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Master of Arts (M.A.) The purpose of the M.A. program in Mathematics is to offer students who hold a Bachelor's degree in mathematics an opportunity to broaden their knowledge in several areas of mathematics and its applications. This program will prepare a student for teaching at junior colleges or for careers in business, government, or industry. An inadequately prepared Ph.D. applicant may be admitted to the M.A. program with the possibility of transferring later to the Ph.D. program if he or she makes sufficient progress. Prerequisites: To enter the M.A. program a student should have a strong Bachelor's degree in mathematics. The student should have had training at the junior/senior level in courses requiring reading and writing proofs, preferably including at least two from modern algebra, topology, and real analysis. Additional courses in pure and applied mathematics, probability, statistics, physics, and computer science are desirable. M.A. Program Requirements: The M.A. program in mathematics is offered under two plans: (1) M.A. with thesis, and (2) M.A. without thesis. The general requirements by the University include 24 credit hours of course work (exclusive of thesis), of which at least 12 hours must be in courses available only to graduate students; a 3.0 average or better on all course work; and at least one year's residency. For additional requirements concerning transfer credit, submission of program of study, admission to candidacy, and regulations concerning Master's comps and preparation of theses: see the current Graduate Bulletin, or consult the Graduate school. Departmental requirements are as follows: (1) Candidates for the M.A. degree with thesis are required to take 30 credit hours of mathematics-related course work, and to write a thesis. The course work must include 9 hours in 8000-level courses, and 6 hours of MAT 7300. It is desirable that the thesis should present original research. However, the thesis may be expository in nature in which case it should be a synthesis of several research articles and books. The thesis must be read and approved by a committee of three members including the thesis advisor. (2) Candidates for the M.A. degree without thesis are required to take at least 33 credit hours of mathematics-related course work, including 12 hours in 8000-level courses. Candidates are also required to take comprehensive examinations in three areas as specified below. Both options for the M.A. degree require a reading knowledge of one foreign language (French, German, or Russian), or equivalent skills in statistics or computer programming, as discussed in the section on language requirements. A student's progress towards an M.A. degree is supervised by a 3-person Master's committee, formed at the beginning of his or her graduate career. The student's faculty advisor chooses this committee, and is its chair. Graduate courses are offered at two levels. In rough terms,
courses numbered 6000-6900 are pitched at the Master's level and
courses numbered 8000-8980 are pitched at the Ph.D. level.
As a general rule, 6000-level courses and 8000-level courses carry
3 hours of credit per semester. (Most graduate courses meet
3 hours a week.) A list of courses is given below. In
order to encourage breadth of study at the M.A. level, the department's
course offerings have been divided into groups. Normally,
a student selects three courses per semester at the 6000-level (groups
A, B, C or D) the first year. A second year student normally
selects at least two courses per semester at the 8000-level (groups
E, F or G). A first year student with pervious course work
at the 6000-level may substitute 8000-level courses. A. 6100-10-20 Real Analysis, Lebesgue Integration, Multivariable Analysis, Complex Analysis B. 6000-10-50-80
Algebra C. 6200
Topology D. 6500-10
Numerical Analysis E. 8100-10
Real Analysis F. 8000-10-20
Algebra, Finite Groups, Commutative Algebra G. 8500-10-20
Numerical Analysis The three comprehensive M.A. exams taken by students in the M.A. non-thesis program must be chosen from three different areas among (1) Analysis areas A and E, (2) Algebra areas B and F, (3) Topology areas C and F, and (4) Applied areas D and G. At least one exam must cover an 8000-level sequence. Master's comps are two hours in length, and must initially be taken in a one-week period, ordinarily at the end of the candidate's second year of study. The examiner marks the exam and makes a pass/fail recommendation, but success is ultimately determined by the student's committee; if the student's work is not satisfactory the committee may recommend ``fail'' or administer another exam. Students transferring from the Ph.D. to the M.A. non-thesis program are given credit for Master's comps if they have passed two or more Ph.D. Prelims. M.A. Language Requirements: A student can satisfy the language requirements by passing an appropriate course (French, German, or Russian 2001 or above) with a B or better; OR by translating an unfamiliar mathematical paper, using a dictionary, in a reasonable length of time (3-4 hours for a 4 page paper), to the satisfaction of a qualified examiner from the Mathematics faculty; OR by having native proficiency in one of the languages above, as certified by a qualified examiner. A student satisfying the requirement by a course may indicate this on his or her Admission to Candidacy form. For a student doing a translation, the examiner will submit a form indicating the results of the exam (graded on a Pass/Fail basis) to the Graduation Office as soon as possible after completion of the examination. For a student with native proficiency, the examiner will indicate the student's nationality or cultural background, and attest to his or her proficiency. |
