Department of Mathematics - University of Houston
Degree Programs
The Department of Mathematics has three graduate degree programs, the Masters of Science in Mathematics, the Masters of Science in Applied Mathematics and the PhD in Mathematics. For unconditional admission to these programs a student must first satisfy the General Admission Requirements of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. In addition the Department has admission requirements for each of these programs.
For admission to the Masters of Science in Applied Mathematics a student must have completed a baccalaureate degree with a 3.0 GPA over the last 60 hours of course work and have a good background in mathematics, including at least 9 hours of mathematics at the junior or senior level. A student need not have majored in Mathematics to be admitted into this program.
For admission to the M.S. program, a student must have completed a baccalaureate degree in Mathematics with a 3.0 GPA over the last 60 hours of course work.
For admission to the PhD program, a student must have completed a Masters degree in Mathematics, or the equivalent.
Master of Science in Applied Mathematics (MAM)
Introduction
The Department of Mathematics of the University of Houston offers a Master of
Science in Applied Mathematics. The intent of this program is to provide
students with training in mathematics appropriate for many professional mathematical
positions in industry. Recent graduates are employed in the aerospace, engineering,
energy, actuarial and financial industries, as well as in biostatistics, in high schools
and teaching in community colleges.
The UH faculty in applied mathematics and computational sciences is internationally
recognized for research achievement and teaching. We have excellent computing resources
and the university library has an outstanding mathematics collection.
Students take core courses in the three areas of mathematical analysis, numerical analysis
and probability and statistics. They also take electives and complete a tutorial project.
The tutorial typically involves studying and writing a report on a specific topic
involving the application of mathematics, with the guidance of a faculty member.
The mathematics department has a network of terminals and workstations available for use
by graduate students. Students who do not already have experience with scientific
computing and/or programming languages will be able to learn the necessary topics through
courses or tutorials.
For the convenience of students core courses for the program are, generally, taught between 4pm
and 7pm on Mondays through Thursdays. More specific details on courses are given below.
Admission to the Program
To be admitted to the program, a student must have completed a baccalaureate degree
with a 3.0 GPA over the last 60 hours of course work and have a good background in
mathematics. A student need not have majored in mathematics to be admitted. It is
expected, however, that the student has completed at least 9 hours of mathematics at the
junior or senior level, preferably in courses such as advanced linear algebra, analysis or
differential equations or probability and statistics. When these requirements are not met,
students may be admitted on a conditional basis and have the opportunity to acquire the
necessary background.
Program Requirements and Electives
All pertinent regulations set forth in the Graduate Studies Bulletin and the Bulletin of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics must be observed. Currently the requirements for the M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics are that a
student complete 36 credit hours of courses at the University of Houston with an average
grade of B (that is a 3.0 GPA) and no more than 4 grades below C. A student must:
Within these requirements, students are encouraged to pursue their own interests. In particular, the subject matter of the tutorial project is often related to a student's professional work. It is usually less formal than a thesis but it is expected that the topic chosen will be treated thoroughly and in depth. To pass Math 7315, a student writes a project report which must be approved by his/her supervisor and a summary of the project must be provided to the Director of Graduates Studies.
General
All pertinent regulations set forth in the Graduate Studies Bulletin and the Bulletin
of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics must be observed. The student must
consult the departmental Director of Graduate Studies prior to beginning his/her graduate
program so that proper records may be established within the department. It is the
student's responsibility to be informed about current degree requirements. It is the joint
responsibility of the student and the student's advisor to maintain communications and to
track the student's progress toward meeting those requirements. The departmental Director
of Graduate Studies will serve as interim advisor for the purposes of initiating a course
of study until an advisor is selected.
Prerequisites
The prerequisite for admission to the Master's Degree program is the equivalent of an
undergraduate major in mathematics as defined at this University. Students not meeting
this requirement may, at the discretion of the Chairman of the Department, be admitted to
the program conditionally until the deficiency is removed. Courses taken to remove
deficiencies may not be counted as part of the Master's Degree program. For students
uncertain of their preparation, the following courses (some of which may count for
elective credit) are strongly recommended: MATH 4331-4332 (for any Analysis courses); MATH
4333 (for Algebra); MATH 4337 (for Topology); MATH 4377-4378 (for all advanced subjects).
Master's Degree Core Courses
At least 15 hours from the following Master's Degree Core Courses are to be completed, with at least 6 semester hours from each of Area I and Area II.
Options
There are two options available for obtaining an M.S. in Mathematics:
The Ph.D. degree is a research degree and is granted only as a consequence of original research presented in the form of a formal dissertation. No specified course plan nor any particular number of credit hours is given as a partial requirement of the degree. It is the student's responsibility to be informed of the current regulations as set forth in the Graduate Studies Bulletin and the Bulletin of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Some basic requirements must be met as follows:
Candidates for the PhD degree in Mathematics at the University of Houston shall be required to demonstrate proficiency in English writing and in a foreign language. These requirements may be satisfied as follows.
English Writing Proficiency
PhD candidates must demonstrate mastery of written English at the level required for UH undergraduates, either
Foreign Language Requirement
Candidates for the doctoral degree in mathematics of the University of Houston shall
attain proficiency in one language to be chosen from French, German, Russian. Proficiency
must be
demonstrated by one of the following:
Background and Purpose
The preliminary exam is a part of the PhD requirement. There are no specific course requirements for the PhD degree. A strong background in a variety of subjects is assured by the requirement that PhD applicants have the equivalent of a master's degree in mathematics, and by the preliminary examination requirement. A student who obtains a MS in Mathematics form UH may, in fact, be ready to take the exam immediately.
Timing
The student must attempt the examination within three long semesters of full-time study from the time of admission to the PhD program with the MS degree or its equivalent. It may be taken only twice; if the student fails on the first attempt, a second attempt must be made within two long semesters of the first. Note that for students who continue into the PhD program after obtaining a MS here, the clock starts with their first semester of enrollment after completing the work for their MS degree; students who are admitted to UH directly into the PhD program begin counting with their first semester here. Full-time teaching fellows are expected to enroll for nine hours of bona fide coursework each long semester until they take the exam. Part-time students will be expected to take the exam by the end of the semester in which they complete 27 hours of coursework (after admission to the PhD program).
Administration of the Exam
The examining committee consists of a chair (who is generally the student's dissertation supervisor), and at least three others; at least three members, including the chair, must be faculty members of the Mathematics department. The committee may be chosen by the student, but must be approved by the graduate studies committee. By tradition, the format is oral, and consists of approximately two hours or questioning. Students may request a written exam. Other members of the faculty may be present at the exam. Topics must include a year-long core course from three of the following four areas: algebra, topology, analysis, and applied mathematics; each topic is represented by one examiner (not to include the chair); the chair may, optionally, question the candidate on an advanced or other agreed-upon topic. The level and extent of knowledge tested in the exam corresponds to that acquired in a one-year graduate course in these areas. The following is a list of what are generally accepted in the department at this time as suitable core courses.
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