WHY STUDY AT VANDERBILT?

• The 2010 National Research Council (NRC) report on U.S. math graduate programs places our department in the top group of graduate programs surveyed.
• The Department of Mathematics has a distinguished international faculty, including Field Medalists and invited speakers at the International Congresses of Mathematicians, and a variety of research groups: universal algebra, group theory, approximation theory, noncommutative geometry, operator algebras, mathematical biology, partial differential equations, and graph theory.
• We have a stimulating research environment and an ongoing program that brings in visitors from institutions around the world. The department also hosts several major conferences a year.
• The department is large enough to support a wide range of courses, but small enough for students to receive individual attention from faculty members. The Department of Mathematics has approximately 50 research faculty and 40 resident graduate students.
• Graduate students are given one to two years of training to teach at the college level. After that period, they generally serve as TA's and eventually instructors in calculus classes. This opportunity provides valuable experience in communication, even for students who do not pursue careers in academia.
• Our graduate students are very successful in securing jobs.
• Nashville offers the amenities of a large city and the friendliness of a small town.

PROGRAMS

The Department of Mathematics offers the Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Science, and Master of Arts degrees in mathematics. Most of our students pursue a Ph.D.

The Ph.D. program requires 72 credit hours of coursework, including dissertation research. Doctoral candidates complete a core curriculum in algebra, topology, and analysis. After passing preliminary exams in two of these three areas, students study in their area of concentration.  For Ph.D. candidacy students pass a qualifying examination involving either an oral examination in their specialty or an expository paper.  Once students have qualified for Ph.D. candidacy, they concentrate on dissertation research.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Most Ph.D. students in mathematics receive a teaching assistantship or fellowship that provides a tuition waiver, a stipend and a health insurance plan. Support is usually provided for a five-year period.

Teaching assistants for 2011/12 receive a nine-month stipend of $21,200.  Stipends are expected to be increased for 2012/13. Some highly qualified applicants are awarded fellowships with an additional stipend: University Graduate Fellowships provide an additional $10,000, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt Scholarships provide an additional $6,000 and the Graduate School awards several Provost's Graduate Fellowships that provide an additional $10,000 to highly qualified students from underrepresented groups.

Students who do not have financial aid pay tuition of $1680 per credit hour.

GRADUATE STUDENT TEACHING

First-year graduate students participate in a weekly teaching seminar and conduct tutored study halls for calculus.

Second and third-year students serve as TA's. Responsibilities include attending class meetings, conducting a weekly recitation section, holding office hours, and grading papers.

Fourth and fifth-year students with good teaching evaluations and strong recommendations from their faculty mentors are assigned to teach a first-year calculus course.

FACILITIES

Vanderbilt has a research-level library, with more than three million volumes.  The mathematics collection is housed in the Science and Engineering Library, conveniently located in the math building.  This collection is excellent, both in books and access to electronic resources, including e-journals and online databases such as  MathSciNet and Web of Science.  Items not available locally can be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan which is free of charge to  graduate students.

Computational resources available to graduate students include access to the university's large cluster and desktop computers equipped with computer algebra software and LaTeX.  Graduate students may use these facilities freely for research, writing, and teaching.

Furthermore, the graduate students' office suite is a newly renovated state-of-the-art facility.

HOUSING

Ample private housing is available within walking distance of the campus. The Office of Housing and Residential Education maintains an off-campus housing referral service. Visit their web page at: www.vanderbilt.edu/ResEd.

VANDERBILT AND NASHVILLE

Vanderbilt is a private university, founded in 1873. The University includes the four undergraduate schools, the Graduate School, and eight professional schools.

Located approximately two miles from downtown Nashville, Vanderbilt is situated on 330 acres and is designated as an arboretum.  A diverse student body of about 6,800 undergraduates and more than 5,800 graduate and professional students is taught by more than 3,300 full-time faculty members. Vanderbilt is the largest private employer in the region.

The metropolitan Nashville area, in the heart of middle Tennessee, has a population of over one million. The city, a center for music of all kinds, has many other cultural and entertainment opportunities, including theatre, film, museums, symphony,  recreation areas, and two major league sports teams.

INFORMATION AND APPLICATIONS

• Visit www.vanderbilt.edu/math  for information about the Department of Mathematics (especially the "Graduate" link). Questions specifically concerning the Mathematics Graduate Program should be emailed to mathgrad@vanderbilt.edu.
• Visit www.vanderbilt.edu/gradschool  for general information about graduate studies at Vanderbilt. Applications should be made online and can be accessed through Vanderbilt’s Graduate School at Applications and Information.  Application questions not addressed at the Graduate School Web site should be emailed to vandygrad@vanderbilt.edu.
• Applications, including all supporting materials, are due on January 1, 2012. Late applications may be considered if positions are still available. We require both the General and Mathematics Subject GREs (Graduate Record Examinations). The Subject Test result is especially important in evaluating applications. Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not been educated at an English-speaking university must also take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact:

Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Mathematics, 1326 Stevenson Center
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, U.S.A.
mathgrad@vanderbilt.edu
Telephone: +1 615 322 6672
Fax: +1 615 343 0215