Student Life

Rice provides an open and productive mathematical environment for graduate study. With approximately twenty nine graduate students, the low student-faculty ratio encourages easy interaction. Much of the instruction, especially after the first two years, occurs in small interactive seminars, reading courses, or on an individual basis. In this comfortable milieu, faculty members can take a close personal interest in their students, both during their studies and after graduation. Students also have the opportunity to interact with graduate students and faculty in the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics as well as the Department of Statistics.

At Rice, graduate students in mathematics are given plenty of time to further their mathematical development. Typically, a supported student will be required to spend about ten hours per week on duties of a general instructional nature, such as providing one on one instruction during homework sessions or tutorial sessions, grading or supervising teams of graders. Graduate students also have the opportunity to gain classroom experience. Usually they will teach a total of one or two courses during their entire tenure at Rice, depending on their interest.

Nearby research universities include the University of Houston (a twenty minute drive), Texas A&M University (a 1 3/4 hour drive), and the University of Texas at Austin (a 2 1/2 hour drive). The biannual Texas Geometry and Topology Conference is usually held at either one of these 3 universities or at Rice. Graduate students frequently receive support to attend this and other national mathematics conferences.

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