Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematical and Statistical Modelling

The PhD program in mathematical and statistical modelling is an interdisciplinary program, offered by the Department of Mathematics, that involves specialists in diverse areas of mathematical and statistical sciences and their applications from all relevant academic units of the university. This is a research-intensive program, with selected coursework and seminar requirements structured to complement the research component and ensure the interdisciplinary nature of the program. Student research is supervised by faculty using an application-oriented training model, in which faculty assist students in developing and conducting research that is focused on the students developing into independent researchers. In most cases, a student in this program, working on a specific application-oriented project has two co-supervisors, one with expertise in mathematical and statistical sciences and the other with specialized knowlwedge in the project-specific domain application involving modelling. The Graduate Co-ordinator ensures the alignment between the supervisor and the student’s area of interest.

Additional Information
 
Admission Requirements

Admission to the program requires a Master’s degree in a quantitative discipline such as Mathematical, Statistical, Actuarial, Computational, or Engineering Sciences, including Operations Research and Risk Analysis, with a minimum overall GPA of A-. Applications are assessed on the basis of a research statement (which should identify a preferred faculty supervisor), academic record, a current resumé, a writing sample and reference letters, 

Alternatively, qualified students may transfer directly from an eligible Master’s program into the PhD. With the recommendation of the proposed advisory committee, approval of the Graduate Co-ordinator and with permission of the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, such transfers can only be applied to those students have demonstrated superior academic credentials and outstanding research promise. Candidates must have completed a minimum of 2 terms and a maximum of 3 terms in their masters program, have completed all of the degree requirements for the masters program (except for completion of the thesis/project and/or seminar requirements) and achieved a minimum overall GPA of A-.

Students transferring from an incomplete Laurier masters degree will follow the provisions as laid out in the Graduate Academic Calendar

 
Program Requirements

The doctoral program is designed to emphasize the multidisciplinary nature of research and scholarship in mathematical and statistical modelling. The research component of the program is based on an application-oriented training model, in which students work closely with faculty supervisors who mentor students in the development, execution and interpretation of their research, and focus on the development of students into independent researchers. Students are engaged in a specific area of research under the supervision of faculty members, making an original contribution to knowledge. Students start working on their research project in year 1 to become familiar with the area of research and develop a research proposal by year 2. In addition to accomplishing the goals of their research project and defending their dissertation (MA899 - Doctoral Dissertation, 6.0 credits), students must complete MA810 - Research Proposal and Qualifying Examination and MA821 - Research Seminar. Additionally, all students in the program should attend MA820 - Interdisciplinary Seminar in Modelling and its Applications, during the fall and winter terms, and participate in a one-day Research Modelling Symposium organized in summer.

Students must meet the course requirements of the program to graduate. The minimal course requirements (MA880 - Graduate Seminar in Mathematical and Statistical Modelling and two elective 0.5-credit courses) are normally fulfilled in the first and second year of the program, and MA800 - Comprehensive Examination should normally be completed in the third term of the program after successfully completing MA880 - Graduate Seminar in Mathematical and Statistical Modelling and at least two electives. MA810 - Research Proposal and Qualifying Examination should normally be completed in the fourth term, but no later than the end of the fifth term.

Year 1  Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
MA800 - Comprehensive Examination
MA820 - Interdisciplinary Seminar in Modelling and its Applications
MA880 - Graduate Seminar in Mathematical and Statistical Modelling
MA899 - Doctoral Dissertation
Elective(s)*°
Research Symposium (spring term)
MA810 - Research Proposal and Qualifying Examination
MA820 - Interdisciplinary Seminar in Modelling and its Applications
MA899 - Doctoral Dissertation
Elective(s)*°
Research Symposium (spring term)

MA820 - Interdisciplinary Seminar in Modelling and its Applications
MA821 - Research Seminar
MA899 - Doctoral Dissertation
Research Symposium (spring term)

MA820 - Interdisciplinary Seminar in Modelling and its Applications
MA899 - Doctoral Dissertation

*Until the requirement of two 0.5-credit elective courses (1.0 credit total) has been completed.
° At the recommendation of the candidate's academic advisor and with the approval of the Graduate Co-ordinator, up to two additional 0.5-credit elective courses may be required for some students, selected from among the graduate program offerings. All elective course selections must be approved by the the advisory committee.

The students have seminar presentations (MA821 - Research Seminar) of their dissertation research projects, normally in the 3rd year of the program. The dissertation research project is a focused application-oriented project with well-defined objectives and milestones that should be typically achieved within four years. The supervisor(s) and advisory committee monitor the progress of the student through annual progress and activity reports and regular meetings of the Dissertation Advisory Committee to ensure that the objectives and all milestones are being met within the appropriate time for degree completion.

Research Symposium

To promote interaction between the students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty in the program, all PhD students are expected to present their work orally or in the form of a poster in an annual one-day Research Symposium. Participation in the symposium will be monitored through the annual report submitted by every student in April. As part of the Symposium, faculty and/or postdoctoral fellows from different academic units participating in the PhD program may also be asked to give short presentations on their work. Guest speakers with expertise in interdisciplinary research in one of the identified application domains of mathematical and statistical modelling may be invited as a keynote speaker of this Symposium.

Research Proposal and Qualifying Exam

A written research proposal outlining the planned dissertation research must be submitted to the Qualifying Exam Committee (QEC) at least two weeks before the date of the exam. There will be program guidelines for the format and content of the written proposal developed for all students. The Graduate Co-ordinator appoints an impartial Chair for the Research Proposal and Qualifying Exam. The Chair must be a member of the Graduate Faculty of the university. The QEC is composed of the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) and one member external to the program/unit. The DAC should ensure that this person is a member of the Graduate Faculty of the university, has expertise related to the subject of the dissertation, is willing to serve in this capacity, and is available to attend the research proposal presentation. The external member of the QEC is approved by the Graduate Co-ordinator. This person may then function as an “internal/external” examiner in the Dissertation Examination Committee (DEC). 

Presentation and defence of the research proposal include a student’s oral presentation summarizing the research proposal, which is followed by a period of questions from members of the audience, excluding the QEC. The final part of the examination will consist of questions from the QEC to the candidate and will be performed in camera in the presence of the QEC and the Chair. The examiners may ask questions related to the research proposal, which allow them to judge the student's mastery of relevant background knowledge for his/her dissertation topic, including an appropriate breadth of knowledge in the discipline and the student's ability to undertake independent and original research.

Based on the candidate’s defence of the research proposal and responses to questions, the QEC will render a Pass/Fail/Deferred decision on the exam. Students must pass the Research Proposal and Qualifying Exam to continue in the program. Students will gain 0.5 credit if they pass the Qualifying Exam. If the student’s performance is deemed to be unsatisfactory (“failed” or “decision deferred”), the examination may be repeated no later than 6 months from the date of the first examination. If the student does not receive a pass following the second examination, the Graduate Co-ordinator will recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies that the student be required to withdraw from the PhD program.

Doctoral Dissertation

As a requirement for graduation from the program, the student must prepare a dissertation on his or her original research in mathematical and statistical modelling within one or more of the application domains identified for this program, and present this dissertation to the Dissertation Examination Committee (DEC) composed of the members of the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) and at least one external examiner as described in the regulations and procedures for the doctoral dissertation