PhD in Mathematics and Applications

Call for Applications

The PhD Program in Mathematics and Applications at Bocconi University is a four-year program taught in English. The program builds on the Department of Decision Sciences’ internationally recognized faculty, vibrant research environment, and Bocconi University’s mission to foster interdisciplinary innovation. The Department has a strong tradition in both pure and applied mathematics, with several faculty members holding prestigious ERC grants.

For the PhD in Mathematics and Applications, the PhD School offers 4 fellowships fully funded by Tech Europe Foundation (TEF).

Fellowships amount to € 27,000 gross per year for four years. Students with fellowship are exempt from the payment of tuition fees for the duration of the four-year program

Curriculum and timeline

The first year provides rigorous core training at the heart of Mathematical Analysis—bringing students quickly to the research frontier and enabling them to launch a substantive research agenda—and is complemented by electives that may cover other areas of mathematics or, depending on their interests, economics, finance, statistics, or machine learning. The second year completes this preparation, offering a view toward applications and providing advanced, research-oriented courses, also taught by visiting professors. The program is structured accordingly: research begins in the first year and develops progressively thereafter. Years three and four are devoted fully to research and thesis writing, with opportunities for international research visits and exchanges.

In addition to a strong core in cutting-edge Mathematical Analysis, the program offers distinctive opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in economics, finance, decision theory, and computer science, in line with Bocconi’s tradition in the social sciences.

Faculty and visiting scholars

The faculty includes internationally acknowledged researchers in Mathematical Analysis, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Decision Theory, and Mathematical Finance. The program also benefits from authoritative visiting professors who deliver short monographic courses on frontier topics.

Careers

The PhD in Mathematics and Applications is designed for highly motivated students aiming for first-rate research careers in academia, research institutes, and quantitative roles in industry and finance, as well as strategy consulting, operation research, optimization, and AI/ML labs.

Admission profile

We welcome applications from highly qualified and motivated candidates with an MSc degree in pure or applied Mathematics, as well as from candidates in Computer Science, Physics, Economics, Data Science, Engineering, or related areas, provided they have a solid background in mathematics.

Student support

The PhD School’s tutors and Career Service are available to support candidates during the application process and students throughout their studies.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Applications can be submitted by candidates of any citizenship who:

• have completed or are completing their graduate studies and
• have at least a “proven” B2 (CEFR) level of competence in English

For more detailed information, please see the full official call published on the website by clicking the Apply button above.

For more detailed information about our program, please visit the website here.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

To apply for our PhD program, only our online application procedure may be used.

Applications are due by 18 January 2027.

The assessment of the applicant is based on:

• Personal curriculum: full CV (mandatory)
• Academic records: transcript of exams and certification of undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded and final grade (if any); if the graduate program has not been completed, an enrollment document with the full study plan, the exams taken and the grades achieved (mandatory)
• Statement of purpose: short description (max 1200 words) of the candidate’s motivation for enrollment in a Bocconi PhD program, his/her research interests and professional goals (mandatory)
• Reference letters: up to three reference letters uploaded by referees appointed in the online application procedure (not mandatory but highly recommended)

A minimum of 60 total points out of 100 is required to be eligible for admission to the program.

Please consult our website for complete details of our application procedure. Click the Apply button above to access.

For more information about our program, please visit the website or feel free to contact phdadmission@unibocconi.it

€27,000 gross per year for four years