As career opportunities for applied mathematicians have expanded, so too have our methods of preparing graduates to succeed in a variety of fields.  The Master’ program in mathematics is career-oriented and designed to emphasize training in the areas of physical applied mathematics, systems and control theory, operations research, statistics, and scientific computing.  This program provides students with applied, working experience as preparation for positions in industry or government.  The program also offers a solid foundation for those who later pursue a doctoral degree in mathematics.

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements.  A minimum of 32 units of graduate coursework is required for either the Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) degree. More than the minimum 32 units may be required for students whose undergraduate coursework lacked fundamental mathematics courses.  Students are required to take five advanced “gamma” level courses and three intermediate “beta” level courses and maintain a minimum grade point average is 3.0.

University Policies.  University policies detailed in the Registration and Degree Information  section of the Bulletin apply.

Concentrations of Study

Students may focus their programs of study on one of the following concentrations.

Physical Applied Mathematics. This concentration is intended to train graduates for careers in industry or government or for graduate work in applied mathematics.  Courses include applied analysis, computing, differential equations, mathematical modeling, simulation, probability, and statistics.

Computational Mathematics and Numerical Analysis. Designed to prepare students interested in theoretical or practical aspects of computation, this concentration includes courses in modeling, algorithms, advanced programming, mathematical modeling, simulation, numerical analysis, and computational statistics.

Systems and Control Theory. Tailored for engineering-oriented students with a special interest in systems analysis and control theory, this concentration includes courses in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, numerical analysis, differential equations, integral transforms, systems/control theory, and signal processing.

Operations Research and Statistics. Emphasis in this concentration focuses on decision making in a scientific context.  Courses include deterministic and stochastic operations research, mathematical modeling, statistics, simulation, probability, and game theory.

Pure Mathematics. For students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in pure mathematics and a career in research or higher education, courses in this concentration include algebra, real and complex analysis, and topology.