The Master of Arts degree in Mathematics covers the basic graduate curriculum in Mathematics, and also allows students to undertake some more specialized training in an area of interest. A typical program of study will include fundamental courses in real analysis and linear algebra, followed by more advanced graduate courses in pure and applied mathematics. With a good educational background, it takes approximately two years to complete the requirements for a Master's degree.
Admissions
In addition to the minimum Graduate School admission requirements, to be considered for regular admission an application must include:
A resume/CV
3 letters of recommendation.
Scores on the general test of the GRE are optional. We encourage applicants to submit GRE scores if they think doing so will boost their chance of getting admitted. However, applications with and without GRE scores will both get full consideration.
See the Admission Criteria section of this catalog for more information.
Curricular Requirements
All students are required to take four master's core courses and one PhD year-long core sequence. In addition, there is a breadth requirement under which students need to take at least one more graduate level course in mathematics at the 500-level or 600-level, with the exception of courses beginning with 50. Students may fulfill the remaining credits by taking other Mathematics courses. With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may take courses in related areas such as Computer Science, Education, Finance, or Physics. Students should consult the Director of Graduate Programs if they wish to place out of any of the above requirements. The list of requirements is given below.
| Course Requirements | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Master's Core Courses | 12 | |
MATH 530 or | Data Science and Programming | |
| Prin Modern Algebra I | ||
| Advanced Linear Algebra | ||
| Intro Real Analysis I | ||
| Intro Real Analysis II | ||
| Select one of the following PhD core sequences | 6 | |
| Algebra | ||
| Prin Modern Algebra II and Abstract Algebra I | ||
| Real Analysis | ||
| Real Analysis I and Real Analysis II | ||
| Topology | ||
| Intro General Topology and Intro Algebraic Topology | ||
| Numerical Analysis | ||
| Numerical Analysis I and Numerical Analysis II | ||
| Optimization | ||
| Linear Optimization Theory and Non-Linear Optimization Theory | ||
| Mathematical Statistics | ||
| Advanced Math Statistics I and Advanced Math Statistics II | ||
| Partial Differential Equations | ||
| Boundary Value Problems and Partial Diff Equations I | ||
| Breadth Requirement | 3 | |
| One additional 3 hour course in mathematics at the 500-level or 600-level with the exception of courses beginning with 50. | ||
| Research Requirements | 6 | |
| Under Plan I, students will take 6 hours of MATH 599. Under Plan II, students will take one more elective course and 3 hours of MATH 598 | ||
| Elective Courses | 3 | |
| Credit Hours Subtotal: | 30 | |
| Master's en route to PhD | ||
| Students pursuing a PhD degree in Mathematics may be awarded a Master’s degree after passing the PhD Qualifying Exams or Comprehensive Exam, completing 30 hours in graduate coursework and fulfilling the core course requirements. See the Graduate School policy on Master's En Route for more information. | ||
Transfer Credit
See the Graduate School policy.
Accelerated Master's Program
See the Accelerated Master's Program.
Plan I Requirements
Plan I requires successful completion of 24 semester hours of course work, and a thesis (6 hours of MATH 599) supervised by a graduate faculty member in Mathematics. A student planning to graduate in the Spring semester ought to start thinking about the thesis topic as early as possible, and no later than in early Fall of the preceding year. The thesis must be defended in front of a committee, and then submitted electronically on line through ProQuest once it has been approved by the committee. Please note that a copy of the thesis or project must be available to each committee member at least two weeks prior to the presentation.
Plan II Requirements
Plan II requires 27 semester hours of courses and 3 hours of work (MATH 598) devoted to a project supervised by a member of the graduate faculty in Mathematics. The project does not have to be based on original work, and can be an extensive literature review of a particular field of Mathematics. The project can be started in the semester that a student plans to graduate. A copy of the project approved by a faculty member must be provided to the main office. the student should also provide a pdf file. The project should be in 12pt font and single-spaced. Students are required to write their theses in LaTeX, which they should have used in many of their courses. A workshop on how to use LaTeX and its derivatives is offered (by the University Library specifically for graduate students in mathematics) at the beginning of each academic year. A skeleton template LaTeX file can be obtained from the UA Box to help students get started.
Comprehensive Exam
See plan II requirements for information on the comprehensive examination.
