Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Pure mathematics. Applied mathematics. Statistics and probability.

The Department of Mathematics & Statistics is a teaching and research-oriented department that offers graduate degrees (M.S. and Ph.D.) and undergraduate degrees in Pure and Applied Mathematics and Statistics. With over 40 faculty members with roughly two-thirds of those in tenured or tenure-track positions, the department offers a wide range of experts to advise students and do research.

Why choose our programs?

Department Chair Tin-Yau Tam in the Math Department office hallway.

Dedicated faculty

Our leading research-active faculty receive funding from national and international agencies, providing a thriving working and learning environment, valuable experience, and financial support to pursue their own research.

Lake Tahoe sunset.

Rich outdoor environment

Our campus sits just north of Reno's thriving downtown and is less than an hour away from some of the most beautiful outdoor recreation areas in the country like Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Professor Mihye Ahn discussing her research poster.

Leading research

Our faculty and graduate students are leading cutting-edge research in the fields of operator algebras, number theory, applied mathematics, topology, statistics and probability, and many others.

Math department news

A false-color satellite image shows a fractal-like coastal landmass with a river emptying into the ocean. The land is shown in red and the water is shown in blue.

How trees help a statistics professor understand rivers and earthquakes

McMinn Professor Ilya Zaliapin uses statistical methods for hierarchies to understand natural phenomena

A woman and a man stand smiling in bright sunlight.

Professors Emeriti Jerry and Jeanne Johnson give back to support students of science

A generous donation will support a legacy of mathematicians and scientists

Green, computer-generated fractal art on a purple background, with a signature on the bottom.

Math as art

Many mathematicians in the College of Science work in pure mathematics, but the field often blurs the lines between math and art.