PhD in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science (AMCS)

The overall goal of the programme is to educate and inspire students to be experts and leaders in the interdisciplinary areas of science and engineering focusing on the intersection of algorithms, applications, and data. The Programme aims to provide students, whether planning on an industrial or academic career, with a challenging research environment and the opportunity to tackle theoretical or applied projects of major scope, depth, and originality. The programme gives students broad and deep knowledge of the fundamental techniques used in computational modelling and data science, significant exposure to at least one application domain, and to conduct significant original research in mathematical modelling, algorithms and/or applications relating to computational and data science of relevance to the 4IR.

Entry Requirements

The NM-AIST, a research intensive institution, will admit PhD students on competitive basis with qualifications and experience required for promoting research and innovation excellence. The criteria for admission into PhD programmes at NM-AIST are outlined below.

(a)  Doctor of Philosophy by Coursework and Dissertation

1. Possession of at least a second class Bachelor’s degree with at least a GPA of 3.0/5.0 or its equivalent or a postgraduate diploma with at least a GPA of 4.0/5.0 or its equivalent in an appropriate area of study from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning. For an applicant holding unclassified degrees (e.g. M.D, BVM & DDS) should have at least an overall of “C” grade and an average of “B” grade in the relevant subject or field of his/her specialization.
2. Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or its equivalent and at least an average of “B” in the relevant subjects or field of specialization.
3. The applicant must satisfy the Programme and specialty specific requirements as specified by the respective School/Department hosting the programme.
4. The applicant may be expected to pass an entry assessment, which may take one of the following methods: (1) personal interview, (2) written assessment, (3) interview plus written assessment, and (4) Assessment exemption (on justifiable grounds).

(b)  Doctor of Philosophy by Research and Thesis

1. Possession of at least a second class Bachelor’s degree with at least a GPA of 3.0/5.0 or its equivalent or a postgraduate diploma with at least a GPA of 4.0/5.0 or its equivalent in an appropriate area of study from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning. For an applicant holding unclassified degrees (e.g. M.D, BVM & DDS) should have at least an overall of “C” grade and an average of “B” grade in the relevant subject or field of his/her specialization.
2. Possession of Master’s degree from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0.
3. Demonstrate working and research experience by either producing evidence of:
4. At least TWO years working experience in related field and at least TWO publications in accredited peer-reviewed journals, being the FIRST author in ONE publication or
5. ONE publication and a patent/prototype emanating from his/her research/innovation work in line with NM-AIST’s Research and Innovation Policy, or
6. A prototype that requires incubation/scaling up in line with NM-AIST’s Research and Innovation Policy, or
7. A funded research project with a PhD training component in which the applicant is the project PI/ Co PI in a related field, or
8. Working experience (in related field) of at least FIVE years and a statement of purpose (education background, motivation for study programme, study plan and map, plan after study, and honors and awards).
9. Submission along with application documents, a concise TWO-page concept note or details of a prototype of what he/she wishes to work on as part of his/her study provided it is within the NM-AIST research agenda.
10. The applicant may be expected to defend the concept note or prototype before a panel appointed by the host School/Department to demonstrate the candidate’s research skills and work experience.
11. The applicant should be ready to pursue prescribed skills and capacity enhancing courses which are offered to all PhD students at NM-AIST as common core courses and as may be recommended by the supervisors, to enhance research performance. The courses may be taken flexibly during the duration of the programme but MUST be successfully completed before graduation.

(c) Programme and Specialty Specific Requirements

Students should have successful completion of Master’s degree in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Statistics, Mathematical Modelling, Statistical Modelling, Computational Mathematics, and Data Science.

Areas of Specialization

1. Operations Research (OR)
2. Computational Mathematics Techniques (CMT)
3. Probability, Stochastic, and Discrete Mathematics (PSDM)

Programme Duration

1. Status: Full Time
2. Years: Three (3) Years
3. Semesters: Six (6)

Mode of Delivery

Face to face, Mixed (Mixed-mode (also known as blended or hybrid mode) are delivery modes where a portion of the traditional face-to-face instruction is replaced by web-based online learning)