Mathematics
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The First Two Years
Advising
The first year is a time to get to know Harvard, the faculty, and fellow students. This is a time to get a sense of what sort of mathematics is done here, at what level, in what style, and by whom. By the end of the first year, it should be possible for the student to have some idea of the area that is most interesting to them and with whom they might work.
While preparing for the qualifying examination or immediately after taking it, the student should enroll in more advanced courses with the idea of choosing a field of specialization. Most students choose a dissertation advisor during their second year or earlier. It is not usually a good idea to wait longer than two years before doing so. One method of choosing a professor with whom to work is to spend a term reading under the direction of two or more faculty members simultaneously on a tentative basis. Faculty members vary a great deal in the way that they go about dissertation supervision; one’s needs in that direction should be taken into account.
The director of graduate studies and the department chair are available for consultation about choosing an advisor or to help with resolving other issues that might arise.
The Qualifying Examination
The examination is given twice each year: at the beginning of the fall and spring terms. Students are required to take the qualifying examinations (quals) in the fall term of the first year. The qualifying exam consists of three three-hour papers held on consecutive afternoons.
The department offers a basic sequence of mathematics courses for the first two years in residence, which covers much of the qualifying exam syllabus. A qualifying examination syllabus and samples of prior exams and solutions are available on the department’s website.
A student may take the qualifying examination any number of times beginning in the first term. Students are expected to pass the examination by the end of the second year in residence in order to begin real mathematical research.
It is extremely rare for a student not to pass the qualifying examination by the third year.
Courses
The department does not have a prescribed set of course requirements, but the University requires a minimum of two years of academic residence for the PhD degree.
Please see Enrolling in Courses for relevant processes.
The Minor Thesis
For the minor thesis, students choose a topic outside their area of expertise and, working independently, learn it well and produce a written exposition of the subject. The exposition is due within three weeks—or four, if the student is teaching. The minor thesis must be completed before the start of the third year in residence.
The topic is selected in consultation with the student's chosen faculty member other than the student’s PhD dissertation advisor. The topic should not be in the area of the student’s PhD dissertation. (For example, a student working in number theory might do a minor thesis in analysis or geometry.) At the end of the allowed time, the student will submit to the faculty member a written account of the subject and be prepared to answer questions on the topic.
The minor thesis is complementary to the qualifying exam. In the course of mathematical research, the student will inevitably encounter areas in which they are ignorant. The minor thesis is an exercise in confronting gaps of knowledge and learning what is necessary efficiently.
Language Requirement
Mathematics is an international subject in which the principal languages are English, French, German, and Russian. For the PhD, every student is required to acquire an ability to read mathematics in one of these three foreign languages. The student’s competence is demonstrated by passing a two-hour written examination. Usually, the student is asked to translate into English a page of text from a mathematics book or journal. Students may, if they wish, use a dictionary. If another language is specifically appropriate to the student’s PhD program, the student may request approval from the director of graduate studies to substitute that language. If a student has studied undergraduate mathematics in a language other than English, the student may request to have the language requirement waived.
The language requirement should be fulfilled by the end of the second year.
Teaching
All graduate students are required to gain at least two terms of classroom experience in teaching. Teaching may be a source of support for some students. Students without outside support are usually required to teach once in each of years two through five.
Teaching fellows ordinarily prepare and teach their own sections of undergraduate calculus. Participation in course-wide meetings, examination writing, grading, and holding office hours are also part of the duties, but routine homework grading is done by a course assistant. There are a few upper-level tutorial seminars taught by experienced teaching fellows.
All students must complete Mathematics 300: Teaching Undergraduate Mathematics and an apprenticeship program run by the department in a term before they start teaching. Students usually complete the course in their first term and the apprenticeship during their first year.
AM Degree (Master's in passing)
The master of arts (AM) degree is not a prerequisite for the PhD degree but may be obtained by students on their way to a PhD. The formal requirements for the continuing AM degree are a minimum academic residence of one year and eight four-credit courses in mathematics at the 100 or 200 level, with at least four at the 200 level, and candidates must pass the language examination.
Applicants are accepted into the PhD program only; the department does not offer a terminal AM degree in mathematics.
The Remaining Years
PhD Degree
The doctor of philosophy (PhD) is awarded to students who have demonstrated their mastery of the basic techniques of mathematics and their ability to do independent research. The former is tested in the qualifying examination, the latter in the dissertation. The dissertation, however, is the more important of the two.
The University requires a minimum of 2 years’ academic residence (16 4-credit courses). On the other hand, the PhD usually takes four to five years.
The Dissertation
The PhD dissertation is an original treatment of a suitable subject leading to new results, usually written under the guidance of a faculty member. Many of the more advanced courses and seminars are designed to lead the student to areas of current research.
Traditionally, dissertation defenses are held in March and April for a May degree. Degrees are conferred three times during the year—in November, March, and May, but most students finish for the May degree. The University Commencement is held in May.
Dissertation presentations are scheduled some weeks prior to the University dissertation submission deadline date. A final draft of the dissertation must be placed in the Birkhoff Library two weeks prior to the advisor’s dissertation report to the faculty. The student should consult their advisor regarding the selection of the dissertation committee. The student’s advisor presents the dissertation to the faculty during the departmental meetings that coincide with the timetable of the University.
Once the faculty members agree the dissertation can move forward, the student may proceed with their oral defense. The oral defense will be in the style of a seminar with a public presentation of about 50 minutes with 10 minutes for questions. The student’s dissertation committee members will attend the defense and formally approve the dissertation.
When the dissertation is accepted, the student can submit the dissertation to the registrar. The final manuscript must conform to the requirements described online in the Harvard Griffin GSAS policies.