Degree Requirements

• Complete 11 one-semester graduate courses, exclusive of thesis (132 credit hours) with grades of A or B. One advanced undergraduate math subject and/or relevant graduate subject from other departments may occasionally be used as a substitute.

  Students are expected to maintain at least B+ average in each semester. Students in Applied Mathematics must satisfy an additional breadth requirement by taking a one-semester course (one subject) in at least four of six designated areas. See Plan of Study.

• Pass an qualifying exam covering three distinct areas of mathematics. One area is treated in greater depth than the others and normally becomes the student's area of specialization.
• Demonstrate a mathematical reading knowledge of at least one of the following languages: French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, or Chinese. This proficiency can be demonstrated in any of the following ways:
  • native fluency
  • two years of the language in high school with the grade of C or better
  • one year of the language in college with the grade of C or better
  • one semester of the language at MIT with the grade of C or better
  • taking a language examination given at MIT
• Complete an original thesis and an oral defense, approved by the thesis advisor and thesis committee. The thesis is expected to represent research at a standard required for publication in a high-level research journal. See thesis section of the timeline for more details.