Degree requirements

The Department of Mathematics offers programs leading to the degrees of M.Sc. and Ph.D. For information on application procedure, click here.

Master's Degree

The requirements below are in addition to the "Admission Requirements" listed in section 2 of the Calendar and which can be found at the web site of our School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

M.Sc. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 
In the following, the term "course" means one full course or two half courses. A list of Graduate Courses offered by the Department of Mathematics is available here.

  1. A candidate having an Honors Bachelor's degree shall complete satisfactorily a minimum of four full mathematics courses numbered 4000 or above, of which at least three full courses must be numbered 9000 or above. A candidate may be permitted to substitute a thesis for at most two full courses. In undergraduate courses and combined undergraduate-graduate courses, graduate students must do more substantial work than is required of undergraduate students.
  2. A candidate with a general Bachelor's degree will be required to enroll in the Faculty of Science as a special (undergraduate) student and to complete satisfactorily a minimum of five undergraduate Honors mathematics courses before being considered for admission to an M.Sc. program in mathematics.

Note: At the discretion of the student's advisory committee, a candidate for either the M.Sc. or the Ph.D. degree may be permitted to substitute certain graduate courses in other departments for mathematics courses.

Ph.D. Degree

The requirements below are in addition to the "Admission Requirements" listed in section 2 of the Calendar and which can be found at the web site of our School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Ph.D. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 
In the following, the term "course" means one full course or two half courses. A list of Graduate Courses offered by the Department of Mathematics is available here.

  1. At the discretion of the Department, an applicant may be required to complete a one-year program of approved courses before being accepted as a candidate for the Ph.D. degree.
  2. In addition to fulfilling the thesis requirement, a candidate shall complete satisfactorily a minimum of seven full mathematics courses numbered 4000 or above, of which at least six full courses must be numbered 9000 or above. A candidate holding an approved Master's degree may be exempted from at most four of these courses unless he or she has successfully completed more than the minimum number of courses required for this degree. In the latter case the candidate may be exempted from more than four courses. In undergraduate courses and combined undergraduate-graduate courses, graduate students must do more substantial work than is required of undergraduate students.
  3. A candidate will be required to pass a comprehensive examination. This examination is in two parts. The first part, a written exam, will cover certain basic undergraduate material. The second part will be a project related to the candidate's intended specialty. The format will be decided in consultation with the candidate's advisory committee. More information is available here.
  4. A candidate will be required to pass a departmental oral examination; this examination will be primarily concerned with the contents of his or her thesis, but may include questions of a general nature relating to his or her field of specialization.  More information is available here.
  5. Each candidate will be required to present at least one paper at a graduate seminar on a subject to be approved by his or her supervisor.

Note: At the discretion of the student's advisory committee, a candidate for either the M.Sc. or the Ph.D. degree may be permitted to substitute certain graduate courses in other departments for mathematics courses.