The Department of Mathematics offers programs leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts. The Ph.D. program is an intensive course of study designed for the full-time student planning a career in research and teaching at the university level or in basic research in a nonacademic setting.
Admission is limited and selective.
Applicants should present an undergraduate major in mathematics from a college with strong mathematics offerings. In the first year, students must pass written qualifying examinations in the areas of the basic first-year courses . Most of the formal course work is completed in the second year, when an oral examination in two selected topics must be passed. Also required is a reading knowledge of two languages, chosen from French, German, and Russian. The third and fourth years are devoted to seminars and the preparation of a dissertation.