The University of Ottawa offers a rich academic environment to study mathematics and statistics under the supervision of professors who have gained an international reputation for their research. Most major fields of research in mathematics and statistics are represented within the Department of mathematics and Statistics. Moreover, the Department is a participating unit in the master's level collaborative programs in bioinformatics and in biostatistics.

Since 1984, the graduate programs in mathematics and statistics have been under the umbrella of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Mathematics and Statistics (OCIMS). The OCIMS consists of the School of Mathematics and Statistics at Carleton University and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Ottawa. The two units have pooled together their resources to offer each year a large selection of graduate courses.

Bioinformatics is an emerging and increasingly important scientific discipline dedicated to the pursuit of fundamental questions about the structure, function and evolution of biological entities through the design and application of computational approaches. Fundamental research in these areas is expected to increase the understanding of human health and disease which translates into innovation in industry. Bioinformaticians today must be able to appreciate significant research in other fields and therefore require an understanding of the basic principles of other disciplines.