Mathematics, MSc

Requirements for Master of Sciences Degree

General regulations of the Graduate School governing the award of a Master’s degree apply, except as modified below.

• 30-36 semester hours of science or mathematics courses are required.
• All courses must be taken from approved Graduate School faculty members.
• 24 or more hours in science or mathematics must be from courses numbered 5000 or above.
• Because not all courses will be appropriate for all programs, students should first consult with their advisor before enrolling. An academic plan should be completed during the student’s first semester.
• Courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels will be accepted toward the degree only with grades of A or B. Courses at the 5000 and 6000 levels will be accepted toward the degree with grades of A, B, or C. Students must have a B average in all courses taken subsequent to admission to the program, including courses not actually required for the degree.

General Track Requirements

• Students must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of 5000 level (or above) courses, 15 of which must be courses offered by the Mathematics Department.
• Students must complete (with a grade of B or better) the following courses (or equivalent ones): MATH 4140 - Modern Algebra I and MATH 4310 - Modern Analysis I. 
• Students who took MATH 4140 and MATH 4310 (or equivalent courses) for their undergraduate degrees, and passed them with a grade of B or better, must take two other mathematics courses at the 4000 level or above, which have not been previously applied toward another degree. The minimum GPA requirements for the MSc degree apply to these courses.
• Students must complete a minimum of 3 credit hours at the 3000-level (or above) from a secondary department.
• Students must select either the Thesis or the Non-Thesis option.
• Thesis Option: 30 semester hours, including a minimum of 6 hours of thesis credit. At least 15 semester hours must be at the graduate level in the primary department. A minimum of three credit hours must be taken from a secondary department. Student must write a thesis on their research, give a presentation, and defend their thesis before a thesis defense committee. Please consult the Graduate Chair and the Graduate School for the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines and Manual.
• Non-Thesis Option: 30 semester hours. At least 15 semester hours must be at the graduate level in the primary department. A minimum of three credit hours must be taken from a secondary department. Student must complete a paper describing a project on a mathematical topic, approved by the Graduate Committee. The final paper must be approved by the Graduate Committee.
• Students must arrange for faculty advisor during the first or second semester after admission. The student, together with the advisor, will decide on the details for the paper or thesis. For the thesis option, the student should form a thesis committee that should be approved by the Graduate Committee. For the non-thesis option, the faculty advisor will oversee the student’s progress on the paper and approve the final version, which will have to be approved by the Graduate Committee. To formally arrange for the advisor, the student should contact the Graduate Chair of the Mathematics Department.
• The paper should be submitted to the Graduate Committee for final approval by: (I) the week before Thanksgiving break during Fall semesters, or (II) the week before Spring break during Spring semesters.

Scientific Computation and Data Science Track Requirements

• Students must complete 30 semester hours with a minimum of 24 semester hours at the 5000 level (or above).
• 18 semester hours must be courses offered by the Mathematics Department.
• 12 semester hours must be courses offered by the Computer Science Department.
• Students must complete (with a grade of B or better) the following courses: