The master study program Applied Mathematics (MB) has been running at the Department of Mathematics and Informatics at Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad for almost twenty years. It’s been very successful from the start and attracted many students who wanted to explore the diverse world of applied mathematics. Years of tradition and experience in training mathematicians in the field of applied mathematics are woven into this two-year master program. The goal is the education of mathematicians as experts in the economy, industry, financial and economic institutions. With its curriculum, teaching contents, as well as forms and methods of teaching, this program enables students to acquire fundamental mathematical knowledge, understand the application of mathematical knowledge in practice and gain mathematical modeling skills for analyzing phenomena in finance, economy and industry.
The program was reaccredited last year, and its new, modernized version will start running at the beginning of the academic year 2024/25. Following the modernized curriculum, students are to be trained to solve mathematical problems and use acquired knowledge in applications. They acquire the ability to design and consider mathematical models in modern technologies, creatively adopt new knowledge, develop new models and apply knowledge in new technologies. During their studies students of MB study program are also trained to communicate with engineers and economists. A very important task of the program is to give the students an opportunity to improve their knowledge of informatics, and in the new curriculum it is achieved through an enlarged number of subjects in this field in comparison to the previous program.
The compulsory group of subjects includes the most important topics and contents that enable students to recognize, model and solve mathematical problems in practice. The knowledge gained in this group of subjects is enhanced through many optional subjects. The total value of the compulsory courses is 75 ECTS. Students acquire the remaining 45 ECTS by taking elective courses that are divided into 6 groups, for each semester it is clearly defined which elective groups are available and how many courses student should choose from each of them.
A novelty is that among compulsory subjects one finds the subject called Professional practice. Students perform it in selected economic organizations or public institutions such as IT companies, factories, enterprises, banks, insurance companies, research centers, etc. The professors are in contact with both the students and the representatives of these institutions throughout the whole period, following the progress of the students. Professional practice is expected to be very beneficial for students as it provides them with exposure to real industry problems and industry experts from various fields.
The master study program of applied mathematics has been one of the most attractive programs that has been running at Faculty of sciences. Students who enroll in it recognize the modern field of study, modern curriculum, and innovative methods, but also appreciate the effort that professors and associates invest in the implementation of the program. Specialists with this master’s degree qualify for jobs that require analytical thinking, logical reasoning, and above all, the ability to creatively solve complex practical problems using mathematical models. Mastering this study program results in complete and modernly educated experts whose knowledge does not become obsolete and who are in high demand. However, constant modernization of the curriculum and teaching content is inevitable to ensure that the MB study program keeps up with the times, and still meets the highest academic standards.