Concurrent BS/MS Degree in the Department of Applied Mathematics

 

Purpose of the program

This is a five-year degree program which leads to both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics at the end of the five years. It enables well-qualified and motivated students to experience graduate-level course-work earlier in their education and to obtain an MS degree in a reduced time period.

Admission to the program

This program is open only to undergraduate students who are Applied Mathematics majors. Application for admission into the BS/MS program in Applied Math may be made at any time during or after the student enters his or her junior year. Minimum requirements for admission to the joint program are: GRE exams are not required for admission. An application form can be obtained from the Student Coordinator in the Applied Math office, ECOT 225.

Curriculum

Students in the program should complete all requirements for the BS degree in Applied Mathematics by the end of their fourth year. Six credit hours of Applied Mathematics graduate courses can be counted towards both the undergraduate degree requirements and towards the requirements for the MS degree. All requirements for the MS degree should be completed in the fifth year. If necessary, a sixth year will be allowed. For the MS portion of the BS/MS program, students may elect either the thesis or non-thesis option. In theory, the minimum number of credit hours required for the BS/MS degree is 152.

Advising

Students in the joint BS/MS program must have an Applied Math faculty advisor with whom they consult to compose a degree plan. This plan will include a list of courses to be taken from the semester following admission to the BS/MS program through the end of the graduate program and will ensure that the requirements for both the BS and the MS degrees are satisfied. This plan must be filed with the APPM Department Student Coordinator by the end of the third week of the first semester in which the student has been admitted into the program.

Continuation in the program

The student must maintain an overall GPA of 3.4 in their undergraduate courses and 3.2 in courses numbered 5000 and above. Also, students must complete a minimum of six hours for graduate credit by the end of their senior year. (Included in these credits may be any of the ``double-counting'' courses described in the Curriculum section.)

Regulations

Until a student in this program satisfies all requirements for the BS degree, he/she will be governed by the rules and regulations applicable to any undergraduate major in the Applied Math department. A student in the BS/MS program, who has satisfied the BS requirements, can choose to continue their undergraduate status or can request admittance to the Graduate School. This decision should be made after consultation with their advisor.

Due to the stream-lined nature of the Concurrent BS/MS program in Applied Mathematics, students may not pursue a double major, except with the explicit permission of the Concurrent Degree Appeals Committee of the Graduate School.

Escape plan

Students who decide not to continue in the BS/MS program must complete the usual BS requirements to obtain that degree.

Sample Curriculum (Emphasis in Probability and Statistics)

Junior Year
In general, the student should take at least four applied mathematics courses at the 3000 level or higher.

Fall semester: APPM 4350 (Methods in Applied Mathematics I), MATH 3000 (Intro to Abstract Math) or MATH 4310 (Introduction to Analysis)

Spring semester: APPM 3570 (Applied Probability) and APPM 4360 (Methods in Applied Mathematics II)

Senior Year
The student should take at least six courses at the 3000 level or higher. At least two, and preferably four, of these courses should be at the 5000 level.

Fall semester: APPM 4650 (Intermediate Numerical Analysis I), APPM 5560 (Markov Chains), APPM 5570 (Statistical Methods)

Spring semester: APPM 4660 (Intermediate Numerical Analysis II), APPM 5520 (Mathematical Statistics), APPM 5580 (Statistical Methods for Data Analysis).

Fifth Year
The student should take at least four graduate level (5000 or higher) applied mathematics courses together with an approved graduate-level, out-of-department sequence.

Fall semester: APPM 5600 (Numerical Analysis I), APPM 5xxx, TLEN 5310 (Telecommunication Systems) or other out-of-department sequence.

Spring semester: APPM 5610 (Numerical Analysis II), APPM 5540 (Applied Time Series Analysis), TLEN 5400 (Traffic and Queueing Theory) or other out-of-department sequence.

Note
This assumes that APPM 1350 (Calculus I), APPM 1360 (Calculus II), APPM 2350 (Calculus III), APPM 2360 (Differential Equations) and APPM 3310 (Matrix Methods) are taken in the freshman and sophomore years.

Note
This is a sample curriculum only. There are many other possibilities for completing the BS/MS requirements in Applied Mathematics.

Sample Curriculum (Emphasis in Numerics and Modeling)

Junior Year
In general, the student should take at least four applied mathematics courses at the 3000 level or higher.

Fall semester: APPM 4650 (Intermediate Numerical Analysis I), APPM 4350 (Methods in Applied Mathematics I)

Spring semester: APPM 4660 (Intermediate Numerical Analysis II) and APPM 4360 (Methods in Applied Mathematics II)

Senior Year
The student should take at least five courses at the 3000 level or higher. At least two, and preferably four, of these courses should be at the 5000 level.

Fall semester: APPM 5600 (Numerical Analysis I), MATH 3000 (Intro to Abstract Math) or MATH 4310 (Introduction to Analysis), APPM 5570 (Statistical Methods)

Spring semester: APPM 5610 (Numerical Analysis II), APPM 5580 (Statistical Methods for Data Analysis).

Fifth Year
The student should take at least four graduate level (5000 or higher) applied mathematics courses together with an approved graduate-level, out-of-department sequence.

Fall semester: APPM 5470 (Methods of Applied Mathematics: PDEs), APPM 6620 (Numerical Computation), CSEN 6676 (Numerical Methods for Unconstrained Optimization) or other 5xxx-level, out-of-department sequence.

Spring semester: APPM 5460 (Methods of Applied Mathematics: Dynamical Systems), APPM 6630 (Numerical Computation II), CSEN 6686 (Numerical Methods for Constrained Optimization) or other 5xxx-level, out-of-department sequence.

Note
This assumes that APPM 1350 (Calculus I), APPM 1360 (Calculus II), APPM 2350 (Calculus III), APPM 2360 (Differential Equations) and APPM 3310 (Matrix Methods) are taken in the freshman and sophomore years.

Note
This is a sample curriculum only. There are many other possibilities for completing the BS/MS requirements in Applied Mathematics. For example, a BS/MS student can also take courses leading to Java or Solaris certification.