Doctoral Degree in Mathematics

At the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, you can earn your PhD in mathematics, working with faculty who are devoted to advancing the discipline. Our math PhD program emphasizes research and prepares you for the highest levels of scholarship, along with ample career opportunities in academia and research-related agencies and industries.

As one of our math PhD students, you will select a dissertation topic within an area of mathematics with an active faculty research interest. Our mathematics PhD program offers three choices of concentration:

• Applied Mathematics (including Mathematical Biology, Numerical Analysis, Ordinary Differential Equations, and Partial Differential Equations);
• Pure Mathematics (including Algebra, Analysis, and Topology); and,
• Statistics.

Completing your PhD in math will put you at the top of your field. Mathematics is the foundation for all other scientific endeavors, and your work can help fuel the next great breakthrough.

Earn your PhD in mathematics from UL Lafayette.

Apply for Admission to the Math PhD Program

Earn your PhD in math from UL Lafayette, and be a part of our active and research-driven mathematics community.

Apply to our PhD in mathematics program >>

Requirements for a PhD in Mathematics

As a math PhD student, you’ll choose a research area for your work. In our program, you’ll need to complete at least two semesters as a full-time student, and then you’ll get to complete the rest of your degree requirements over the next four years. You’ll get to focus on your original research during your entire time here.

Those degree requirements include certain coursework, comprehensive exams, and your dissertation.

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Math PhD Coursework

You will complete at least 72 credit hours of coursework at the graduate level as you earn your PhD in mathematics from UL Lafayette. At least forty-eight of these semester hours must be in regular course work. At least 24 of those credit hours will be focused on your own dissertation research.

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PhD in Mathematics Comprehensive Exams

Our math PhD students are required to take both written and oral comprehensive exams, which cover material from three 500-level graduate course sequences. You must pass your written comprehensive exam and complete a year of 600-level coursework before you can take your oral comprehensive exam for the PhD in the mathematics program.

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PhD in Mathematics Dissertation

All of our PhD in mathematics students must complete a dissertation in order to graduate. Your dissertation will represent an original contribution to the field of mathematics or statistics, and will be of a high enough quality to be publishable in a professional journal.

As a math PhD student, you will complete your written dissertation and have a final defense of your dissertation.

Learn more about the math PhD dissertation process and requirements >>

Math PhD Language Requirements

In order to graduate, Math PhD students must demonstrate knowledge of two languages other than English. If your native language is not English, then being proficient in English will not count as one of your additional languages.

Of those two additional languages, they can be a language spoken by humans, or can be computer programming or software languages.

Learn more about the language requirements for math PhD students >>