Enhanced job opportunities: advanced degrees useful in

• Academia
• Industry
• Government

• … advanced training in analytical and quantitative skills useful in e.g., financial math, statistics, data science/analytics, scientific computing
• M.Sc. programs feed into Ph.D. programs
• some graduates go to professional schools (law, business, teachers’ college, etc.)
• Ph.D. graduates often target academic jobs, but are also successful in industry and government

• big versus small universities
• critical mass in your field of research interest
• which country?
  Canada, United States, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Spain, Brazil, …

Research and training opportunities in

• core areas of pure and applied mathematics
• statistics and big data
• financial math
• math biology
• scientific computing and computational science

• project-based M.Sc. (less than 12 months!);
  thesis-based (20 months)
• gain knowledge and experience prior to professional program or Ph.D.
• possible joint-degree “cotutelle” programs

Apply!

• Lots of information available online:
  • websites, social media, Graduate Ambassadors
  • Email grad advisors and potential supervisors, directors of specialized programs, etc.
• Most require a B+ honours degree (average based on math courses taken in last one or two years)
• Admission to some programs can be very competitive; minimum grade averages are not indicative …
• Approach potential supervisors in parallel with (or before) submitting an application
• Strong research potential is important, especially for Ph.D.
  try to build up credentials (project courses, USRAs, etc.)

• Statement of research interests
• Reference letters (at least 2) from professors knowledgeable about your mathematical abilities
  • invest time in allowing professors to get to know you so that they can provide meaningful information!
• GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) scores (for the US)
• Transcripts
• Application fee

• Courses, TA responsibilities, seminars, …
• Research may start right away or within a year — finding a supervisor is essential!
• At Mac: may transfer directly from M.Sc. to Ph.D. 
• Direct entry to Ph.D. programs common in the US
• Qualifying and/or comprehensive exams common in most Ph.D. programs

• Many graduate programs offer support (sort of!) through teaching assistantships
• NSERC CGS-M
  • Canadian citizens/PRs
  • A- (80%) average minimum in each of last 2 years
  • approx. $17,500
• OGS
  • Canadian citizens/PRs
  • A- (80%) average minimum in each of last 2 years
  • approx. $15,000 ($5,000 per term)
• MITACS, Commonwealth, Canada-US Fulbright, French Embassy, etc.
• Universities often top-up these awards

• November to January grad school application deadlines
• February 1 deadline for McMaster applications
• December 1 NSERC CGS-M (direct to NSERC web site)
• no deadline for OGS (part of grad school application)
• GRE registration deadline for subject test is early September

• Application procedure for McMaster math & stats programs: https://www.math.mcmaster.ca/graduate/application-procedure.html
• Math & stats graduate handbook
• Computational Science and Engineering
• School of Graduate Studies: https://gs.mcmaster.ca/
• this presentation online at http://www.math.mcmaster.ca/bolker/misc/gradinfo.html

• feel free to e-mail me (bolker@mcmaster.ca) with questions or to arrange a meeting time
• good luck!