University of Houston Department of Mathmatics Graduate Program, Certificate Programs

Certificate Programs

	Computational Math Option
	Financial Math Option
	Computational Science Initiative

Computational Math Option (CMO)

The Computational Mathematics Option (CMO), has been offered since the 2001 Fall Semester. A student who meets the requirements of the CMO will receive, in addition to the master degree, a certificate signed by the Dean of the College. Two new courses, MATH 6377, entitled "Basic Tools for the Applied Mathematician," and MATH 6378, "Basic Scientific Computing," have been approved at the University level and are offered since the 2002-2003 Academic Year. These courses provide a rapid and intense introduction to advanced mathematical and computational topics used in applied mathematics. The requirements for the MSAM, Computational Mathematics Option, are as follows.

Successful completion (C or higher) of
MATH 6370;6371: Numerical Analysis, and
MATH 6377;6378: Basic Tools for the Applied Mathematician; Basic Scientific Computing.
Successful completion (C or higher) of at least 6 credit hours of courses selected from:
MATH 6366: Optimization,
MATH 6372: Numerical Ordinary Differential Equations,
MATH 6374: Numerical Partial Differential Equations,
MATH 6376: Numerical Linear Algebra,
MATH 7374: Mathematical Theory of Finite Element Methods,
MATH 7396: Selected Topics in Numerical Analysis.
Completion of 6 more elective course hours from disciplines that use or develop scientific computational techniques. These hours must be at the senior level or higher and must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The students are encouraged to choose electives from departments outside of Mathematics.
Completion of a tutorial project under the supervision of a faculty member, MATH 6315;7315: Master's Tutorial.

For more detailed information on CMO, please contact Dr. Pan: pan@math.uh.edu

Financial Math Option (FMO)

The Financial Mathematics Option (FMO) was initiated in 2002 Fall Semester. A student who meets the requirements of the FMO will receive, in addition to the master degree, a certificate signed by the Dean of the College.

To be admitted to the program, a student must have completed a bachelor's degree with a 3.0 GPA over the last 60 hours of all course work and should have a good background in mathematics. A student need not have majored in mathematics to be admitted. It is expected, however, that the student has completed at least 9 hours of mathematics at the junior or senior level, preferably in courses such as advanced linear algebra, advanced calculus, differential equations, or optimization. When these requirements are not met, students may be admitted to the program on a conditional basis subject to the completion of MATH 3334 (Advanced Multivariate Calculus), MATH 4377 (Advanced Linear Algebra), MATH 4331 (Introduction to Real Analysis), with a grade of B or higher (these 9 hours will not be counted as a part of the 30-hour requirement). In lieu of the above, a student may take MATH 6377 (Basic Tools for Applied Mathematician). Again, the 3 hours will not be counted as a part of the 30-hour requirement). Applicants with graduate degrees in science, mathematics, economics, or engineering will be admitted by recommendation of the Committee on FMO, and with the approval of the Director of Graduate Programs in the Department.

All pertinent regulations set forth in the Graduate Studies Bulletin and the Bulletin of the College of Natural Sciences and mathematics must be observed. The requirements for the M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics, Financial Mathematics Option, are as follows.

For more detailed information on FMO, please contact Dr. Kao: edkao@math.uh.edu.

Computational Science Initiative (CSIUH)

The Computational Sciences Initiative at the University of Houston (CSIUH) is an interdisciplinary graduate certificate program aimed at promoting advanced research and education in the Computational Sciences, including numerical algorithms, high performance parallel computing, numerical modelling and simulation with applications in Sciences, Engineering and other disciplines in which computation plays an integral role.

A Computational Sciences Certificate of Completion at the University of Houston is available to graduate degree candidates in one of the participating departments -- Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Finance, Geosciences, Mathematics, and Physics -- and who have selected an independent research project (thesis or dissertation) in which there is a significant computational component.

Course Requirements
Requirements for award of the Masters Certificate of Completion include a total of 9 hours (with grades of B or higher) from the approved list of CSIUH electives (including at least 3 hours from outside their home department) and earns a Masters degree from UH. The Doctoral Certificate of Completion is awarded when a student completes 12 hours (with grades of B or higher) from the approved list of electives (including 6 hours from outside their home department) and earns a Doctoral degree from UH. Students must meet all requirements of their home department. At least one member from the Associated Faculty Committee must be on a student's research committee.

Prerequisites
Students entering this program should have at least a Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a scientific discipline. Students from other disciplines will also be considered on a case by case basis, but the following prerequisites are strongly recommended for those students:

One year of general college physics or chemistry.
One year of differential/integral calculus, a course in multivariable calculus, a course in differential equations, and a course in linear algebra.
A course in computer programming (either FORTRAN, C, or C++) or equivalent experience.

Resources
Numerous computational resources are available to CSIUH participating students at University of Houston. Among them are a 64 nodes IBM-SP2 parallel machine, a NEC-SX3 vector supercomputer and advanced powerful workstations including SGI Origin 2000.

Admission
Interested students should access the program's web page or contact the CSIUH office to obtain detailed information about academic requirements and financial support. CSIUH students must be enrolled in a department from which they receive their degree. In conjunction with the requirements of the home department, the program consists of a common core curriculum and a minimum number of approved CSIUH elective courses. Students entering CSIUH may come from a variety of backgrounds. Admission is based on undergraduate GPA, letters of recommendation, and GRE scores. Several research and teaching assistantships are available through the CSIUH and through the participating departments and colleges. Information about the program, including application materials, can be obtained over the Internet at http://www.math.uh.edu/csiuh.html or by writing to: Computational Science Program, University of Houston, Department of Mathematics, Houston, TX 77204-3476.

Approved CSIUH Elective Courses