While we do not offer a terminal master’s degree in Mathematics, we do offer a Master of Arts in Mathematics along the way to a PhD or for those discontinuing the PhD program. There are three routes to obtain the M.A. in Mathematics:

Advancement to Candidacy

Please see the process for advancing to candidacy under “Candidacy Requirements.” To obtain the M.A., students must complete at least 30 credit hours of coursework, with 18 credits in MATH/STAT/AMSC and 27 credits at the 600/700/800 level.

Master’s Degree without Thesis

To satisfy the requirements of the non-thesis route, students must have:

  1. Taken a total of 30 hours of courses carrying graduate credit of which at least 18 are at the 600/700/ 800 level. Of these 18 hours, no less than 15 hours must be in mathematics;
  2. Passed two written exams at the Master's level and fulfilled the course requirements; see this link for more information;
  3. Written a satisfactory scholarly paper and passed a final oral examination.

Master’s Degree with Thesis

To satisfy the requirements of the thesis route, students must have:

  1. Taken a total of 24 hours of courses carrying graduate credit of which at least 15 are at the 600/700/800 level;  Of these 15 hours at least 12 hours must be in mathematics;
  2. Taken at least 3 hours in each of two fields of mathematics distinct from the one in which the thesis is written, and obtained a grade of  "B" or better in each of these courses. These 6 hours are part of the 12 hours mentioned in (1);
  3. Taken 6 hours of thesis research, MATH799, in addition to requirements (1);
  4. Written a satisfactory thesis;
  5. Passed a final oral examination.

Thesis. The M.A. thesis should represent a meaningful piece of independent work which has some novel features, for example, the detailed working out of the application of a general theory or method to some particular case or cases of interest. It must be prepared in the form required by the Graduate School. Each member of the final oral committee must receive a legible typed copy at least one week before the final oral examination. The final thesis must be submitted online by the given semester's deadline.

Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee Form: Contact the Office of Graduate Studies . This should be done at least two months prior to the date of the final oral and in keeping with the graduation deadlines listed by the Graduate School. Forms should be completed in conjunction with the student's thesis advisor and returned to the Graduate Office. This will generate the Report of  Examining Committee form sent from the Graduate School to be signed by all members of the thesis committee.  The student will be examined on the thesis and related topics at the discretion of the examiners.

The semester you plan to advance to candidacy, complete the scholarly paper, or defend your master's thesis, you must apply for graduation at the beginning of the semester. Please see the Graduate Office for details.

For master's requirements in STAT and AMSC, please refer to the respective websites.

Email:

Progress to Degree

Qualifying Exams and Qualifying Exam/Course Requirements 

Passing into Candidacy

Educational Policies

 

A student must present their dissertation work within 4 years of advancing to candidacy. Time extensions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

All Math and Math Stat students must contact the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) when scheduling their final oral (defense) exams. The OGS will assist you with the processing of departmental forms and the necessary paperwork for the Office of the Registrar and the Graduate School. Please contact Trystan Denhard and Jemma Natanson (Kirwan 1106/1108)  /  for further details. 

You must attend a graduation information session, which are advertised each semester. 

     

    Helpful Links:

      Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is granted by the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the MATH Graduate Committee. A student must be admitted to candidacy within five years after admission to the doctoral program and at least six months before the date on which the doctoral degree will be conferred. Before a student applies for admission to candidacy he or she must have:

      • passed two written qualifying exams at the Ph.D. level and completed the four required courses with a grade of B or higher;
      • maintained a 3.00 or better GPA in all formal course work;
      • passed the Oral Candidacy Examination.

      Please contact the Office of Graduate Studies to request information on preliminary exams, candidacy forms and the application for candidacy (j and ).

      Forms

      Please submit all forms to the graduate office. 

       

      Checklist and Timeline

       

      Candidacy

      Graduate Students in the MATH, STAT, or AMSC programs are expected to make reasonable progress toward their degrees. In the following charts, a supported student is one who receives funding from the Mathematics Department, either as a TA, GA or as a fellow.

      Notes:

      1. The time limits for support by the Mathematics Department apply even if the student is not supported by the Mathematics Department for some intervening period.
      2. In the absence of exceptional circumstances, students who do not pass all of their written qualifying exams by the end of the January cycle of their THIRD year will be dropped from the program.
      3. In some cases, upon admission, the Graduate Director can negotiate a slower timetable. Examples include part-time students, and students that would benefit from taking 400-level courses in their first year.
      4. Since the requirements in the Scientific Computation concentration of the AMSC program are somewhat different, there is a separate set of charts for students in this concentration.
      5. For students in the Applied Mathematics concentration of the AMSC program, "qualifying exam" may in some cases be replaced by its equivalent in other departments. In BMGT, this may mean two written examinations (since they only cover one semester of material each), and in CMSC this may mean "qualifying requirement".
      6. Please note that it is a University requirement that a student be registered during the semester that they plan on completing their degree/graduating.  

      For the AMSC requirements for Applied Mathematics and Applied Statistics, see the AMSC website

       

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      3. Spotlight on Research
      4. Qualifying Exam Requirements for the Ph.D. in Mathematics
      5. Qualifying Exam Requirements for the M.A. in Mathematics