Master of Science in Mathematics (M.S.) - University of Houston
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Master of Science in Mathematics (M.S.)

Master of Science in Mathematics is designed for students who would like to have an advanced degree in the area of pure mathematics and/or intend to enter a PhD program after completing this program. A well prepared full time student can complete this degree in two academic years.

Admission Requirements

The admission requirements for the Master of Science in Mathematics (M.S.) program are:

  • An equivalent of an undergraduate major in Mathematics as defined by this University.
  • A GPA of 3.0 or higher over the last 60 credit hours. 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.

For students uncertain of their preparation, the following courses (some of which may count for elective credit) are strongly recommended: MATH 6312-6313 (for any Analysis courses); Algebra (6000 level); Topology (6000 level); MATH 6308-6309 (for all advanced subjects).

*The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is waived for all Masters programs within the Department of Mathematics.

IMPORTANT: International students can not exclusively register for online courses.

 

Degree Requirements

There are two options available for obtaining an M.S. in Mathematics:

Option I - Thesis

  • A minimum of 30 semester hours with a GPA 3.0 or higher is required.
  • These hours include 6 credit hours of Master’s Thesis (MATH 6399 followed by 7399, in the final two semesters of the program) and a minimum of 24 credit hours in graduate course work (5000 level or above).
  • At least 18 credit hours must be at MATH 6000 level or above*, excluding MATH 6308, 6309, 6312, or 6313.
  • No more than 3 credit hours in special problems.
  • It is a responsibility of the student to find a faculty member to supervise their Master’s Thesis. 
  • An oral and/or written examination over the thesis material will be conducted by the thesis committee. Questions for this examination may be drawn from the thesis background material and the thesis itself.
  • Once the thesis has been accepted by the committee, a final corrected version must be submitted to the College by the student. 

Option II - Tutorial

  • A minimum of 36 semester hours with a GPA 3.0 or higher is required.
  • These hours must include 6 credit hours in MATH 6315 and 7315 Master’s Tutorial and a minimum of 30 credit hours in graduate course work (5000 level or above).
  • At least 21 credit hours must be at MATH 6000 level or above*, excluding MATH 6308, 6309, 6312, or 6313.
  • Not more than 6 credit hours in special problems. 
  • It is a responsibility of the student to find a faculty member to supervise their Master’s Tutorial.
  • A formal defense of Master’s Tutorial and submission to the College are not required.
  • The tutorial requirement may be satisfied by participating in regularly scheduled classes, if this is the decision of the student and advisor.
  • Master’s Tutorial requires a written approval by advisor that is submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies.

 

*At least two one-year sequences from the following different areas must be completed:

  • Area I
    MATH 6320;6321: Functions of a Real Variable
    MATH 6322;6323: Complex Analysis 
    MATH 7320;7321: Functional Analysis
  • Area II
    MATH 6302;6303:Modern Algebra
    MATH 6342;7350:Topology/Geometry 
  • Area III
    MATH 6324;6325: Differential Equations
    MATH 6326;6327: Partial Differential Equations
    MATH 6370;6371: Numerical Analysis
    MATH 6382;6383: Probability Models and Mathematical Statistics
    MATH 6360; 6361: Applicable Analysis

 

*Note: The correct designation for degrees on the transcript, will be denoted as: Mathematics, M.S.