Time Limits for Degree Completion Requirements
See the Graduate School policy.
Student Progress Requirements
Ideally a student successfully complete the core courses in Year 1, and all other requirements in Year 2.
Academic Misconduct Information
See the Graduate School Policy.
Withdrawals and Leave of Absence Information
See the Graduate School Policy.
Academic Grievances Information
See the Graduate School Policy.
Grades and Academic Standing
See the Graduate School Policy.
Graduate School Deadlines Information
See the Graduate School Deadlines.
Application for Graduation Information
See the Graduate School Policy on application for graduation.
Financial assistance is available to all graduate students on a competitive basis, and is subject to availability of funding, continued good progress towards obtaining a degree and a good employment record. The forms of financial assistance usually include graduate teaching assistantships (GTA), graduate research assistantships (GRA), and fellowships. The offer of any assistantships is contingent upon receipt of acceptable results on a pre-employment background report.
Eligible students who excel in the program may be nominated by the Department for UA fellowships. Nominees are selected by a committee consisting of departmental faculty, and are based upon prospective nominee research productivity, academic performance, and contributions to the Department.
Stipend and Benefits of Graduate Teaching Assistants
The appointment as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) pays a monthly stipend that is equally distributed through the academic year (fall and spring). It also provides a 100% full-time tuition scholarship for up to 15 credits in each of the fall and spring semesters, a single coverage health insurance, and payment of college and departmental fees. The stipend and amounts used to pay health insurance and college and departmental fees are taxable. All amounts are subject to change by The University of Alabama Trustees.
Continuation of the GTA position at any time is contingent upon continued enrollment in the master's program in mathematics, the availability of funding, satisfactory progress toward the degree objectives, remaining in academic good standing, and satisfactorily completing the duties associated with this assistantship.
Duties of Graduate Teaching Assistants
Each GTA will be required to work 20 hours per week under the supervision of the Graduate Program Director. This constitutes a full-time equivalency appointment (FTE) of 0.50 (50%) . The specific assignments and duties, determined by the supervisor, will be included in the Memorandum of Appointment.
The workload for a GTA (with 0.50 FTE) is six credits of teaching per semester. This translates into the teaching of two 3-credit courses (0.25 FTE each), or an equivalency of the combination of classroom and non-classroom duties. The workload for a half GTA (with 0.25 FTE) is the teaching of one 3-credit course (0.25 FTE), or an equivalency of the combination of classroom and non-classroom duties.
With the approval of the Graduate Program Director and the Department Chair, lower division courses are assigned by the Director of Lower Division Instruction, and tutoring/proctoring duties are assigned by the Supervisor of Tutors and Proctors. GTAs need to talk to the Graduate Program Director if they have concerns about their duty assignments.
Performance Expectations for Continuing Financial Support
Because a master's degree usually requires two years of full-time study, financial support is ordinarily provided for a duration of two years. Requests for extensions of financial support into the 3rd year or above are generally not considered.
All the following requirements must be met for financial support to be renewed.
- Students must carry out the teaching and/or other duties assigned to them by the department and the university.
- Students must meet the following expectations on academic progress:
- Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or better throughout the program.
- Students must make substantial progress toward completing all program requirements by the end of the second year.
Conditions for Termination of Financial Support
Students who meet one or more of the following criteria will result in prorated stipend, the termination of their assistantships, or the suspension from the graduate program.
- Failing to carry out the teaching and/or other duties assigned to them by the department and the university. Examples of failing to carry out duties include, but are not limited to
- Failure to teach assigned classes or perform assigned duties in the MTLC.
- Failure to consult with course coordinator or the Director of Lower Division Instruction about changes to their courses.
- Failure to consult with the Supervisor of Tutors and Proctors or the MTLC Lab Coordinator about changes to MTLC schedules or duties.
- Leaving before the end of the semester (defined as the date grades are due) or returning after the Monday before classes start without permission of the MTLC Lab Coordinator and the Graduate Program Director.
- Failing to meet the expectations on academic progress described in Performance Expectations for Continuing Financial Support.
- Resolved finding of Academic Misconduct. Penalties, including potential loss of financial support, will be determined with guidance from the UA Graduate School and/or the UA College of Arts and Sciences.