Graduation Requirements for Mathematics Ph.D.
- Culminating Experience
- Adviser and Advisory Committee
- Advancement to Candidacy
- Dissertation Proposal Structure
- Dissertation Proposal Timeline
- Satisfactory Progress
The Ph.D. in Mathematics requires a minimum of 90 credit hours (including those transferred or applied from a master’s program). The following requirements must also be satisfied.
Examination Field and Course Requirements
Examination Requirement
Students are required to pass written examinations in two of the following subjects: Algebra, Analysis, Differential Equations, Statistics, and Topology. Choices of subjects should be made in consultation with potential Ph.D. advisers.
An examination in each subject will be offered twice each year, in late summer and in winter. A student may make no more than 5 total attempts at examinations, with a maximum of 3 attempts in any given subject area.
Breadth Requirement
Students must earn a grade of B or better in 4 MATH courses above 5999, excluding the core courses in the subjects of their two written examinations.
At least one course must be a core course in an examination subject in which the student did not take a written examination.
Project, seminar, and independent study courses may not be used for this requirement.
Doctoral Examination Field Core Courses
ALGEBRA
- MATH 6221 - Algebra I
- MATH 6222 - Algebra II
TOPOLOGY
- MATH 6700 - Point Set Topology
- MATH 6710 - Algebraic Topology
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
- MATH 6411 - Partial Differential Equations I
- MATH 6412 - Partial Differential Equations II
STATISTICS
- MATH 6500 - Mathematical Statistics
- MATH 6510 - Linear Models
ANALYSIS
- MATH 6301 - Analysis I
- MATH 6302 - Analysis II
Satisfactory Progress
Students Entering with an Earned M.S.
Student who begin the program with an earned master’s degree are expected to meet the following milestones (assuming a fall start):
- Clock Starts: entry to doctoral program
- Pass 1 written examination: winter of year 2
- Pass 2 written examinations: winter of year 3
- Find advisor and form advisory committee: within 2 years
- Breadth course requirement complete: within 3 years
- Advance to Candidacy, including defense of a dissertation proposal: within 3 years
- Successfully defend dissertation: within 7 years from entering doctoral program
Students Entering Through the OHIO M.S. Degree
Student who begin the program after admission to the Ohio University master’s degree program in mathematics are expected to meet the following milestones (assuming a fall start):
- Clock Starts: entry to master’s program
- Pass 1 written examination: winter of year 3
- Pass 2 written examinations: winter of year 4
- Find advisor and form advisory committee: within 3 years
- Breadth course requirement complete: within 4 years
- Advance to Candidacy, including defense of dissertation proposal: within 4 years
- Successfully defend dissertation: within 7 years from entering doctoral program
Policies on Deadline Extensions
Students who miss a deadline to pass a written examination will be dismissed at the end of Spring semester. If they believe that some exceptional circumstances justify an extension to this deadline, they may request an extension from the Graduate Committee, in writing, including any supporting documentation, by March 1.
Students who miss the deadline to advance to candidacy will be dismissed at the end of Spring semester. If they believe that some exceptional circumstances justify an extension to this deadline, they may request an extension from the Graduate Committee, in writing, including letters of support from their advisor and advisory committee member and any other supporting documentation, by May 1. The renewal of any departmental financial support will be contingent upon advancing to candidacy by the end of Spring semester.
Culminating Experience
Students must successfully complete and defend a dissertation.
Adviser and Advisory Committee
The student must choose (and be accepted by) a dissertation adviser. The adviser will form an Advisory Committee, consisting of the adviser and at least one other faculty member. The Advisory Committee is in charge of the student's study plan, and with determining if/when the student is prepared to undertake the independent research necessary for a dissertation. If the Advisory Committee judges that the student is not making satisfactory progress, they may recommend to the Graduate Committee that the student be withdrawn from the Ph.D. program.
Advancement to Candidacy
The student must form a Dissertation Committee, submit and orally defend a dissertation proposal, and have it approved by the committee. The committee consists of at least the adviser, the College Faculty Representative, and two other members. The proposal must demonstrate that the student has developed sufficient background expertise in a specialty to conduct research in it, and present a problem or conjecture, which, if solved, would be sufficient for a dissertation. Upon completion of the comprehensive examination and approval of the dissertation proposal, the student is admitted to candidacy.
Dissertation Proposal Structure
- First page: title, student's name, adviser's name, department, date.
- Second page: Abstract (1/4-1/2 of a page).
- Introduction (approximately 7 pages):
- Motivation and goals.
- Introduction to the general area of the research project, including a thorough literature review on the topic of study. This section will help the committee assess if student has sufficient background in the math and the subject-specific topics.
- List of specific problems (1/2-2 pages).
- Preliminary results and general research plan (2-5 pages).
- References (1-3 pages).
The proposal should be prepared in TeX/LaTeX, length between 12 and 20 pages.
Dissertation Proposal Timeline
- A preliminary versions of the proposal (no less than 8 pages) must be submitted to the dissertation committee no later than March 1 of the required semester. The goal of the preliminary proposal is twofold:
- to show the committee that the student has sufficient background and
- to receive timely criticism from the committee regarding the general direction of research.
- The final version of the proposal must be submitted to the committee no later than April 15 of the required semester.
- The oral defense of the proposal must be no later than the last week of classes.