I have background and degree in pure & applied math, and I'm applying for applied math PhD programs this year. My research interest is mainly applied & computational mathematics in PDE(for example, inverse problems and numerical PDE), with a minor interest in theoretical PDE & geometric analysis and probability. All my research experience are applied math-based. The advanced courses I took were half theoretical half applied both achieving PhD level, and same ratio for my current recommenders. During application process, I found multiple schools have applied mathematics PhD program at engineering school, and mathematics PhD programs opened at math department offering an applied mathematics concentration. For example, Stanford, Harvard, UT Austin, etc.
The only difference I knew is that for applied math in engineering school, it's more interdisciplinary and often people with a prior degree other than math/applied math can be admitted, while at math department it's likely that one has to have enough mathematics background together with a math degree can be considered. And the qualifying exam in engineering school seems much easier than the one in math department.
I'm really not sure which applied math program to apply for these school. Could anyone give more information on the major difference between those applied math PhD programs (in terms of acceptance rate / research style)? Any suggestion is appreciated.
