Brock offers a unique Master of Science program aimed at providing students with an advanced education in Mathematics and Statistic. We prepare students for further graduate studies or the job market.
Our Program
The Master of Science program aims to provide students with an intensive advanced education in areas of Mathematics and Statistics in preparation for doctoral studies or the job market. Students can follow either the Mathematics stream or the Statistics stream.
Specializations
The MSc program has two approved fields: Mathematics and Statistics.
Students will normally complete the program in six terms or twenty-four months. However, completion in twelve months is possible in Statistics specialization.
The Mathematics specialization provides students with advanced training in areas of active research and current applicability in algebra and number theory, computer algebra algorithms, control theory, discrete mathematics and graph theory, dynamical systems, evolutionary game theory, partial differential equations, functional analysis, mathematical music theory, mathematics education, mathematical physics, solitons and integrable systems, topology, and – as a bridge with the Statistics specialization – computational data science.
The Statistics specialization provides students with solid training in both advanced and applied statistical areas including design of experiment, optimal design for regression, sampling theory, parametric and nonparametric statistical inferences, survival analysis and risk models, robust methods, and computational statistics. Areas intersecting with data science such as machine learning and predictive biology/ecology are represented as well.
Options
The Mathematics and Statistics program offers flexibility. Students can do the thesis stream (less courses but more substantial research component) or the project stream (more courses and more practical research project). Both streams offer a wide range of possible research topics in either concentration.
- Thesis option: Students intending to pursue further graduate studies would normally choose this option.
- Project option: Students intending to join the job market would normally choose this option.
The normal duration of the M.Sc. program is 24 months. However, completion in 12 months is possible in the Statistics concentration. Part-time option is also possible – please contact us if you are interested in part-time studies.
Why Choose This Program?
Students enrolled in our program have access to SHARCNET, a network of high performance computers with access to cutting edge expertise and infrastructure in high performance computing.
Brock excels in research. We are among top-ranking university mathematics programs in Ontario in terms of research publications. Students have the opportunity to get close and direct contact with supervisors as our faculty members supervise typically 1-2 graduate students at a time.
Highlights
Among the strengths of our program the following ones are especially worth mentioning:
- The Mathematics Department’s tradition of individual excellence in publications and research has been strengthened by the appointment of nine new faculty members since 1999. In research output the Department is currently in the top three in its category among Ontario universities as ranked by Canadian University Publications.
- Students will find a lively intellectual environment and friendly atmosphere where they will have one-on-one interaction with Graduate Faculty members and exposure to a wide range of research fields, including a number of overlapping areas of special strength in Statistical Analysis, Computational Analysis of Differential Equations and Discrete Dynamical Systems, Computational Algebra and Number Theory, Computational Topics in Mathematical Physics and Mathematics Education.
- Numerous research visitors come to the Mathematics Department every year from internationally leading universities, and faculty actively participate in national and international research conferences and workshops.
- Normally, all full-time students (both domestic and international) will be offered competitive financial support consisting of a graduate fellowship, a teaching assistantship, plus a research stipend from a Graduate Faculty supervisor. The amount of support aims to cover all fees, tuition, and living expenses.
To learn more about individual faculty research interests, as well as about research groups in the Department of Mathematics, please visit Mathematics Research page.
Researchers
Mathematics
Stephen Anco
Email: sanco@brocku.ca
Office: MC J423; Ext. 3728
Research: Symmetries, PDEs, Solitons and Geometric Integrability, General Relativity, Classical Gauge Theory, Mathematical Physics.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Hichem Ben-El-Mechaiekh
Email: hmechaie@brocku.ca
Office: MC J418; Ext. 3758
Research: Set-valued analysis, fixed point theory, variational methods for dynamical systems, mathematical economics, game theory and optimization.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Chantal Buteau
Email: cbuteau@brocku.ca
Office: MC J427; Ext. 3167
Research: Mathematical Music Theory (deterministic modeling of analysis, computational music analysis) and Mathematics Education (technology use in university math instruction, exploratory and learning objects, early-year teacher education).
