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Academic Placements

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:08 pm
by Pointpizza
Hi.

I'm an undergraduate student who is looking ahead to the future. I'm considering getting a mathematics PhD one day after I graduate.

If I did, I would want to be a university professor, rather than working at Microsoft or NASA or wherever else.

What are placements like for graduate schools in mathematics? Do I have to go to a top 10 school to have a chance at one? Thanks.

Re: Academic Placements

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:13 pm
by Voided
Pointpizza wrote:I'm considering getting a mathematics PhD one day after I graduate.
One day is pretty quick for a PhD :P
Pointpizza wrote:What are placements like for graduate schools in mathematics?
Depends on the school, some have this information on their websites, have a poke around.
Pointpizza wrote:Do I have to go to a top 10 school to have a chance at one?
No. For instance here is a map showing placements for people out of the University of Kentucky PhD program: https://math.as.uky.edu/math-alumni-map

That said, school ranking will have affect on your placement prospects. Networks matter a lot in academia.

Re: Academic Placements

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 12:25 am
by verysweetjuices
Pointpizza wrote:
What are placements like for graduate schools in mathematics? Do I have to go to a top 10 school to have a chance at one? Thanks.
Extremely hard to get, sparse compared to the number of applicants, and very, very competitive. You don't have to, no, but going to a top 10 definitely helps your chances a lot.

Re: Academic Placements

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 5:17 am
by chargee
Pointpizza wrote:Hi.

I'm an undergraduate student who is looking ahead to the future. I'm considering getting a mathematics PhD one day after I graduate.

If I did, I would want to be a university professor, rather than working at Microsoft or NASA or wherever else.

What are placements like for graduate schools in mathematics? Do I have to go to a top 10 school to have a chance at one? Thanks.
Wait, when you say "a university professor," do you want to be at a research university or a liberal arts college professorship is fine (where you would still do research of course, but more emphasis is on teaching)?

If the former from what I have heard from my professors and read on academia.stackexchange and math.se, there is a general trend of ending up (with tenure) at a lower ranked school than the school you got your PhD from. So, you need to be at a top school if you plan on joining big group I schools. This is because of the competitiveness of the job market. And you can read more about it from the following answers given by math professors:

http://math.stackexchange.com/a/70209/
http://math.stackexchange.com/a/649228/
http://math.stackexchange.com/questions ... in-the-u-s
http://math.stackexchange.com/questions ... ou-ca?rq=1

I attended an LAC and to be honest, my professors seem to be happy doing the research they like, so the only thing missing seems to be a vibrant mathematical research community/seminars--community as in big research groups. So whichever way you go, I'm sure there are enough opportunities for you to still do mathematics and enjoy doing it, despite not going to top 10 universities.