Admission Requirements
An MS applicant will have earned a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. Scores from the General GRE examination taken in the last 5 years are optional (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing; advanced GRE is recommended but optional). TOEFL or IELTS scores, must be provided by applicants who did not earn a prior degree from a US institution or a country where English is the medium of instruction (see list here: General Admission Policy ).
Visit International Students (http://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/international-students/) to learn more.
The admissions committee will evaluate the credentials of each applicant for the M.S. program, considering a broad range of criteria, including:
- Content of undergraduate program and, if applicable, graduate programs and competency in mathematics
- A cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better in the last 60 hours of course work
- Letters of recommendation from three (3) individuals (preferably faculty members), who are able to judge the candidate’s academic abilities and potential for scholarly research
- GRE scores, if submitted (see above)
- English proficiency test scores, if applicable.
The prerequisite for admission to the program is the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics as defined at the University of Houston. Prior experience with advanced undergraduate mathematical concepts is necessary. All applications are evaluated with respect to the research potential of the candidate.
Degree Requirements
Credit hours required for this degree: Thesis, 30.0/Tutorial, 36.0
To receive an MS in Mathematics, a student must satisfy one of the two options below:
Plan I - Thesis
A minimum of 30 credit hours is required. These hours include a minimum of 3 credit hours (no more than 6) of MATH 6399 or 7399 Master’s Thesis, and a minimum of 24 credit hours in course work. These 24 credit hours must consist of 18 credit hours of courses in mathematics at the 6000 level or above, except for MATH 6308 (Advanced Linear Algebra), MATH 6309 (Advanced Linear Algebra II), MATH 6312 (Introduction to Real Analysis), or MATH 6313 (Introduction to Real Analysis). No more than 3 of the 24 credit hours may be in special problems. An oral and/or written examination over the candidate’s background will be conducted by the thesis committee, and a written thesis will be submitted to the department and college.
Plan II - Tutorial
A minimum of 36 credit hours is required. These hours must include 6 credit hours of MATH 6315, Master’s Tutorial credit and a minimum of 30 credit hours in other course work. Of these 30 hours at least 21 hours must be in regularly scheduled mathematics courses at the 6000 level or above, except for MATH 6308 (Advanced Linear Algebra), MATH 6309 (Advanced Linear Algebra II), MATH 6312 (Introduction to Real Analysis), or MATH 6313 (Introduction to Real Analysis). No more than 6 of the 30 credit hours may be in special problems. The tutorial requirement may be satisfied by participating in regularly scheduled classes, if this is the decision of the student and advisor. At most 6 hours of courses taken outside the mathematics department will be allowed with prior approval of the director of graduate studies.
Core Course Requirements
All MS students must complete at least 12 hours from the following master’s degree core courses, with a one-year sequence in two of the following three areas:
Area 1:
- Functions of a Real Variable (MATH 6320; 6321)
- Complex Analysis (MATH 6322; 6323)
- Functional Analysis (MATH 7320; 7321)
Area 2:
- Modern Algebra (MATH 6302; 6303)
- Topology/Geometry (MATH 6342; 7350)
Area 3:
- Differential Equations (MATH 6324; 6325)
- Partial Differential Equations (MATH 6326; 6327)
- Numerical Analysis (MATH 6370; 6371)
- Probability Models and Mathematical Statistics (MATH 6382; 6383)
- Applicable Analysis (MATH 6360; 6361)
MATH 6323, MATH 6303, MATH 7350, MATH 6325 can be substituted by other courses in the same area with prior approval from the director of graduate studies.
Academic Policies
Establishing a Thesis Research Committee
Students who are completing a thesis must assemble a thesis committee. A thesis committee must be on file with the department and College no later than the term prior to the anticipated graduating term. More details on committee composition can be found here: Graduate Degree Requirements: College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics .
Scholastic Requirements
Graduate students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00 in all course work to be considered in good standing. Students not in good standing cannot receive a graduate degree and can be declared ineligible for support with a graduate assistantship (IA, TA or RA).