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Department of Mathematics

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Master of Science Degree in Mathematics

Program Description

The Department of Mathematics at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offers a Master of Science degree in mathematics, with concentrations in applied mathematics, applied statistics, pre-professional mathematics, and education. This program is designed to provide individuals with an in-depth understanding in their chosen area, further preparing them for work in industry, government, and education, or for further graduate studies. Completion of the program requires thirty-six (36) semester credit hours, which includes an area of application or an internship. There is also an option of composing a final thesis. Students must maintain a minimum institutional cumulative GPA of 3.0, and are subject to all regulations of the UTC Graduate School.

Admission

Individuals must meet the admission requirements of the UTC Graduate School as stated in the Graduate Catalog (PDF, see Page 8). Please note that the minimum GPA on all undergraduate work will be 2.7 effective in Fall 2010. In addition, students must have a strong mathematical background at the undergraduate level, as evidenced by successful completion of critical coursework or by a baccalaureate degree in mathematics from a regionally accredited institution. Requirements may be higher for a graduate of an unaccredited institution.

Admission is a two-step process involving application to the Graduate School and application to the Department of Mathematics.

  1. Application to the Graduate School can be done online
  2. Application to the Department requires to submission of:
    • A letter of application explaining reasons why the candidate wishes to pursue graduate study in Mathematics,
    • Two letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with the applicant's scholastic ability and/or professional work experience,
    and if the applicant is applying for assistantships or fellowships
    • Submission of the scores on the verbal and quantitative part of the GRE

Application materials to the department should be sent to the Mathematics Graduate Program Coordinator. E-mail submission of application letters and letters of recommendation is acceptable.

Critical undergraduate coursework required for admission

Differential and Integral Calculus with Laboratory (8 hours), Multivariable Calculus (3 hours), Differential Equations (3 hours), Elementary Linear Algebra (3 hours), Analysis (3 hours), Probability and Statistics (3 hours), Modern Algebra (3 hours), a course in Computer Science (3 hours), and two additional upper-level mathematics courses (6 hours). In addition, at least one course should emphasize mathematical proofs. Students whose academic background is considered inadequate may be asked to complete additional coursework. In addition, a GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is required on all upper level mathematics courses.

General Degree Requirements

Credit hours: A minimum of thirty six (36) semester hours is required. At least twenty four (24) must be in mathematics at the 5000 level.

  1. Core Courses: Zero to nine (0-9) hours, depending on whether these courses were taken at the undergraduate level:
    1. Introduction to Analysis II (Math 4500 at UTC or equivalent)
    2. Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory (Math 4200 at UTC or equivalent)
    3. Complex Analysis (Math 4570 at UTC or equivalent)
  2. Concentration requirements: Twelve (12) hours chosen from one of four areas, including at least one two-semester sequence defined under that concentration. See Concentrations.
  3. Area of Application or Internship: A minimum of six (6) hours. See Area of Applicaion or Internship.
  4. Electives: As needed to complete thirty six (36) hours. This may include three (3) hours for a special project, or as many as six (6) hours for a thesis. See Electives.

Concentrations

Students must choose one of the following concentrations:

  1. Applied Mathematics (12 hours)
    One of the following six-hour sequences:
    1. Numerical Analysis I and II - MATH 5600 (3) and 5610 (3)
    2. Numerical Solutions of PDEs I and II - MATH 5620 (3) and 5630 (3)
    3. Applied Math for Science and Engineering I and II - MATH 5470 (3) and 5480 (3)
    Plus six additional hours chosen from MATH 5451, 5461, 5580, 5470, 5480, 5600, 5610, 5620, 5630, 5910.
  2. Applied Statistics (12 hours)
    One six-hour sequence consisting of two courses chosen from:
    1. Linear Regression and Time Series - MATH 5121 (3)
    2. Analysis of Variance - MATH 5110 (3)
    3. Design of Experiments - MATH 5120 (3)
    Plus six additional hours chosen from MATH 5111, 5311, 5121, 5321, 5150, 5110, 5120, 5320, 5910.
  3. Pre-Professional Mathematics (12 hours)
    This concentration is recommended for students wishing to pursue the Ph.D. in Mathematics. It is strongly suggested that students choosing this concentration consider writing a master's thesis. Two six-hour sequences are required to give the student both breadth and depth in mathematics. In addition to the sequences described above under the Applied Mathematics and Applied Statistics concentrations, the following serve as appropriate sequences for this concentration (only):
    1. Graph Theory - MATH 5721 (3) and Number Theory - MATH 5271 (3)
    2. Linear Algebra & Matrix Theory - MATH 5201 (3) and Advanced Matrix Theory - MATH 5200 (3)
    3. Modern Algebra I and II - MATH 5250 (3) and 5260 (3)
    4. Advanced Differential Equations - MATH 5451 (3) and Partial Differential Equations - MATH 5461 (3)
    5. Operations Research (Nonlinear) - MATH 5321 (3) and Operations Research III - MATH 5320 (3)
  4. Education (12 hours)
    In order to ensure that students choosing the Education concentration have a broad mathematics background, they must complete at least one course selected from a required sequence in each of the other three concentrations above (9 hours total), plus a second course (3 hours) to complete one of those sequences. In addition, students must complete 12 hours of Education courses; two of these courses (6 hours) count as the Area of Application described below. If not already taken, it is strongly recommended that these twelve hours be chosen from the following list of courses, since these are required for teacher licensure in Tennessee:
    1. Social and Historical Foundations of Education - EDUC 5200 (3)
    2. Human Development Applied to Education - EDUC 5210 (3)
    3. Instructional Planning and Evaluation - EDUC 5220 (3)
    4. Teaching in Diverse Classrooms - EDUC 5140 (3)
    5. Literacy Instruction for Middle/High School Learners - EDUC 5630 (3)
    6. Educational Technology - EDUC 5750 (3)
    If all these courses have been completed, other graduate courses from the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies may be chosen with the consent of the student's graduate program committee to complete the twelve hours.

Area of Application and Internships

Students must complete a minimum of six (6) credit hours in an area of application or an internship. The student and his or her graduate program committee will jointly decide upon the area of application or internship, and must be approved by the Graduate Coordinating Committee. It should be consonant with the chosen concentration. An oral presentation and a written report on the internship or area of application are required. Typically, students choosing an area of application will complete coursework in another department or college such as Business, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of this program, if a student chooses an area of application, the Graduate Coordinating Committee will ask that a representative from the outside area be added as an additional member of the student's graduate program committee. Students choosing the internship option will usually collaborate with a local business. Options include businesses in the health insurance field, industrial and manufacturing industries, engineering firms, etc.

Electives

Students must complete additional elective hours as needed to complete the degree. Any of the courses listed under the concentrations above may serve as electives. In addition, a special project (3 hours) or a thesis (6 hours) may be chosen to fulfill part of these elective hours. Prior to enrolling in MATH 5910 (Special Project in Mathematics), MATH 5980 (Research), or MATH 5990 (Thesis), a student choosing to do a project or thesis must have the topic approved by his or her graduate program committee and the Graduate Coordinating Committee, and must submit the committee form to the Graduate School for final approval.