Doctoral Program

With internationally recognized faculty and a strong commitment to its graduate program, the Department of Applied Mathematics at CU Boulder strives to provide graduate students a high quality education and training in applied mathematics while preparing them for careers in industry, laboratories, and the academic professions. 

The department fosters extensive interaction between students and faculty to provide a tailored educational experience in applied mathematics. Currently, the department has 24 faculty and 38 affiliated faculty from other academic departments and colleges. A Ph.D. student can be advised by core faculty or co-advised by an affiliate involved in applied mathematics which creates a definitively unique learning experience in many areas of physical, biological, computational, or engineering sciences. With the breadth of such a diverse faculty, a student can explore their academic and research interests through the investigation of numerous ongoing faculty projects.

Many of our Ph.D. students have had the opportunity to conduct their research at local world-class institutes located right here in Boulder such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Our students have the opportunity to not only work directly with organizations here in Boulder but also, the National Renewable Energy Lab, and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, along with many other national research laboratories. 

Areas of Study and Research

  • Computational Mathematics
  • Mathematical Biology
  • Mathematical Geosciences
  • Applied Nonlinear PDEs and Dynamics
  • Statistics and Data Science
  • Stochastic Processes and Applications

Opportunities for Underrepresented Students:

Our department is committed to fostering and growing a diverse student body; you can read about some of our latest efforts. Please be sure to check out the Colorado Advantage Program, which provides an opportunity for underrepresented students to visit campus and preview doctoral programs in science, math, and engineering departments at CU Boulder.

Virtual Tours and Infomation Sessions :

CU Boulder Graduate School

Day in the Life of a CU Grad Student

DOMESTIC STUDENTS: Fall 2024 PhD Info Session

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Fall 2024 PhD Info Session

(LAST YEAR’S PhD Info Session Fall 2023)