Overview of Graduation Requirements

To graduate with an M.S. in Mathematics, a student must satisfy all of the following requirements:

PLAN A/Thesis: 

• Course Credits:  30 credits
  • 21 Credits of Math graduate courses approved by the student’s advisory committee
  • 9 credits of GRAD 5950/Master’s Thesis Research
• Establish thesis advisor 
• Form advisory committee:  Major Advisor and at least two Associate Advisors or Co-Major Advisors and at least one Associate Advisor.
• Submit Plan of Study.pdf
• Apply for Graduation in Student Admin by the fourth week of the final semester.
• Write, defend and submit thesis by deadlines indicated.
  • Thesis Specifications
    
  • Thesis templates (for LaTex) are available on our Thesis Formatting page
• Submit Approval Page (step 4)
• Add Diploma Address in Student Admin and Diploma Info.

 

Plan B/Prelims or Oral Exam (most common):

• Course Credits:  30 credits in Math graduate courses approved by the student’s advisory committee
• Final Exam Requirement (choose one):
  • Pass two prelims of the Ph.D. in Mathematics program at the level of a master’s pass.
  • Pass an oral exam; typically taken during the last semester of the study,
• Form advisory committee:  Major Advisor and at least two Associate Advisors or Co-Major Advisors and at least one Associate Advisor.
• Submit Plan of Study.pdf
• Apply for Graduation in Student Admin by the fourth week of the final semester.
• Submit Report on the Final Exam (see Grad Program Assistant)

Note: Students in the PhD program who decide to leave with a master’s degree while remaining in the PhD program should still take prelim exams and core courses following the schedule described on the PhD program page until the request to switch to a masters degree track is approved.

Preliminary Examinations

General information

Mathematics M.S. students may choose from courses below on which to be examined:

Pure Mathematics

• Two prelims:
  • Math 5111/Measure and Integration
  • Math 5120/Complex Function Theory
  • Math 5210/Abstract Algebra
  • Math 5310/Introduction to Geometry and Topology I

Applied Mathematics

• Two prelims:
  • Math 5111/Measure and Integration
  • Math 5120/Complex Function Theory
  • Math 5310/Introduction to Geometry and Topology I
  • Math 5410/Introduction to Applied Mathematics I
  • Math 5510/Numerical Analysis and Approximation Theory I

Master’s students may mix these options or request a substitution of another graduate mathematics course for one of the above courses. The philosophy of these options is that the Department wants its students to be knowledgeable in the basic mathematical subjects in the student’s area of study. Therefore, substitution of a course will only be permitted if that course is critical to the student’s plan of study. The substitution must be approved by the Graduate Program Committee and the student’s advisor.

Past Prelim Exams