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Index
PrerequisitesIn order to obtain a graduate degree in Mathematics, a student must have completed courses in the following topics at the senior undergraduate level or above:
Most students will have completed these four requirements before starting their graduate programs. Students admitted in spite of a gap in their background will be required to address it during the first year of the program. TopMaster's Degree RequirementsTo complete the Master's (M.A. or M.Sc.) program, a student must . . .
Mathematics students pursuing a Master's degree through the Institute of Applied Mathematics face slightly different requirements: details are provided on the IAM web page. Credit may be given for equivalent courses taken before the student started a graduate degree program at UBC, provided those courses were not counted toward another degree. Students may also request that credit be given for appropriate courses in departments at UBC other than Mathematics. TopDoctoral Degree RequirementsTo complete the PhD program, a student must . . .
Registration requirements: A full-time Ph.D. student must register in at least 12 credits of course work in the first year of their graduate program at UBC if they have not completed a M.Sc. degree or if they were admitted directly to Ph.D. after completion of B.Sc. degree. After being admitted to candidacy, a student working on a thesis may register for Math 649 with the approval of the thesis supervisor. All PhD students are expected to take at least four graduate-level courses, totaling at least twelve credits, at UBC as part of their program. Courses counted towards the 30 credits of approved coursework (#2 above) can also be counted towards this requirement, if taken at UBC as a PhD student. These courses cannot be reading courses; however, seminar courses with credit will be considered separately as they become available, to determine whether they can be counted in the requirement. Every doctoral student at UBC must have a supervisory committee of at least three members: the research supervisor and two others, typically UBC faculty with a rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. The committee should be identified as soon as possible. Students in Mathematics are expected to have a committee in place no more than two years after being admitted to a doctoral program at UBC. The Graduate Advisor should be notified (through the Graduate Program Coordinator) as soon as the committee is formed. The committee is responsible for guiding the student's course selection and research program, and for administering the candidacy examination and the final doctoral examination. Details are provided by the Faculty of Graduate Studies [link] . IAM Students: Mathematics students pursuing a doctorate through the Institute of Applied Mathematics face slightly different requirements. Details are provided on the IAM web page. Students are expected to attend the weekly mathematics colloquium. Mathematics students registered with the IAM are expected to attend the Applied Mathematics colloquia. TopThe Qualifying ExaminationThe qualifying examination is a written test on undergraduate material. It is offered twice a year: once in late August or early September, and once in early January. The syllabus is posted below. All Ph.D. students in the Mathematics Department, including those in the IAM, must pass this examination by the end of their second year (For example, for a PhD Student who started in September 2010, their last chance to write the exam will be January 2012). Doctoral students are strongly encouraged to attempt the examination immediately upon their arrival at UBC. Those who do not are required to participate in the next scheduled sitting. The exam is designed to . . .
Students may attempt the examination any number of times, but they must pass it by the end of their second year. The exam is available in two versions: pure mathematics and applied mathematics. It suffices to pass either one of these. Each student is free to choose which exam to write, and to make a different choice at every scheduled sitting of the examination. The pure and applied exams will have significant number of problems in common. Precise dates and times for examination sessions are posted well in advance. Students must inform the Graduate Program Coordinator ahead of time which version of the test they plan to attempt. The only two possible marks are "pass" and "fail". The committee will make an effort to notify the students of the results within two weeks of writing the exam. Appeals regarding marking and questions should be made in writing to the Graduate Affairs Chair. Exams can be reviewed in the graduate office. Exams are destroyed after 3 years. The total exam time is six hours, divided into two three-hour sessions on the same day, typically 9:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:00. The exam has a total of 12 questions, giving approximately equal value to each of the four fields detailed in the syllabus. Students who demonstrate competence in each subfield and earn a sufficiently high overall score will receive a passing grade. Here are some resources that will help students prepare for the Qualifying Examination. TopThe Candidacy ExaminationThe Candidacy Examination is a mandatory formal event to assess the student's readiness to undertake research at the doctoral level. It probes the student's knowledge, problem-solving, and communication skills through mathematical writing, oral presentation, and interactive discussion. The candidacy examination is normally held less than 24 months after a student enters a doctoral program at UBC. For mathematics students in a program sponsored by the Institute of Applied Mathematics (IAM) [link] , the IAM's Thesis Proposal Examination replaces this requirement. More information is available here. | ||||
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