About Mathematics

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:

• David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science
• Department of Applied Mathematics
• Department Combinatorics and Optimization
• Department of Pure Mathematics
• Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science

Or inter-disciplinary programs in the following areas:

• Computational Mathematics
• Data Science
• Mathematics and Business

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

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.

Facts

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.

Programs and student information

• The Faculty of Math has over 50,000 alumni around the world.
• Students in the Faculty of Math currently make up 22% of the undergraduate population at the University of Waterloo, with 31% identifying as female.
• 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 2024 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.

Research and awards

• $29+ million of research funding
• Eight Canada Research Chairs, with one Canada 150 Research Chair
• 13 researchers hold University Research Chairs
• 17 Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
• Six Canadian Mathematical Society fellows
• Seven Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Four Killam Prizes
• One Fellow of the American Physical Society
• One Officer of the Order of Canada
• Two Fields Institute Fellows
• Nine researchers have been designated University Professor by the University of Waterloo
• Eight Early Researcher awards

Outreach and the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing

• CEMC impacts 300,000 young people in 85+ countries annually through our Contests, CEMC Visits Schools program, Student Workshops, and Tools and Resources 
• More than 270,000 students write CEMC’s mathematics and computing contests each year
• Over 15,000 students are reached annually through the CEMC Visits Schools program, Student Workshops and the Online Summer Problem Solving Course
• CEMC’s Problem of the Week has over 50,000 unique subscribers 
• CEMC's free online Courseware receives 5.8M pageviews with over 245,000 users from more than 180 countries annually
• Over 150 educators attend the CEMC’s Summer Conference for Computer Studies and Mathematics Educators each year
• About 175 educators are enrolled in the Master of Mathematics for Teachers (MMT) program and 787 have graduated so far 
• CEMC selects and trains:
  • Canadian team of students competing in the European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics
  • Canadian team of students competing in the International Olympiad in Informatics