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General Information

The Penn AMCS Graduate Program is an interdisciplinary program that offers training in advanced mathematics and its applications to problems in the sciences, medicine and engineering. We offer both the Masters and PhD degrees. 

We will begin accepting applications for the Fall 2024 academic year on October 1, 2023.  We typically accept PhD applications until January 1, and Masters applications until February 1.

We welcome applications from interested and dedicated students in the mathematical sciences. Applicants for admission are expected to have a mathematical background that is comparable to an undergraduate mathematics major.  All applicants are expected to take courses, beyond calculus,  in mathematical analysis (2 semesters), linear algebra (1 semesters), probability (1 semesters),  and complex analysis (1 semesters). In general, the more advanced mathematics you have studied the better. We also welcome and encourage applications from students in applied fields with less complete mathematical preparation; however, we do need evidence of your aptitude for work in advanced mathematics. 

Applications must be submitted  electronically

GRE requirements: The Math subject GRE is required for all PhD applicants (not Master's) but not the General GRE Test.  Please take this exam in person at a test center.  Scores from a prior year are fine. If you cannot take the GRE subject test for some unavoidable reason, please state the reason in your personal statement.

Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
See the end of this page if you are a non-native English speaker but have studied in the US.

The GRE and English language exams should be taken early enough for the scores to be received at Penn in time to be considered by the Admissions Committee. Note that it can take a month or more after taking the exam before the score is reported, and that advanced registration is required for these tests.  To see that we receive your standardized test scores: for the GRE, use the institution code  2926. For the  TOEFL the institution code is 2926, and the Department code is 72.

Applicants are considered on the basis of their courses, grades, letters of recommendation, test scores (basic and advanced GRE, TOEFL, and TSE), the personal statement and other supporting material. Letters of recommendation should preferably be from professors in the mathematical sciences or faculty from another scientific discipline, who know the applicant well, and who can comment on the applicant's abilities, accomplishments, and potential for research in applied mathematics and computational science. 

Applicants are required to submit a personal statement with their application. Please describe how your background and academic experiences have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree and led you to apply to Penn. Your essay should detail your specific research interests and intellectual goals within your chosen field. Please provide information about your educational trajectory, intellectual curiosity and academic ambitions. If you have overcome adversity and/or experienced limited access to resources or opportunities in your field of study, please feel free to share how that has affected the course of your education. We are interested in your lived experiences and how your particular perspective might contribute to the inclusive and dynamic learning community that Penn values and strives to create. In addition, the applicant is encouraged to suggest AMCS faculty members whose research is of interest to them. This personal statement will serve as a writing sample; no additional writing sample is required.  

Applicants should indicate the final degree that they hope to be awarded from the Penn AMCS Graduate Program (either M.A., or Ph.D.). Students who intend to obtain an M.A. on the way to a Ph.D. at Penn should indicate that they intend to get a PhD. Masters students are not generally eligible to receive financial aid.

Please Note:

  • If you have graduated from a 4-year program in the US or other English speaking countries, your TOEFL requirement is waived for purposes of applying to AMCS.
  • If you have graduated from a 4-year program in the US and wish to be a TA in some department at Penn, you must either pass Penn's internal IPT or present a TOEFL of at least 27, or an IELTS score of at least 8.