The minimum requirements for admission to the MMath program normally include:
- an Honours Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Mathematics with at least a B+ standing (78%) (Successful applicants with insufficient background may be asked to take additional courses or a qualifying year.);
- three letters of reference, at least two of which must be from academic sources;
- proof of competency in English (if applicable). A score of at least 580 (paper based), 237 (computer based), or 92-92 (Internet based) is required in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and 4.0 on the TWE. (See Academic Regulations - English Language Proficiency Certification for other acceptable tests of English.)
- a one-page personal statement (please refer to these guidelines).
Deadline for applications to the Masters program is February 1st for International, Canadian/Landed Immigrant students. Please apply on-line on the following Web site: http://www.grad.uwaterloo.ca/students/applyingonline.asp
Course requirement: Six term graduate course credits (with unit weights equal to .50 each) with an average of at least 70%. At least four of these courses must be chosen from those offered by the department. At most, four can be joint graduate/undergraduate courses. In order for a reading course to count as one of the six required courses, approval must be obtained from the departmental Graduate Committee. A reading course consisting of work done by a student in the immediate preparation for writing a thesis would not normally be counted as one of the six required courses. Regular participation in a departmental seminar is required.
MMath Thesis Requirement: The thesis must be acceptable to a committee approved by the departmental Graduate Committee. It will consist of the student's supervisor and two other members of the Department. The nature and length of a Master's thesis can vary greatly. However, a typical thesis is roughly 50-100 typed pages. The thesis should be a synthesis of some research papers or monographs, and may also contain some original work. The student will be expected to give a talk on their thesis.
Course Requirement: This program requires a minimum of eight term graduate course credits (with unit weights equal to .50 each) with an average of a least 70%. At least six of these courses must be chosen from those offered by the department. The courses can be 600, 700 or 800 level courses. While the lectures in the 600 level courses are held with the corresponding undergraduate courses, a student must do significantly more work than what is required for credit in the corresponding undergraduate course. This usually involves independent study on a topic related to the course material together with a siminar presentation.
MMath Research Paper Requirement: The Master's Research Paper will normally be completed in the Spring term (May - August) for students who entered the program in the previous Fall term. A typical research paper is rougly 25-30 typed pages.