Master of Science Degree

The MS degree in the Mathematical Sciences is offered in

Applied Mathematics
Discrete Mathematics
Pure Mathematics
Statistics

and can be obtained under three plans:

Plan A, Thesis Option

• 21-24 credits of course work;
• 6-9 credits of thesis research (30 credits total);
• a written thesis describing original research.

Plan B, Report Option

• 24-27 credits of course work;
• 3-6 credits of research report (30 credits total);
• a written report describing the results of research project.

Plan C, Course Work Option

• 30 credits of course work;
• a comprehensive exam.

Most students take two years to finish an MS degree.

MS Thesis: Under Plan A, the thesis option, a student must write a thesis reporting on original research conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor. This research normally represents about one semester of full-time work (9 research credits), although it may be spread out over several semesters. The student must also present a successful oral defense of the thesis.

Normally a thesis will result in a published journal article (typically submitted after the MS is earned). The publishable quality of the research is the distinguishing characteristic of the thesis option (as opposed to the report option).

MS Report: Under Plan B, the report option, a student must write a report reporting on an investigation conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor. The student must also present a successful oral defense of the report.

The content of the report and the work it represents can vary considerably. Some possibilities are:

1.

The student completes a significant programming project in support of a faculty member's research.

2.

The student investigates a topic in detail and presents a high-quality exposition of some aspect of it.

3.

The student does some preliminary, original research on a topic, together with a literature review of known results.

Course Work: Students must take 6-7 core courses in their area of concentration. These courses make up 18-21 credits of the required 30. Although these courses are required, substitutions are granted in exceptional cases. No more than 12 credits of undergraduate courses are allowed to count toward the Master's degree. Typically, undergraduate classes are taken by students who need to fill in gaps in their backgrounds. All supported graduate students must enroll for 6 to 12 credits (two to four courses) each semester. At most four credits per academic year may be taken outside the department. Exceptions must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Following are the required core classes for the Master's degree in each of the four areas: