Masters is the introductory research degree. You will be expected to master a particular subdiscipline in mathematics and its applications. This means you become familiar with the research questions and techniques of that speciality; typically this involves thorough grounding in the published literature.
All our Masters degrees are by dissertation only, which you write under the guidance of a supervisor. You are expected to arrive at complete intellectual independence in this process, as shown by your critical engagement with the research literature on your chosen topic and the clarity and maturity of your formulation of the research questions that arise. Your thesis should also be technically acceptable as to clarity of exposition, typesetting of mathematics and referencing.
The Department offers three MSc degrees, all by dissertation only:
· MSc in Mathematics (MAM5000W)
· MSc in Applied Mathematics (MAM5001W)
· MSc in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (MAM5019W).
The requirement for entry into MSc study is an Honours degree with suitable mathematical content (four-year degrees in non-mathematical disciplines such as engineering may qualify, at the discretion of the Head of Department).
The process of application for MSc study in the department is as follows: the student applies to and corresponds with a potential supervisor. If this goes well, they will agree on a thesis topic, a plan of work, and a plan of funding (typically, several sources of funding need to be found, and the degree of support supervisors can give varies widely). Once this agreement is reached, the department issues a formal invitation to register for the degree, and the Faculty of Science then handles the actual registration.