MS requirements

MS requirements Tom Braden

MS in Mathematics

Please note that the MS in Mathematics is usually only obtained by students within the Mathematics PhD program; there is no separate program awarding it.

  1. The student must complete 30 hours of coursework with grades of C or better, including at least 24 hours with grades of B or better. In addition, the student must have at least an overall B average.
  2. Any course outside the Department or numbered less than 600 must have the GPD’s approval to be counted toward the 30 hours. No more than four courses below the 600 level may be counted, and no more than 3 hours per course may be counted toward the 30 hours.
  3. The required 30 hours must include 21 hours of Mathematics and Statistics courses (at least 18 hours numbered above 600), normally including at least four of the courses: Math 605, 611, 621, 623, 645, 651, 671, Stat 607.

MS in Applied Mathematics

  1. The student must complete 30 hours of coursework with grades of C or better, including at least 24 hours with grades of B or better. In addition, the student must have at least an overall B average. (Note: Pass or fail courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.)
  2. Any course outside the Department or numbered less than 600 must have the AMD’s approval to be counted toward the 30 hours. No more than four courses below the 600 level may be counted, and no more than 3 hours per course may be counted toward the 30 hours.
  3. The required 30 hours must include at least 18 hours of Mathematics and Statistics courses, and must include:
    1. Math 532H: Nonlinear Dynamics or Math 645: Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems;
    2. Math 534H: Introduction to Partial Differential Equations;
    3. Math 651: Numerical Analysis I;
    4. Stat 607: Mathematical Statistics I or Math 605: Probability Theory I.
    Each of the four courses can be replaced by an elective course with the approval of the AMD, if a student has taken an equivalent course before entering the program. 

MS in Statistics

  1. The student must complete 30 hours of coursework, with grades of C or better, including at least 24 hours with grades of B or better. In addition, the student must have at least an overall B average.
  2. Any course outside the Department or numbered less than 600 must have the approval of the student’s Statistics Coordinator to be counted toward the 30 hours. No more than 3 hours per course may be counted toward the 30 hours.
  3. The required 30 hours must include:
    1. Stat 625 (Regression Analysis);
    2. Stat 607–608 (Mathematical Statistics I, II);
    3. Stat 535 (Statistical Computing);
    4. At least five other courses which are either Statistics courses numbered 526 or above, or some courses outside statistics numbered 500 and above subject to prior approval by the student’s Statistics Coordinator.  At least 12 credits toward the MS must be at the level 600 or higher.  A list of pre-approved courses outside of statistics is available here.
    Students are expected to have a background in advanced calculus and in linear algebra. Students with weak background in these areas will be required to take appropriate courses at an early stage of their graduate study here.
  4. The student must complete a project in statistics under the guidance of a faculty member. The project requirement can be satisfied in several ways: 1) an external internship related to statistics or data science of sufficient scope; 2) a written individual final project from a graduate statistics course numbered 526 or above or a 3-credit independent study that includes, at a minimum, an examination of methods through simulations and/or a detailed statistical analysis of real data; 3) successful completion of the project seminar course Stat 691P (which can then also count toward the 30 hour coursework requirement). The project used to satisfy this requirement must receive approval from the Statistics Coordinator or Mt. Ida Director.
  5. The student must either complete at least one credit of statistical consulting (typically STAT 598C) or pass two of the three Basic exams in Applied Statistics, Probability, and Statistics.