Applied Mathematics Preliminary Requirements

The student must fulfill the below three requirements in accordance with a Study Plan approved by the AMSC Graduate Committee. If the student deviates from a previously approved Study Plan, the student must submit a revised Study Plan to the Graduate Committee for approval before applying for candidacy.

I. Course Distribution Requirements

  • The student must have at least 35 graduate course credits that must be distributed as follows:
    • At least 18 of the 35 credits must be in courses with primarily mathematical content. Of these 18 credits, 3 must be a course in numerical analysis with a grade of B or better. 
    • For the area of application, the student must have 6-9 credits.
    • Nine credits of elective coursework which shall be chosen by the student with the approval of his or her Study Advisory Committee. 
    • 2 credits of Applied Math or appropriate seminar offered by a participating department.

No course may be used to meet both of the above requirements. Most courses clearly fall into either one category or the other; if a question does arise, it is the function of the Graduate Committee to decide the category into which a given course is to be placed.

II. Qualifying Exam Requirements

The student must meet three qualifying exam requirements at a Ph.D. level. 

III. Seminar Requirements

The student must take two approved one-credit seminar courses.

The purpose of this seminar requirement is to acquaint students with a variety of applications of mathematics and to provide some experience in lecturing on these applications. One-credit seminar courses include:

  • The Applied Mathematics Seminar (AMSC 699); 
  • An approved RIT course (AMSC 689); 
  • An appropriate seminar offered by a participating department.

To receive credit, the student is expected to attend the seminar regularly and to give at least one half-hour talk on an application of mathematics. If the student decides to take a seminar course in a participating department, he or she must have prior consent of the Director. The faculty member in charge of the seminar must attest that the requirements listed above have been met.