The Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is home to an active community of teachers, scholars, undergraduates, and graduate students. In addition to most traditional areas of Pure and Applied Mathematics, the department contains all UWM programs in Actuarial Science.

The department offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral studies in all of these areas, in addition to several interdisciplinary programs. Established in 1963, the PhD in Mathematics is the original doctoral program at UWM, founded by Dr. Morris Marden.

In addition, together with Computer Science (in the College of Engineering and Applied Science), we offer the Applied Math and Computer Science Bachelor of Science degree, as well as a Data Science Bachelor of Science degree.

Mathematics is the principal language of modern science and technology. In such diverse areas as physics, engineering, economics, computer science, and biology, much of the subject matter is presented in mathematical terms. In addition, mathematical techniques are now being used in many areas which formerly were non-mathematical; for example, history, political science, psychology, and medicine.

Some students are drawn to mathematics because of the beauty they find in its structure and logic, others because it allows a deeper understanding of an allied area of study.

Actuarial science is the mathematical analysis of problems in economics, finance, and insurance. It requires knowledge of statistics, probability, and interest theory and how they relate to financial issues.

Data science uses large sets of data — sometimes millions of pieces of data — to describe or solve some of the world’s toughest problems. Data scientists use those large sets of information to describe what’s happening, explain why it’s happening, predict what’s likely to happen and make decisions about what action to take.

The Applied Mathematics and Computer Science degree combines core subjects in the two fields, preparing students for work in industrial and technology fields.

Students of the sciences, engineering, computer science, economics, and business often complete a significant number of mathematical sciences credits. These students are encouraged to take a mathematics major or minor, which adds an official recognition of important analytical skills valued by employers and graduate schools.

Students interested in teaching mathematics at the K-12 level should consult the School of Education section of this catalog.

For the Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Applied Math & Computer Science, and Data Science programs, please visit the department web page at https://uwm.edu/math/ and follow the links to the undergraduate program for more information. 

There are three curricular areas in the Department of Mathematical Sciences:

  • Actuarial Science (ACTSCI)
  • Mathematics (MATH)
  • Mathematical Statistics (MTHSTAT)

Undergraduate Studies - We offer two minors and five undergraduate degrees:

  • Bachelor of Science Degrees: Mathematics; Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (AMCS); Data Science (the latter two jointly with the Computer Science department)

  • Bachelor of Arts Degrees: Mathematics; Actuarial Science

  • Minors: Mathematics; Actuarial Science

Graduate Studies in Mathematical Sciences

The Department has a vibrant graduate program leading to both the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Mathematics. In addition to traditional areas of Mathematics and Statistics, our graduate offerings include UW-Milwaukee's Actuarial Science programs. The department also offers a newly established dual degree in mathematics with Fachhochschule Aachen (Aachen University of Applied Sciences) in Germany. Students may prepare for careers in teaching at the secondary or college level and for careers in research in the academic, industrial, government, or business communities.

See below for detailed program information and requirements.

Actuarial Science Courses

Mathematical Sciences Courses

Mathematical Statistics Courses

NameRankDegreeSchoolGraduate FacultyEmeritus Faculty
Fredric D. Ancel Professor PhD No Yes
James E. Arnold Jr. Associate Professor PhD No Yes
Jay H. Beder Professor PhD No Yes
Allen D. Bell Associate Professor PhD No Yes
Rebecca Bourn Faculty Associate PhD University of Virginia No No
Suzanne L. Boyd Associate Professor PhD Cornell University Yes No
Vytaras Brazauskas Professor PhD University of Texas at Dallas Yes No
Dashan Fan Professor PhD No Yes
Jonah Gaster Assistant Professor PhD University of Illinois at Chicago Yes No
Daniel Gervini Professor PhD Universidad de Buenos Aires Yes No
Jugal K. Ghorai Professor PhD No Yes
Craig R. Guilbault Professor PhD University of Tennessee Yes No
Robert L. Hall Associate Professor PhD No Yes
Peter Hinow Professor PhD Vanderbilt University Yes No
Yang Ho Clinical Professor PhD No Yes
Ingrid Holzner Senior Lecturer MS No Yes
G. Christopher Hruska Professor PhD Cornell University Yes No
Eric S. Key Professor PhD No Yes
Kelly Kohlmetz Senior Lecturer PhD University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee No No
Vincent Larson Professor PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology Yes No
Istvan G. Lauko Associate Professor PhD Texas Tech University Yes No
Cheng-Ming Lee Professor PhD No Yes
Tzu-Chu Lin Professor PhD No Yes
Gary Luck Senior Lecturer MS No Yes
Kevin B. McLeod Associate Professor PhD University of Minnesota Yes No
Richard J. Mihalek Associate Professor PhD No Yes
Albert J. Milani Professor PhD No Yes
Robert H. Moore Associate Professor PhD No Yes
Ian M. Musson Professor PhD No Yes
Thomas O'Bryan Associate Professor PhD No Yes
Richard J. O'Malley Professor PhD No Yes
Boris L. Okun Professor PhD State University of New York at Binghamton Yes No
Gabriella Pinter Professor PhD Texas Tech University Yes No
Ahmed H. Sameh Adjunct Professor PhD No Yes
David H. Schultz Professor PhD No Yes
Steven Schwengels Senior Lecturer MS No Yes
Lindsay A. Skinner Professor PhD No Yes
Panayiotis Skordi Clinical Professor PhD Curtin University No No
Donald W. Solomon Associate Professor PhD No Yes
David Spade Assistant Professor PhD The Ohio State University Yes No
Richard Stockbridge Distinguished Professor PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison Yes No
Lijing Sun Associate Professor PhD Wayne State University Yes No
Anastasios Tsonis Distinguished Professor PhD No Yes
Xianwei Van Harpen Senior Lecturer PhD Illinois State University No No
Hans W. Volkmer Professor PhD No Yes
Bruce Wade Professor PhD No Yes
Gilbert G. Walter Professor PhD No Yes
Lei Wang Associate Professor PhD University of Michigan Yes No
Wei Wei Associate Professor PhD University of Waterloo Yes No
Jeb Willenbring Professor PhD University of California, San Diego Yes No
Dexuan Xie Professor PhD University of Houston Yes No
Chao Zhu Professor PhD Wayne State University Yes No
Yi Ming Zou Professor PhD No Yes