About Mathematics

The Faculty of Mathematics connects theoretical advances and innovative mathematics to develop novel solutions to pressing problems.

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Metropolitan of math

The Faculty of Mathematics connects three areas central to our millennium: mathematics, statistics and computer science. Students can choose undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies in the following units:

Or inter-disciplinary programs in the following areas:

The Faculty of Mathematics has more than 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 260 full-time professors, and 500 courses, offering a diverse range of programs and research opportunities.

A powerhouse of discovery and innovation

#1 in Canada for mathematics and computer science

Macleans University Rankings, 2021

As North America’s only dedicated Faculty of Mathematics, we make world-leading contributions and create and attract industry leaders. With a depth and breadth of expertise, we lead advancements in foundational math and turn research into innovations for real-world application.

We have a long history of seminal work in graph theory, cryptography, privacy, and artificial intelligence. From proof on Rota’s Conjecture and the solution to the strong Tsirelson problem, to elliptical curve cryptography and programming languages, to more than 150 startups and spinoffs, our researchers impact the world.

Math and computer science are increasingly important for the jobs of tomorrow in areas including artificial intelligence, big data, health care, cybersecurity and privacy, and business. It’s just one of the reasons that the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing was founded. The Centre focuses on increasing interest, enjoyment, confidence, and ability in mathematics and computer science for both educators and learners from grades 3 through 12.

Attracting and developing talent

Math is in the water at Waterloo – it’s part of the ecosystem. With celebrated faculty from around the world, access to institutes such as the Perimeter Institute, the Institute for Quantum Computing, the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute, and industry leaders like Google Canada, OpenText, Maplesoft and multiple insurance companies, math and computing are everywhere.

The scale of opportunities for our students through co-op employment and mentorship through the Faculty’s connections around the world are endless. We have over 42,000 alumni working in more than 105 countries. Whether our students choose a life in academia, government or industry, our graduates have a competitive edge.

Math degrees lead to 7/10 of the top jobs for the last three years

CareerCast.com

Facts

Abacus

History

  • North America’s only dedicated Faculty of Mathematics opened in 1967
  • First Department of Statistics
  • First and only Department of Combinatorics and Optimization
  • The first degree from the University of Waterloo was a Master’s of Mathematics degree for Ron Mullin, who later became a professor.
  • The year the first graduating class conferred from the Faculty of Mathematics (1967/8) there were 53 faculty and 1,800 undergraduate students.
  • Thanks to the work of Wes Graham, Waterloo was one of the first universities to give undergraduate students access to computers.
  • We have tracked more than 150 startups and spinoffs from the Faculty of Mathematics by students, faculty, and alumni.
Network

Programs and student information

  • Math degrees lead to 7/10 of the top jobs for the last three years according to CareerCast.com.
  • The Faculty of Math's 40,000th alumni graduated during the June 2019 convocation ceremony.
  • Students in the Faculty of Math currently make up 22% of the undergraduate population at the University of Waterloo, 36.5% of whom identify as female.
  • For the last two years, members of the Faculty of Mathematics have been recognized as Faculty Association Equity and Inclusivity Award winners – Women in Computer Science (WiCs) in 2018, Benoit Charbonneau in 2019.
  • In 2018, our students swept the top four spots at the regional International Collegiate Programming Competition against 129 teams from schools that included Carnegie Mellon, the University of Michigan, and the University of Toronto!
  • Waterloo students have twice won the worldwide International Collegiate Programming Contest, an annual multi-tiered programming competition among the universities of the world
  • Under the "non-business" ranking, Waterloo ranks 1st for the 2019 UNL Global Research Rankings of Actuarial Science and Risk Management and Insurance in the area of insurance/actuarial publications. 
  • We have more top-5 finishes in the Putnam math competition than any other Canadian University.
Award

Research and awards

Hands

Outreach and the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing

  • In October 2018 the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing mathematics courseware received its 5,000,000th pageview.
  • Math online courseware gets 1 million hits a term.
  • Over 468,000 learners in 221 countries access our award-winning free math courseware.
  • More than 256,000 students in 81 countries write the CEMC contests each year.
  • External Math sponsorships include: