metropolitan areas.

How to Apply
The College of Arts and Sciences uses a rolling application process. However, for international applicants, it is highly recommended that completed applications for the fall semester be submitted by June 1 for accurate processing. Applications for awards must be received by February 1. Online or downloadable application forms may be obtained on the Web at http://www.american.edu/cas/admissions. The cost to apply in $50 for the online application submitted electronically or $80 for the paper-based application submitted by mail, including those that are downloaded. Admission consideration is open to all qualified candidates without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, or disability.

Admission to graduate programs requires a degree in mathematics, statistics, or a directly related field from an accredited college or university with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate work. Applicants need to submit an application, the application fee, a personal statement, and two letters of recommendation. GRE scores are recommended, and international students must submit TOEFL scores.

Who to Contact
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20016-8050
202-885-3120

mathstat@american.edu

http://www.mathstat.american.edu/

THE FACULTY AND THEIR RESEARCH

  • Ellen K. Feder, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., SUNY at Stony Brook. Contemporary continental philosophy, social and political philosophy, feminist theory.
  • Gershon Greenberg, Professor; Ph.D., Columbia. Philosophy of religion.
  • Rom Harré, Distinguished Adjunct Professor; M.A., Oxford. Wittgenstein, philosophy of psychology.
  • Amy A. Oliver, Associate Professor and Chair; Ph.D., Massachusetts Amherst. Spanish and Latin American philosophy.
  • Jin Y. Park, Visiting Assistant Professor; Ph.D., SUNY at Stony Brook. Asian philosophies and religions.
  • Lucinda Joy Peach, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Indiana; J.D., NYU. Philosophy of law, bioethics, feminist ethics.
  • Jeffrey Reiman, William Fraser McDowell Professor of Philosophy; Ph.D., Penn State. Theoretical and applied ethics, political philosophy.
  • David F. T. Rodier, Professor; Ph.D., Vanderbilt. Late classical and early medieval Western philosophy, Buddhist studies.
  • Andrea Tschemplik, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center. History of philosophy, ancient philosophy.

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