Course Curriculum

The Combinatorics and Optimization program at Waterloo requires students to complete a comprehensive set of core and elective courses designed to build deep expertise in both combinatorial mathematics and optimization techniques. Students must choose between introductory optimization courses CO250 or the advanced CO255, followed by selections from combinatorial enumeration, graph theory, network flow theory, computational discrete optimization, or nonlinear optimization. Those who take CO255 have additional advanced options such as combinatorial optimization, integer programming, scheduling, game theory, convex and continuous optimization, and semidefinite optimization. Foundational courses in combinatorics and group theory, including MATH239 or MATH249 and PMATH336 or PMATH347, are also required. Furthermore, students select three advanced courses from a broad list encompassing algebraic enumeration, coding theory, graph theory, cryptography, and quantum information processing, among others. Beyond these, additional courses at the 300- or 400-level from related departments like ACTSC, AMATH, CS, MATBUS, MATH, PMATH, and STAT must be completed to broaden mathematical and computational knowledge. Complementary courses in formal languages, algorithm design, and various levels of real and complex analysis, calculus, rings, fields, and number theory round out the program, ensuring graduates are well-prepared for diverse careers in optimization, cryptography, data science, and beyond.