The Department of Mathematical Sciences at Sharif University of Technology was founded in 1968 under the name “Department of Mathematics”, and only offered B.Sc. degree in Mathematics back in the day. In 1972, the department was merged with the University’s computer group and changed its name to the “Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences”. A description of goals and objectives of the department appearing at the very beginning of its establishment reads as follows.
“On the one hand, the goal of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences is to introduce mathematical and informatics models to the students so that after graduation they will be able to solve different scientific and technical problems faced in the country, and on the other hand, to create a scientific research atmosphere in the country by assembling and bringing together researchers from different branches of mathematics and computer science.”
With the establishment of a separate department for Computer Engineering at the Sharif University of Technology in 1986, the current name, “Department of Mathematical Sciences” was adopted while the Department continued its devotion to train distinguished students in different branches of mathematics and computer science.
The Department currently offers B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph. D. degrees in both pure/theoretical and applied/industrial mathematics, as well as in computer science. Relying on its scientific profile and recorded activities of faculty members, the Department of Mathematical Sciences has been among the first and leading scientific institutes in Iran to initiate Ph. D. programs (starting around 1988). From the beginning of its establishment to the present time (February 2019), around 2797 B.Sc. students, 1282 M.Sc. students, as well as 189 Ph. D. students have been graduated from the department, many of whom are having successful academic or professional careers in different national or international institutions.
The Department of Mathematical Sciences at Sharif has a well-established reputation and plays a leading role in the mathematical community of Iran. The Department has attracted highly talented students from the very beginning, while the trend has intensified during the past decades, evidenced by the consistently outstanding performance of the students in various national and international competitions (e.g., Iranian Mathematical Society Student Competition, International Mathematics Competition for University Students and Sanjesh’s Scientific Olympiads for University Student) and the success of its alumni with careers in various areas of Mathematical Sciences.
Since establishment, the Department has had a close relationship with Iran’s Ministry of Education for preparing pre-university textbooks, collaborating on the project of education planning, and organizing special on‐the‐job training programs for pre‐university teachers. The department has been involved in organizing several summer schools for high school students in order to introduce them to various aspects of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Sciences.
The Department has also had a close relationship with the Ministry of Education and the Young Scholars Club and has played a leading role in training pre-university students for the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) and the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).
In addition, a majority of mathematics courses required for degrees offered by other departments at the Sharif University of Technology are taught by the staff of the Department of Mathematical Sciences.