Program Requirements

Master of Science (M.Sc.)

In addition to the general academic regulations for graduate students set out by the College of Graduate Studies, the minimum requirements for the M.Sc. are:

  • 12 credits for a successfully defended master's thesis (MATH_O 549);
  • 3 credits for seminar presentations (MATH_O 590 taken thrice);
  • 9 course credits selected by the student in consultation with - and approval of - the advisory committee and the program committee from a list of core courses in mathematical biology and differential equations, optimization and analysis, number theory and algebra, and statistics and probability; and
  • 6 other credits selected by the student in consultation with, and approval of, the advisory committee and the program committee, none of which may be at the 100, 200, or 300 level.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

In addition to the general academic regulations for graduate students set out by the College of Graduate Studies, the minimum requirements for the Ph.D. are:

  • 30 credits of coursework (up to 18 course credits obtained for the M.Sc. may count toward this requirement);
  • a written qualifying examination during the first two years, and a subsequent oral qualifying examination;
  • 6 credits of coursework per year until the written qualifying examination is passed; and
  • a successfully defended doctoral thesis (MATH_O 649).

Additional requirements may be established by the student's advisory committee and the program committee. For more information regarding the comprehensive examination and thesis, please refer to the academic regulations of the College of Graduate Studies, as set out in this section.


UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Pencil A pencil indicating that this is editable. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.