Spring 2009

Department of Mathematics

Graduate Student Guidelines

The information here is to supplement that given in the URI Course Catalog and the Graduate Student Manual, which is available online at: http://www.uri.edu/gsadmis/TOC.html. The Department of Mathematics offers the M.S. degree, with and without thesis, and the Ph.D. degree.

The Graduate Committee is available for consultation. See the listing of its members on the Math Dept. Webpage: www.math.uri.edu/Info/DeptOfMath/.  Committee members are appointed by the Math Department Chairperson. The Director of Graduate Studies is:

Dr. Woong Kook

Contact Information:  874-4421, andrewk@math.uri.edu

Graduate students are usually expected to earn a Master of Science degree before entering the Ph.D. Program.

The MasterÕs Degree

The Graduate Director will assign to each new M.S. Degree candidate, an adviser from the Graduate Com­mittee or some other faculty member appointed by this committee.  All degree candidates must work out a Program of Study with their adviser and submit it to the Graduate School for approval before the end of the first semester.  In some cases, courses may be required for no program credit, such as degree candidates who do not have a strong background in basic logic, set theory, and proof methods, may be required to take or audit MTH 307 ÒIntroduction to Rigor in MathematicsÓ.

á        MTH 435, MTH 436, and MTH 513 must be completed with a grade of B or better.

á        MTH 515, 525, 535, 536, and 562 are recommended.

 

á        At least 18 credits must be for Mathematics courses (MTH), of which 15 are at the 500 level or above.  At least 18 credits must be in formal courses, which excludes MTH 492, 591, 592, 599, 691, 692, and 699.  No program credit is given for courses below the 400-level.

M.S. Degree Non-Thesis Option

á         A total of 31 credits are required.

á        The M.S. Qualifying Exam* must be passed. The 4-hour exam will cover the material included in MTH 435, 436, and 513 and is usually taken over 2 days and before 21 credits have been earned toward this degree (whether taken at URI or transferred to the program).  The exam will be administered and evaluated by the Graduate Committee or faculty members assigned by the Committee for this purpose.  Students not passing may petition the Graduate Committee for a retesting, in which case, approval by the Dean of the Graduate School will be required.

 

á         A one-credit course, MTH 591 or 592, which requires a substantial paper involving independent study, must be taken.  The student asks a Professor in the Department to serve as the supervisor and is expected to give a seminar talk on the subject of the paper.

M.S. Degree Thesis Option

á         A total of 30 credits are required.  Six to nine credits are in thesis work, MTH 599.  Under special circumstances and with permission by the Dean of the Graduate School, 12 credits in thesis work could be allowed.

á         The student, in conjunction with the Graduate Committee, will select a major professor who will supervise the studentÕs progress in the preparation of the thesis. At the time the thesis proposal is prepared, the major professor and the student will select the thesis committee.  Final approval of which is up to the Graduate School.

á         Oral Defense of the thesis is required before the thesis defense committee. This committee consists of the thesis committee and an additional member approved by the Graduate School to be chairperson of the committee.

 

Ph.D. Degree

A total of 72 credits are required.  Of these, 18 credits of thesis work are required, MTH 699.  At least 42 credits must be taken at URI. No program credit is given for courses below 400-level.  The courses MTH 513, 515, 525, 535, 536, and 562 are required.

Candidates Without a MasterÕs Degree

á         At most 15 credits may be taken at the 400-level. 

á        Qualifying Exam must be passed.  This exam is the same as the M.S. Qualifying Exam*, see M.S. Degree Non-Thesis Option above.

 

Candidates with an Appropriate MasterÕs Degree

á         Up to 30 credits may be transferred to the Ph.D. Program for a Masters Degree in Mathematics or a closely related field.  For such students, all of their remaining credits must be at the 500-level or higher.  

The student, in conjunction with the Graduate Committee, will select a research adviser (major professor) from the Graduate Faculty of the Mathematics Department before 36 credits have been completed (earned at URI or transferred to the Program).  At this time, the studentÕs dissertation committee is selected and the ÒProgram of StudyÓ is carefully prepared by the student with his or her major professor.  The ÒProgram of StudyÓ must be approved by the studentÕs dissertation committee, the Department Chairperson, and the Dean of the Graduate School.  Soon after that, in a similar manner, the ÒDissertation ProposalÓ must prepared and approved.

 

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

á         Full time enrollment for at least 2 consecutive semesters is required before taking the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam.

á         Near completion of formal course work, each doctoral candidate shall take the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations. These consist of an 8-hour written part to be taken over 2 days and, on successful completion of the written part, an oral part (normally within four weeks).

á         The written part covers the material corresponding to 10 courses, which are selected by the student in consultation with their major professor, according to the following rules.

o        The exam must cover MTH 435, 436, 513, 535 and 536.

o        Two courses must be selected from among: MTH 515, 516, 525, 562, 629, and 630.

o        The remaining 3 courses will be 500-level or higher and usually related to the subject of the studentÕs thesis.

á         The preparation, administration, and evaluation of the written comprehensive examina­tion is the responsibility of the studentÕs research advisor, the doctoral committee, and other department members assigned by them.  Unanimous approval of all members of the doctoral committee is required for passing.  It is the responsibility of the major professor to request permission of the Graduate School to schedule the exams and inform the Graduate School about the results. 

á         The oral part of the comprehensive examination covers essentially the same material as the written part. This examination, usually two hours long, is conducted by the oral comprehensive examination committee, which consists of the doctoral committee with two additional members approved by the Graduate School.  It is the responsibility of the major professor to ask for approval of the Graduate School to schedule the oral comprehensive examination and inform the Graduate School about the results.

á         Consult the Graduate Student Manual, section 7.57, for procedures, which must be followed to schedule both parts of the compre­hensive examination.  In case of failing the whole or a portion of the comprehensive examination the student may be permitted one re-examination if so recommended by the examining committee and approved by the Graduate School.

The candidate shall successfully defend the dissertation in an oral defense.  This is an oral exam, usually two hours long, administered by the dissertation defense committee composed of the doctoral committee and two additional members approved by the Graduate School.

The Department of Mathematics requires that doctoral candidates have reading proficiency in mathematical French, German, or Russian.  The specific requirement to be satisfied is to be determined by the major professor.  The student should demonstrate the ability to translate, with a dictionary, written mathematical text from the language into English while preserving the mathematical sense of the text.

 

Teaching Assistanships

The Department of Mathematics offers several additional Teaching Assistantships every year. A teaching assistantship is typically renewed annually for a total of 2 years to work on a M.S. Degree and 3 years to work on a Ph.D. Degree.  Continuation of this form of support is subject to remaining in good academic standing and satisfactory job performance and is determined by the candidateÕs Major Professor, the Graduate Committee, and the Math Department Chairperson.   See Articles XXIV, XXV, and XXVI of the GAU Contract http://www.uri.edu/union/gau/content_uploads/contract.pdf.

Other employment opportunities are sometimes offered by the Department.  Ask the Department Chairperson if you would like more information.