UP Institute of Mathematics

About

The Institute of Mathematics is the leading institution for mathematics research and education in the Philippines. Since 1998, it has been recognized by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education as a Center of Excellence. It is home to the country's best and more promising researchers in mathematics.

Apart from offering an excellent BS Mathematics program, the Institute also grants the following graduate degrees: MA Mathematics, Professional Master's in Applied Mathematics, MS Applied Mathematics, MS Mathematics and PhD Mathematics.

Formerly known as the Department of Mathematics, the Institute is the largest institute in the University of the Philippines System, with about 100 full-time faculty members supported by 9 administrative and computer staff. It nurtures about 300 undergraduate and 200 graduate students, and handles all the mathematics courses of some 5000 undergraduate students in the whole UP Diliman campus.

History

Shortly after the College of Liberal Arts was founded on June 3, 1910, one of the independent units created for instruction was the Department of Mathematics. The first Chief of the Department, a title changed to Chairman in the mid-sixties was a Mr. William Joseph Colbert, BA 1900 Darmouth College, Associate Professor of Mathematics, who organized the original Mathematics Department consisting of an assistant professor, a Mr. Alexander S. Galajikian from Cornell University and two instructors, a Mr. Shirley E, Roberts, BA 1900, Harvard, and Ms. Pilar Hidalgo, BA 1913, U.P. The Department was charged with contributing towards the goals of the College of Liberal Arts, namely:

   * Contribute towards a liberal arts orientation to all degree programs of the University
   * Provide specialized instruction in Mathematics by way of the major's program on the undergraduate and the graduate levels in the view of the authorization by the Board of Regents to grant Bachelor of Arts or BA on June 6, 1911, and the M aster of Arts or MA on June 30, 1911
   * Serve other colleges, like Engineering, Education, Pharmacy, ...
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     by way of mathematics offerings supportive of their respective degree programs. 

These three main objectives have persisted through the year to thi s day and have aligned the functions of the Department into three main categories:

   * General education mathematics
   * Mathematics as an academic discipline to be developed
   * Service mathematics courses 

Accordingly the faculty has been considered as performing or delivering three main services:

   * Teaching
   * Research
   * Extension service 

Academic Programs

The department offers an undergraduate course, Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, which will allow students to choose an area of specialization. These areas include number theory, operations research, actuarial science, analysis, etc.

The department has a number of graduate programs, namely, Master of Science in Mathematics, Master of Science in Applied Mathematics, Professional Masters in Applied Mathematics (Actuarial Science), Master of Arts in Mathematics, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics.