Admission Requirements
The minimum requirements for admission to the Master of Mathematics (MMath) program normally include:
- a four-year honour's bachelor's degree or its equivalent in mathematics or in a closely related field; an overall B+ average or its equivalent for undergraduate work;
- three letters of reference, normally from academic sources;
- proof of proficiency in English (if applicable); accepted examinations and required minimum scores for graduate studies are listed on the English Language Proficiency page;
- applicants from foreign countries must normally take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test and Subject Tests.
A graduate student without the required prerequisite knowledge may find it necessary to complete some courses at the 3rd or 4th year undergraduate level before proceeding to the core courses. The core courses may be replaced with other courses provided the Department Graduate Committee agrees that they are equivalent. The choice of the precise set of core courses is left to the student and the student's supervisor.
Degree Requirements
The MMath in Combinatorics and Optimization (C&O) degree is available in either a research paper or a thesis option. Each requires at least two terms of full-time registration. Students should normally complete the MMath degree in one year (three semesters).
Course Requirements
All MMath students must satisfactorily complete one of two core programs, outlined below. If students have credit for a course deemed equivalent to a particular required course by the Department Graduate Committee, then that part of the core requirement may be waived. An overall average of at least a B (75%) must be maintained.
A student may obtain credit for one graduate term course by completing two undergraduate term courses; however, any student wishing to exercise this option must seek the approval of the Departmental Graduate Committee.
Unsatisfactory academic performance in any one course will result in a review of the candidate's status by the Departmental Graduate Committee. If a student with a failed course is permitted to continue, additional work may be required to clear the failure in that course, or by replacement of the failed course; alternatively, the student may be required to repeat part or all of the program.
Combinatorics & Optimization (C&O) Core
Research Paper Option:
Seven courses, including three core courses and at least one other CO course.
Thesis Option:
Four courses, including two core courses and at least one other CO course.
Core Courses:
Mathematics of Operations Research (MOR) Core
Research Paper Option:
Seven courses, including CO 650, CO 666, two core courses and at least three other courses.
It is recommended that the three additional courses needed to complete the course requirement be selected from CO 652, CO 663, CO 664, CO 671, CS 657, and STAT 833. Students may choose some of the three non-core courses from other departments. For example, many students choose courses offered by the Pure Mathematics Department.
Thesis Option:
Four courses, including CO 650, CO 666, and two core courses.
Core Courses:
Co-op Option
Degree requirements are the same as for the regular MMath program, with the addition of a 2-term co-op work placement with a suitable industrial organization. The work placement must be related to the student's research and is subject to the approval of the Graduate Committee and the student's research supervisor. After completing the work placement, the student is required to submit a work report and make a formal oral presentation.
Additional Requirements
Research Skills Seminar: Required for all graduate students in C&O.
Research Paper Option: Research Paper Requirement
This requirement consists of two parts: the writing of a research paper, and the presentation of it in an appropriate seminar or class. The topic is arranged with the student's supervisor. The research paper requirement is met, and credit assigned, when the supervisor and reader returns a signed Accreditation form to the Department Graduate Officer, approving the written document and the research paper presentation.
Thesis Option
The thesis requirement consists of the writing of an expository or research thesis. The thesis topic is to be arranged with a faculty member who serves as the Thesis Supervisor. This requirement is met, and credit assigned, when the Thesis Supervisor and two additional readers approve the thesis. In addition to distributing a copy of the MMath thesis to the supervisor and readers, the thesis should also be deposited in the Mathematics Graduate Office for display for a period of three weeks.