MA in Mathematics & Statistics
Admission Requirements
See the section on General Admission Requirements. Most successful applicants have a standing of B+ or higher, a fact which reflects the number of good applicants to the program. In addition to having sufficiently high standing, students are expected to have completed certain core courses in mathematics or statistics as undergraduates.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete: the core course requirement; the thesis, survey paper or additional coursework requirement; and the seminar requirement. These are described below.
Core Courses Requirements
Each student is required to take one of the following sets of courses, to be chosen with the approval of the program Director. (The last digit in the course number indicates the number of credits).
Whatever option is chosen, no more than one-third of courses can be integrated, and all students must include among their courses one of the following sets:
- Pure Mathematics Stream: Algebra (6120 6.0), Functional Analysis I (6461 3.0) and either Measure Theory (6280 3.0) or General Topology I (6540 3.0).
- Applied Mathematics Stream: Four courses chosen from Ordinary Differential Equations (6340 3.0), Partial Differential Equations (6350 3.0), Functional Analysis I (6461 3.0), Advanced Numerical Methods (6651 3.0), Operations Research I (6900 3.0).
- Probability Stream: Mathematical Statistics (6620 3.0), Measure Theory (6280 3.0), Stochastic Calculus in Finance (6910 3.0), and either Stochastic Processes (6602 3.0) or Probability Models (6604 3.0).
- Theoretical Statistics Stream: Mathematical Statistics (6620 3.0), Generalized Linear Models (6622 3.0), Applied Statistics I (6630 3.0), and either Advanced Mathematical Statistics (6621 3.0) or Probability Theory (6605 3.0).
- Applied Statistics Stream: Mathematical Statistics (6620 3.0), Generalized Linear Models (6622 3.0), Applied Statistics I (6630 3.0), Applied Statistics II (6631 3.0), Practicum in Statistical Consulting (6627 3.0).
Thesis, Survey Paper or Additional Coursework Requirement
Each student must meet one of the following requirements:
- Write a Master’s thesis under the supervision of an approved faculty member, give an oral presentation to the Program (20 minutes presentation and 1½ hours question & answer period), and defend it before an examining committee. In addition to Faculty regulations regarding thesis examination, the thesis candidate gives two talks in a student Colloquium, one outlining work in progress and one presenting the final results. This is done pior to the formal defense.
- Submit a survey paper written under a faculty advisor and give an oral presentation (50 mins presentation and ½ hour question and answer period), and take six credits of additional course work. A copy of the final version of the survey paper, with the faculty advisor’s confirmation, has to be submitted to the Program one week after the oral presentation.
- Take twelve credits of additional coursework.
The courses selected to meet the above requirements must be graduate-level courses. Students may with permission from the Graduate
Program Director, use courses in other graduate Programs such as Computer Science, Physics and Astronomy or Economics to meet the requirements. Permission forms are available at: http://www.yorku.ca/grads/current_students/forms.html#petitions
Course credits: A student will not receive credit for more than 2 half integrated courses towards the M.A. degree. Students may not take or receive credit for an integrated course at the graduate level if they took it at York or elsewhere at the undergraduate level.
NOTE:
Thesis proposals must be forwarded for approval to the Dean of Graduate Studies not less than three months prior to the date set for the oral examination of the completed thesis. Thesis Proposal forms are available in N519 Ross. The Guidelines for the Preparation and Examination of Thesis and Dissertation are available at: http://www.yorku.ca/grads/current_students/thesis_dissertations_section2.html#theses
Graduate students doing Theses, in which research involving human participants occurs shall familiarize themselves with York University's policies about the use of human participants and with the SSHRC/NSERC/MRC Tri-Council Policy Statement "Ethical Conduct for Research involving Humans" (August, 1998). These can be found at http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/policy-politique/initiatives/tcps2-eptc2/Default/
All Thesis proposals must be submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies with a copy of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Human Participants Research Form attached. The Faculty of Graduate Studies Human Participants Research form is available in N519 Ross.
The Graduate Program Director will recommend the membership of the Examining Committee to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. This recommendation must be accompanied by other documentation (forms are available in N519 Ross) as listed in the “Guidelines for the Preparation and Examination of Theses and Dissertations’‘, must reach the Faculty of Graduate Studies Office not less than three weeks before the date set for the oral. This deadline is strictly enforced by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
It is the responsibility of the student/supervisor to ensure that all degree requirements are met.
Seminar Requirement
In addition to the above, students who choose option (a), (b), (c) or (d) as their core course requirement must fulfill the seminar requirement (6004.00). Students who choose option (e) are exempt as they do the Practicum in Statistical Consulting (6627 3.0) in place of this. To fulfill the seminar requirement students must present two one-hour seminars. For each seminar, the topic is chosen in conjunction with a faculty member, who will then grade the talk on a pass-fail basis. Topics can be chosen from any branch of mathematics, but should not be taken directly from the student's Course work, survey paper or thesis, although they can be related to such material. The two talks can be from different areas of mathematics or the same area, but the second talk should not just be a continuation of the first. In addition to giving the talks, students must attend the talks of other students in the Seminar. Documented evidence of attendance at six such talks is required. Attendance sheets are available in N519 Ross.
Students may substitute another half‑course for the seminar if they are pursuing their M.A. by Survey Paper or by Thesis. Students completing their M.A. by courses can replace the seminar requirement with another half‑course only if one of their four courses toward the degree is the Practicum in Statistical Consulting (Mathematics & Statistics 6627 3.0).
The M.A. Program for Teachers
(i) Admission Requirements
The normal minimum admission standard is an honours degree or equivalent in mathematics or an ordinary B.A. in mathematics plus a Bachelor of Education. A minimum average grade of B in the last two full years of post‑secondary study is required. Many applicants are practising high‑school teachers who obtained their degree several years earlier.
Where students have substantial experience in teaching mathematics, an honours degree or equivalent in an area which is mathematically substantial (e.g. Engineering, Physics) or a mathematics or statistics minor, and a B average in the mathematics related courses, their cases will also be considered by the MA for Teachers admissions subcommittee and may be approved.
Applicants who do not meet the academic requirements listed above may be considered for admission to the Mathematics for Teachers M.A. program if they have demonstrated work experience that is relevant to the academic focus and objectives of the program. In such cases, evidence of relevant work experience must be presented and considered acceptable by the program. This process may also include an interview between the applicant and Teachers' Program Coordinator.
(ii) Degree Requirements
Core Courses:
The Program for Teachers option requires 36 credits in course work chosen from Mathematics & Statistics courses with first digit 5. These 36 credits must include Mathematics & Statistics 5020 6.0 and 5400 6.0.
In certain situations, there are courses other than Mathematics & Statistics courses with first digit 5 that may be relevant to the Program for Teachers option. Students wishing to replace one of the Mathematics & Statistics courses with first digit 5 should seek permission from the Teachers’ Program Coordinator.
A survey paper or thesis is not required for this degree,
nor is it expected however the course MATH 5001 0.0: Survey Paper exists to formalize the requirement for students who are enrolled in the degree concurrent option of the Graduate Diploma in Mathematics Education. A total of 36 credits from the 5000‑level courses is the requirement for the degree. 5000‑level (Teachers) and 6000‑level (Regular) courses are not
interchangeable.
New and continuing students will choose their program
of study in consultation with the Teachers' Program Coordinator and subject to approval of the Graduate Director.
