Studying at the Faculty

Graduate Studies

The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science offers graduate programs towards an M.Sc. degree and a Ph.D. degree in four areas:

• Applied Mathematics
• Bioinformatics
• Computer Science
• Mathematics

Classes are small and the environment is friendly. The emphasis is on research and prospective students should carefully consider the research interests of the faculty to see if it conforms with his/her own interests before applying. There is no undergraduate degree program. For more details and updated information see the Moross Research School of Mathematics and Computer Science web page.

Currently, the Faculty admits approximately 30 new Masters students per year and approximately 10 new Ph.D. students per year. There are no tuition fees and most students receive a stipend which covers living expenses. Please note that all classes are taught in English.

Direct Ph.D. Program: Students who are accepted to the M.Sc. program and do particularly well in their first year of study may be accepted directly into the Ph.D program before completing the requirements for the M.Sc. degree. In this case, they will still be required to complete the course requirements for the M.Sc., but will not have to write an M.Sc. thesis.

General Information

The academic year is based on two semesters, each of which is approximately 15 weeks long. The first semester begins after the the Jewish holiday of Succot therefore, the first day of classes is usually in the second half of October or early November. A credit point corresponds to one lecture hour per semester.
 
Application forms may be obtained from:

The Feinberg Graduate School
The Weizmann Institute of Science
Rehovot 7610001, Israel

or from the appropriate WWW site of the Feinberg Graduate School.

Course Selection

Students should select courses according to their track of studies, see details. Students are welcomed to consult with the current members of the Teaching Committee (Vaadat Hora'a) or with faculty members in their field of interest.

Courses taken from outside WIS can in special situations bring credit points; the permission for such extramural courses and the exact number of credit points will be decided by the Teaching Committee.

Eligibility for Study

Applicants for the M.Sc. program are expected to have completed the requirements for a first degree in mathematics or computer science before the beginning of the academic year for which admission is sought. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in a related area such as engineering (preferably electrical), or science (preferably physics) may also be considered for admission if their record is sufficiently comprehensive and promising. In most cases a technical interview is a prerequisite for admission to the M.Sc. program.
Normally, admission to the Ph.D. program is restricted to holders of an M.Sc. degree, or its equivalent. Under current graduate school regulations, admission requires the agreement of a prospective Ph.D. advisor.
 

Important Dates

Applications for admission to the M.Sc. program should be submitted by March 31. It is advisable not to wait until the last minute. Particularly strong candidates will be accepted early. Students from Foreign countries may be required to supply Graduate Record Exam scores and/or recommendations from someone known to one or more members of the Faculty. Applications for the Ph.D. program are considered every three months or so. We recommend that you plan to start in the Fall semester and submit the application several months before that.

Additional information may be obtained by writing to the Teaching Committee: horaa.math@weizmann.ac.il

Research Positions

Post-doctoral studies at the Weizmann Institute are formally administered through the Feinberg Graduate School. The school provides a fair number of post-doctoral fellowships,which are granted based on the recommendations of the individual Faculties. The current policy of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science is to strongly prefer postdoctoral candidates whose research interests fit those of some Faculty member. Exceptions are considered only in rare cases of outstanding promise.

Applications for post-doctoral fellowships should be made through the Feinberg Graduate School . Note that such an application should indicate a desired supervisor (or host). It is strongly advised that potential candidates contact the desired supervisor prior to their application. In addition,several researchers offer post-doctoral fellowships of their own (funded by their own research grants). For a list of these, see Post-Doctorate Positions Available at the Weizmann Institute of Science

Currently, the Faculty hosts approximately 10 post-doctoral fellows, who typically stay for two years. Most of these fellows are non-Israeli, but some are Israeli. Typically, postdoctoral fellows follow their own research interests, while interacting with Faculty members. In addition, they attendsome of the research seminars and sometimes even our graduate courses, but formally this is not required.