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Henryk Fukś
Email: hfuks@brocku.ca
Office: MC J407; Ext. 3296
Research: Spatially-extended discrete dynamical systems, Cellular automata, Lattice gas automata.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Omar Kihel
Email: okihel@brocku.ca
Office: MC J425; Ext. 3295
Research: Finite field functions and their applications to coding theory and cryptography; existence of primitive polynomials over finite fields; exponential sums over finite fields.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Yuanlin Li
Email: yli@brocku.ca
Office: MC J422; Ext. 4626
Research: Homological Aspects of Rings, Group Rings and Their Applications in Combinatoric Number Theory, and Coding Theory.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Alexander Odesskii
Email: aodesski@brocku.ca
Office: MC J432; Ext. 3297
Research: Mathematical Physics, Integrable Systems, Representation Theory, Algebraic Geometry, Theory of Special Functions.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Pouria Ramazi
Email: pramazi@brocku.ca
Research: Evolutionary Game Theory, Convergence Analysis, Control
of Evolutionary Network Dynamics, Global Convergence and Stability
Analysis, Management of emerging disease threats.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Thomas Wolf
Email: twolf@brocku.ca
Office: MC J413; Ext. 3803
Research: Mathematical Computation, Computer Go and Relativity.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Statistics
Syed Ejaz Ahmed
Email: sahmed5@brocku.ca
Office: MC D408; Ext. 3421
Research: Statistical inference, multivariate analysis and asymptotic theory.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Tianyu Guan
Email: guan@brocku.ca
Research: Functional data analysis, Statistics in sports,
Nonparametric and semi-parametric statistical methods, Data mining and
machine learning
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
William Marshall
Email: wmarshall@brocku.ca
Office: MC J403; Ext. 3940
Research: Computational statistics with applications to neuroscience; Causal Networks; Measures of connectivity; Linear Mixed Effect (LME) Models.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Pouria Ramazi
Email: pramazi@brocku.ca
Research: Evolutionary Game Theory, Convergence Analysis, Control
of Evolutionary Network Dynamics, Global Convergence and Stability
Analysis, Management of emerging disease threats.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Jan Vrbik
Email: jvrbik@brocku.ca
Office: MC J410; Ext. 3298
Research: Celestial Mechanics, Kepler Problem, Dirac Equation, Clifford Algebra.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Xiaojian Xu
Email: xxu@brocku.ca
Office: MC J412; Ext. 3299
Research: Statistical Models and Inference; Optimal Regression Designs; Robust Methods; Multivariate Analysis; Accelerated Life testing.
Available for M.Sc. supervision: Yes
Future Careers
Career Opportunities for Mathematics Graduates
Graduates with an MSc degree in Mathematics are well prepared for further academic studies, and a number of our graduates choose to continue on for higher qualifications through PhD programs. Our graduates also develop strong problem-solving skills that makes them highly sought by employers in all areas of industry as well as business and government. Our graduates have a wide range of prospective careers opportunities including research and development (for example in telecommunications and the aircraft industry), financial sector (such as accounting, actuarial positions and market research) and computing and technology (such as operation research, software development, simulations and computer security) to name a few. A sizable proportion of our graduates develop interests and choose a career in teaching mathematics.
Career Opportunities for Statistics Graduates
Graduates with an MSc degree in Statistics develop strong analytical and critical thinking skills in advance statistical analysis, experimental design, stochastic modeling and computational methods. They are well prepared for a wide range of careers in the industry, government and business, such as statisticians, biostatisticians, actuarial positions, data analysts, financial risk analysts for government and financial institutions, public opinion survey researchers, computer systems developers, marketing analysis specialist and teachers, etc. Some graduates choose to pursue PhD studies on some cutting edge research topics in Statistics. Others may choose to further their studies in related fields such as actuarial science, medical research, business administration and education.
Alumni Profiles
Chris Plyley – A Master of Science student from 2007-2009 who was under the supervision of Yuanlin Li. While at Brock, he won Distinguished Graduating Student Award, Dean of Graduate Studies Spring Research Fellowship, and G.Ronald Brown Graduate Award. He published two joint papers with Y. Li in the top journals in number theory. After graduating, he went to Western University in London, Ontario to pursue a Ph.D in mathematics, specializing in algebra and won NSERC Postgraduate Doctoral Scholarship.
Andrew Skelton – A Master of Science student from 2009-2011 who was under the supervision of Henryk Fukś. His research on cellular automata resulted in two journal articles and two conference papers jointly published with H. Fukś. Andrew received Governor General’s Gold Medal in July 2012, awarded to the student who achieves the highest academic standing at the graduate level. He is currently pursuing his Ph. D. degree at University of Guelph.
Arnold Chen – A Master of Science student from August 2009 to July 2011, who was under the supervision of Xiaojian Xu. He conducted research on robust designs for nonlinear models, and published (jointly with X. Xu) a conference paper outlining his results. He is currently a Research and Development Manager at Shanghai MVS Technology CO., LTD.
Positions Held by Some Recent Graduates
The MSc program in Mathematics and Statistics began in 2006, with the first class of students graduated in 2008.The following is a list of positions held by some of our MSc graduates:
- Risk Modeling Analyst, TD Bank, Toronto
- Computer Programmer, MKS software Company, Waterloo
- Actuarial Assistant, Trans America Life Company, Toronto
- Academic Sales Representatives, Maplesoft, Waterloo
- PhD student in Mathematics, University of Western Ontario
- PhD student in Mathematics, University of Alberta
- General Manager, Awaking Great Image, Toronto
- Senior Data Analyst, CIBC, Toronto
- PhD student in Statistics, University of Calgary
- Market Analyst, Myron Company, Toronto
- Instructor, Brock University
- PhD student in Mathematics, University of Guelph
Successful completion of an Honours Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, in Mathematics or Statistics, or a related field, with at least a B+ average is required. Agreement from a faculty advisor to supervise the student is also required for admission to the program.
We encourage all interested students to review our admission requirements to determine eligibility for Graduate Studies at Brock University.
How to apply: Please read accompanying instructions and then proceed to online application.
Please refer to your specific program of interest for application deadlines and additional application materials as they vary by program.
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact gradrecruit@brocku.ca.
If you have more specific questions about qualifications, policies and procedures about the program itself, or admission policies please email the Graduate Program Director at mathstatgrad@brocku.ca.
