Mathematics

The Master’s programme in Mathematics at the HSE Faculty of Mathematics offers a highly individualized experience for students regardless of whether you study in English or Russian.

After successfully completing the programme, you will defend a master’s thesis and can either proceed to a research career as a doctoral student or seek work as a professional in areas related to applied mathematics. Our top graduates are regularly admitted to doctoral programmes at the world’s leading research centres.

Independent research and student involvement in the faculty’s research activities are an integral part of the curriculum. All teachers in the programme are renowned experts in their respective fields who carry out active research and are eager to work with master’s students as they take their first steps in developing their own research.

The programme has been developed for two key cohorts of students: those who are interested in pursuing an academic career in mathematics and other STEM disciplines (such as computer science, mathematical economics, etc) and bachelor’s graduates in knowledge-intensive applied areas who need to get a foundational degree in mathematics to build a career in their field of choice.

Upon graduating from our programme, students with an interest in academia are well positioned to pass doctoral exams and already have research and teaching experience in their field. Students oriented towards knowledge-intensive applications receive foundational training in mathematics irrespective of their undergraduate background.

• Individualized curriculum. The programme includes only two required courses: ‘Mathematical Methods in Natural Science’ and a Research Seminar. All other courses are electives. Your individualized curriculum can include courses in the Faculty of Mathematics, as well as other HSE faculties and universities, such as the Independent University of Moscow, Skoltech, Math in Moscow, Steklov Mathematical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Yandex School of Data Analysis. As a first-year student, you will be assigned a temporary academic supervisor based on your research interests. Another unique aspect of this programme is that students can apply simultaneously for Skoltech’s master’s programme in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics and study under a curriculum that is shared by both programmes.
• Research and teaching experience. Each student chooses an academic supervisor for their term papers and theses. The top students are given an opportunity to work as research interns at the Faculty’s international laboratories: Laboratory of Algebraic Geometry and Its Applications, International Laboratory for Mirror Symmetry and Automorphic Forms, and HSE – Skoltech International Laboratory of Representation Theory and Mathematical Physics. You will also have the opportunity to work as paid teaching assistants in the Faculty of Mathematics and other university faculties.
• Financial support. Special scholarships of 20,000 roubles/month are made available to the programme’s top students, which allow recipients to participate in work being undertaken by the laboratories, including work to support research grants.
• Internships, research schools and conferences. The Faculty of Mathematics has agreements on cooperation and student exchanges with several leading international mathematics departments, including Ecole Polytechnique, Kyoto University, the University of Tokyo, and Leiden University. Top students receive support from the faculty, including financial aid, to complete internships at Russian and international universities, as well as to participate in summer schools and conferences both in Russia and internationally.
• Strong research faculty. The programme is taught by a unique teaching team that consists of 140 members, including researchers from Great Britain, the United States, France, and Japan. Over 30 teachers have degrees from leading Western universities, and 14 have been invited speakers at the International Congress of Mathematicians.

Graduates of the programme have traditionally pursued careers that fall into three main areas.

The first is academia, with graduates continuing their studies in the world’s best doctoral programmes in mathematics and eventually becoming professional mathematicians. Many of our graduates have become teachers at leading universities in Russia and other countries, as well as at Russia’s top mathematics schools.

Another area is applied science, such as computer science, computer linguistics, bioinformatics, actuarial mathematics, and statistics. In this case, graduates often continue in different master’s programmes or work at leading Russian or international companies.

Finally, graduates pursue careers in business, economics, and finance.

Some of the companies our graduates work at

International students can apply for the remote portfolio competition for both state-funded and fee-paying places. Submitting an application online doesn’t require you to come to Moscow to sit an exam or an Olympiad. Students who enrol in fee-paying slots are eligible for a flexible system of discounts. For details, visit International Admissions.