Applied Mathematics, M.S.

The program offers two tracks for the master’s degrees in applied mathematics. The traditional track is designed for students wishing to continue toward a doctorate in mathematics either at UMBC or another academic institution. The industrial track is designed for students interested in master’s degrees that will prepare them for employment in industry. Each entering student will have an advisor who will help design a program meeting the degree requirements set forth below. If necessary, a student may be advised to take preparatory courses at the undergraduate or graduate level. These preparatory courses may not count toward the degree.

Traditional Track

In this track, there are two options.

Required Core Courses

The curriculum for both options must include the following core courses:

The comprehensive examination option requires:

the completion of 30 graduate credits with an average grade of B or better, with at least 24 (of those) credits at the 600-level or above;
passing a comprehensive examination based on topics at the level of, and contained, in MATH 600 and MATH 603 .

Additional requirements:

In addition to the core courses above, a student must complete 15 graduate credits (or 5 elective courses) approved by the Graduate Program Director. Not more than six credit hours of STAT courses may be used to fulfill the 30 credit hours course requirement.

The thesis option requires:

the completion of 24 graduate credits with an average grade of B or better, with at least 18 of (those) at the 600-level or above;
completing 6 credits of MATH 799 (Master’s Research);
Writing and defending a master’s thesis.

Additional requirements:

In addition to the core courses above, a student must complete 9 graduate credits (or 3 elective courses) approved by the Graduate Program Director. Not more than six credit hours of STAT courses may be used to fulfill the 24 credit hours course requirement.

Regarding Master’s Research and Thesis: After establishing an area of concentration, the student should seek a thesis advisor from the university graduate faculty. The student should submit a thesis proposal to the graduate program director with an endorsement from the prospective thesis advisor. It is expected that the completed thesis will be a significant exposition of the approved topic or will concentrate on developing better methods for solving practical problems. The final acceptance and earning of credit for the masters thesis require passing an oral defense of masters thesis examination. This examination is conducted in accordance with the general Graduate School regulations.

Industrial Track

An industrial-project-oriented track is offered under the master’s program in applied mathematics to meet the educational needs of students who intend to obtain employment in industry or government. This track also may be attractive to part-time students from the government and local industries. The track is designed to provide students with the basic tools of applied and computational mathematics, as well as statistics, fused with mathematical model building. The program is capped with a significant industrial-oriented project. Another aspect of the program is incorporating some experience with technical report writing and oral presentation, a valuable skill in all career options. The track requires the completion of 30 graduate credit hours.

The student should declare the intention to pursue this specific track soon after entering the master’s program. Approval of a plan of study must be obtained from the department before the student starts taking courses toward satisfying the track requirements. If the student wishes to transfer courses taken elsewhere to satisfy specific track requirements, approval must be obtained before taking more than six credit hours toward satisfying the track requirements.

Course Requirements

The course requirements of the industrial track are satisfied by MATH 617 : Introduction to Industrial Mathematics, taken in the first two semesters in the program; five graduate-level courses, taken within the department, at least one of which is a statistics course at the 600 level or higher; two courses in a focused area taken outside the department with the approval of the graduate program director; and MATH 717 : Projects in Industrial Mathematics, taken in the second year in the program. It will be strongly advised that no more than two courses come from any one area of applied mathematics.

The program culminates in a capstone event by completing a project (MATH 699 for three credit hours) under the direction of a faculty member in the department or under the joint direction of a faculty member in the department and an expert in the area of the project from outside the department. The topic should be associated with an industry- or government-related problem in applied mathematics.