Students enrolled in the Master鈥檚 degree program will be required to:

  1. Complete a total of 30 credit hours of coursework.
    1. At least 18 credit hours must be from APPM/STAT at the 5000+ level.听
    2. Six credit hours must be taken outside of the Department of Applied Mathematics (from a designation other than APPM or STAT). This out-of-department coursework must be approved by an advisor or the professional MS director (pre-approval recommended),听must be at 5000+ level and should not听significantly overlap with material taught in APPM/STAT. The purpose of this sequence is to help students become proficient in one or more application areas of applied mathematics and statistics.
    3. Up to a maximum of three credits supporting the Culminating Experience (see below) amongst STAT 5640, STAT 5680, APPM 6900, APPM 6920 and APPM 6930 may be counted toward the 30 total required credit hours.
      听
  2. Complete a Culminating Experience (CE). There are two options for completing a CE鈥攁 project or internship/fellowship. Each option must have a written and presentation component.听
    1. Project. A CE project is intended to have goals that are different from a traditional master鈥檚 thesis. In particular, students working on a project are expected to fulfill any of the following three goals: (1) master an important set of mathematical or statistical methods used in industry; (2) gain experience working with a large, high-dimensional, or 鈥渕essy鈥� dataset; or (3) gain exposure to some tools (e.g., SQL and database management) that aren't typically taught in the program but that are useful for future employment.听
      1. Students interested in statistics and data science are encouraged to complete their CE project through the capstone class STAT 5640 (Capstone in Statistics and Data Science). 听A written report and oral presentation of the capstone project is required. 听In some cases, projects from听STAT 5680 (Statistical Collaboration) may be appropriate. 听This option will not require a final examination with a committee.
      2. Students pursuing areas other than statistics and data science may propose a project to a potential advisor. The student and advisor would come to an agreement on the work required to meet goals 1鈥�3 above. Such projects do not need to meet the criteria of a formal Master鈥檚 thesis. Students will have the option of enrolling in up to 3 credits in APPM 6930 to support their听CE project. Up to 3 credits听count toward the required 30 credits for the degree, and a grade (A鈥揊) will be assigned based on how well the student met the goals of the CE set out at the beginning of the project. This option will not require a final examination with a committee.
    2. Internship or fellowship. Students who secure an internship or fellowship related to applied mathematics, statistics or data science while in the program can use their work as part of their Culminating Experience. Students choosing this CE option should work closely with their MSAM advisor to decide what components will be necessary for successful completion of the CE (e.g., a presentation or written report of the details of the internship/fellowship). Students pursuing this option may听enroll in up to 3 credits of either APPM 6920 or APPM 6930 (counting toward their 30 credits for the degree) so they can be supported by faculty during their internship, discuss progress and possibly collaborate with their advisor to dive deeper into some of the concepts that students are gaining exposure to during their internship. 听This option will not require a final examination with a committee.
    3. In rare cases where a student and department agree that a formal Master鈥檚 thesis is appropriate, 4鈥�6 hours of thesis hours must be taken as part of the total 30 required hours, and a thesis defense must be conducted with three faculty committee members, as required by Graduate School rules.听
  3. Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better and earn at least a C in each class.
    听
  4. Complete the program in four years.

Learn the Culminating Experience Project