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Department of Mathematics

two students in math class

Honors Program

The Honors Program in mathematics is designed to offer highly motivated students the opportunity to pursue more intensive work within their major field.

Application

Interested students may apply to the director of undergraduate studies for admission to the Honors Program in their junior year or the first semester of their senior year. Applicants must meet the below requirements for entry to the Honors Program.

The application includes a one- to two-page proposal of the planned thesis and the signature of the faculty member who will be the thesis adviser.

Requirements

  1. Completion of all the requirements of Program III (Honors Track).
  2. Graduate with a minimum grade point average of 3.6 in courses that count toward the mathematics major.
  3. Completion of a senior thesis, typically in the second semester of the senior year. With approval of the DUS, the thesis may be based on research initiated or completed at another academic institution, such as during a summer REU.
  4. Oral examination on the senior thesis. A committee of at least three faculty members—at least two from the Department of Mathematics, one being the thesis adviser—shall evaluate the thesis and the oral examination. Exceptional achievement on the thesis will earn Highest Honors.

The thesis must be submitted no later than two weeks before the end of classes in the semester of graduation. The oral examination will take place by the last day of classes in the semester of graduation. Highest Honors will be awarded for a thesis that contains original high-quality research results in combination with an oral defense at the highest quality level.

Students may sign up for MATH 4999 during one semester of their senior year. MATH 4999 will not count toward the 21 credit hours requirement in Program III.

Contact

Please consult the Henry Chan, director of undergraduate studies, for more details or questions.