The USC Mathematics Department is a dynamic community of scholars, innovators, and educators dedicated to mathematical excellence and advancing mathematical understanding. We take immense pride in our inclusive, diverse, and supportive research environment.
We seek all applicants who share our vision of and passion for mathematics. All applications require 3 letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, a resumé or CV, official transcripts, and TOEFL scores (international applicants only). We do not require GRE tests.
PhD Info Session
Please join us on Thursday October 24 from 4-6pm PT for a Virtual Information Session about our PhD Program.
We will discuss our research areas, seminars and conferences, program milestones, graduate student life, and more. The session will also include panels of faculty and students to offer insights and answer questions.
Click the sign up link below to receive the Zoom link.
Ph.D. Programs
Our department offers two doctoral degree programs:
Mathematics Ph.D.
Applied Mathematics Ph.D.
Our rigorous 5-year program begins with foundational coursework that prepares students to demonstrate mastery through written comprehensive examinations. After this, students work closely with one of our distinguished research faculty to reach the frontier of knowledge in their chosen field. Thus equipped and with ongoing guidance from their advisor, students forge a path to new results through original research. The program culminates with the student’s written dissertation, oral defense, and the conferral of Doctorate of Philosophy.
Admission to our Ph.D. programs includes a 5-year aid package with 1 year of fellowship, 4 years of teaching assistantship, full tuition remission, plus health and dental insurance.
Masters Programs
We offer six different Masters programs. The application deadline for Masters Programs vary:
Fall Admission Cycle
| Program | Applications Open | Deadline |
| Applied Mathematics MA/MS and Mathematics MA | October 1 | February 1 |
| Mathematical Data Science M.S. | September 1 | February 15 |
| Mathematical Finance M.S. | October 1 | March 30 |
| Statistics M.S. | September 1 | February 1 |
Spring Admission Cycle
| Program | Applications Open | Deadline |
| Applied Mathematics MA/MS and Mathematics MA | August 1 | October 1 |
| Mathematical Finance M.S. | August 1 | October 15 |
Admissions FAQs
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The application deadline for the PhD Programs is December 15. This is a hard deadline, and we cannot accept materials submitted to us after this deadline.
The application deadline for Masters Programs vary.
Fall Admission Cycle
February 1 for:
- Applied Mathematics MA/MS
- Mathematics MA
- Statistics MS
February 15 for Mathematical Data Science MS
March 30 for Mathematical Finance MS
Spring Admission Cycle
October 1 for:
- Applied Mathematics MA/MS
- Mathematics MA
October 15 for Mathematical Finance MS
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The mathematics department does NOT offer fee waivers for students.
However, the USC Graduate Admissions Office has several categories of applicants who qualify for fee waivers. To see if you qualify, please visit this website: https://gradadm.usc.edu/lightboxes/us-students-fee-waivers/
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Yes for PhD, No for Masters.
Everyone, regardless of nationality or country of residence, admitted to our PhD Programs receives a comprehensive support package that includes full tuition remission, a competitive stipend, and health and dental insurance.
We do not offer any financial assistance for our Masters programs. We encourage all Masters applicants who are California residents to apply for California State graduate fellowships.
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U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents are exempt. For other exemption qualifications, please see
https://gradadm.usc.edu/prospective-international-students/english-proficiency/For international students requiring English Proficiency tests, we require a minimum of
- 100 on TOEFL or
- 7.0 on IELTS or
- 68 on PTE.
These minima apply to both PhD and Masters programs.
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Not at all! The majority of our incoming PhD students, about 2/3, come from Bachelor’s programs while the remaining 1/3 come from Masters programs.
All of our Ph.D. students have the opportunity to earn an “in progress” Masters degree, which is usually conferred in the second year of the program after satisfactory completion of the core course requirements. Students in either PhD program may choose between a Masters Degree in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or Statistics.
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Yes. We require applicants to have a GPA above 3.0.
The minimum GPA requirement for a student to receive a graduate degree, Masters or Doctorate, from USC is 3.0. For this reason, we will not consider any applicants whose current overall GPA or mathematics GPA falls below this minimum threshold.
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Yes, and requirements vary by program.
Every applicant is required to have one year* of advanced Analysis (real, complex, or functional). Applicants for our Mathematics programs are also required to have one year* of advanced Algebra (abstract or linear). Some of these courses can be planned for your final semester.
*In general, one year of a course is interpreted as 2 terms (2 semesters or 2 quarters). Students on the quarter system are encouraged to complete 3 quarters of a sequence if their program offers it (e.g. Real Analysis a/b/c).
Beyond this, we look holistically for a variety of advanced coursework to demonstrate mastery of foundational material.
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Reviewers evaluate applications holistically, meaning every part is important and given due consideration. Different applicants have different strengths that distinguish them as excellent fits for our program. We look forward to reading about all of your achievements.
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Unfortunately, no. The review committee cannot pre-screen applicants.
Our program is highly selective, but we do consider applicants holistically. If you exceed our minimum requirements for GPA and coursework, and you have a strong passion for mathematics, then we strongly encourage you to apply.
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We are a small department and hence have small incoming classes. Unfortunately, this means we often turn down exceptional students whom we would otherwise love to admit.
Our combined PhD program aims for an incoming class of 16 students each Fall, giving a total PhD student population of about 80 students.