Type of Degree

Accelerated Entry into Master's Program

School or College

College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

Area of Study

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Program Format

On-campus, Full-time

Program Overview

The AMP in Mathematics is designed so that UVM students with strong ability and motivation can complete a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, science, or engineering, as well as a Master’s degree in mathematics, within five years. The first four years consist of an undergraduate program that includes the core requirements for a minor in mathematics together with other courses that lay a solid mathematical foundation; this portion culminates in a Bachelor’s degree. During the fifth year, students take courses that complete the requirements for the Master of Science degree in mathematics.

The AMP is specifically designed to integrate the undergraduate and graduate portions so that students in it receive both the breadth and depth they would achieve had they completed two separate degree programs. A student declares their interest in the AMP in Mathematics by writing to the Director of the Mathematics Graduate Program before taking any courses that they would like to count towards both degrees and before taking either Math 3472 or 3766. If the courses in question are co-localized (i.e., have both 3000- and 5000-numbers), the student should also inform the course instructors that they wish to participate in these courses at the graduate level. 

Usually, a declaration of the student’s interest in the AMP should be made before the Spring semester of the junior year, and a formal application is made during that semester. It is recommended that the student apply by April to ensure that the application is processed in time.

AMP in Mathematical Sciences (UVM Catalogue)

Curriculum

Thesis Option

24 semester hours of acceptable graduate credits in advanced mathematics courses, and 6 semester hours of thesis research (MATH 6391) culminating in a master's thesis.


Non-Thesis Option

30 semester hours of acceptable graduate credits in advanced mathematics courses. No thesis is required.


Both Options

Under either option, students must take, or acquire the knowledge of the content in, the courses MATH 6441 and MATH 6444, and must satisfactorily complete at least 4 6000-level mathematics courses.

In both options students must select a major concentration from among the following areas: Analysis, Algebra, Applied Mathematics, or Discrete Mathematics. The concentration shall consist of at least 9 approved credits in advanced mathematics courses in the respective area, 3 of which must be at the 6000-level; students writing a thesis may count the 6 hours of thesis credit toward these 9 hours.

With approval of the student's advisor up to 6 credits of courses outside mathematics may be used to fulfill the major, minor, or degree requirements.

Graduate level courses in Mathematical Sciences

Admissions

The student carries out the usual procedure for admission to the MS program in Mathematical Sciences, including letters of recommendation. The student's admissions essay must specifically address why the student wishes to enter the AMP.

Applicants must achieve the following by the end of their junior year:

  1. Completion of Math 1234, 1248, 2055, 2248, and 2544 or 2522 with an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher; 
  2. Completion of Math 3468 and one of Math 3472 or 3766 (see a clarification below) with grades of B+ or better in each; and 
  3. Completion of a least two additional 3000 or higher-level mathematics or statistics courses with grades of B+ or better in each.

When selecting courses to satisfy conditions 2 and 3 above, the student needs to make sure that the courses prepare them for taking future courses to satisfy the requirements of the MS program in either the applied or pure track, as described in the entry about the MS degree. In particular, the following clarifies condition 2 about either of Math 3472 or 3766 being required. When the student declares their intent to enter the AMP to the Graduate Director, they inform the Director whether they will pursue the pure mathematics or applied mathematics track in the MS program. In the former case they must take Math 3472; in the latter, Math 3766.

In planning your schedule to meet the requirements of the AMP, you may wish to consult the Course Schedule Planner to find out which semesters/years MATH courses usually run.


Criteria

Students who have been admitted to the Accelerated Master’s Program in mathematics normally advance to candidacy in this program at the end of their senior year. This marks the end of their undergraduate curriculum and the beginning of their graduate curriculum. The criteria for advancement to the MS candidacy are:

  1. Completion of a Bachelor’s program in mathematics at UVM, or completion of a  Bachelor's program in science or engineering at UVM with a minor in mathematics;
  2. Completion of at least two additional mathematics or statistics or computer science courses at the 5000 or higher level   with grades of B or better in each; and
  3. Completion of a 6000-level course in Mathematics with a grade of B or better. This course may not be counted towards the student's undergraduate degree or GPA, and so must be taken as an overload.

Note that:

  • All these criteria must be met by the end of the student’s senior year.
  • The two courses mentioned in criterion 2 above will be double counted towards both the undergraduate and graduate degrees. 

Students who have been admitted to the AMP on the completion of their junior year but who later fail to meet the requirements for advancement to candidacy for the M.S. degree will only be permitted to continue towards their M.S. degree after review by the Graduate Program Committee and with the written approval of the Director of the Graduate Program in Mathematics.

 

Outcomes

Graduating Students from the Mathematics (AMP) program should:

  • Be prepared for entry into a Mathematics Ph. D. program
  • Have a solid understanding of graduate-level real and complex analysis
  • Be able to write a clear, precise, and logically rigorous multi-step proof
  • Demonstrate mastery of the core mathematical concepts in at least one area of specialty such as:
    • Applied Mathematics
    • Discrete Mathematics
    • Algebra