Here is a summary of the requirements for the Ph.D. in Mathematics.

Courses

• 48 credits (usually 16 3 credit courses) of approved coursework in Mathematics and related disciplines.

Teacher training seminar

• Satisfactory completion of the teacher training seminar during the Spring semester of the first year. While not required for the Ph.D., it is required for appointment to a TA position after the first year of studies.

Written Qualifying Exam

• A 6 hour exam (3 hours over two days), usually taken at the beginning of the 2nd year of studies.

Oral Qualifying Exam

• An oral exam (80 to 120 minutes in length) administered by a committee of four faculty on a specialized syllabus selected by the student in consultation with the committee. This exam is normally taken during the student's 4th or 5th semester in the program.

Seminar Requirement

• Satisfactory completion of two research seminars, one credit each, in different semesters.

Foreign Language Reading Proficiency

• Students are required to demonstrate the ability to read and comprehend a mathematics paper in French, German or Russian.

Advancing to Candidacy

• A student is designated a "Candidate for a Ph.D. degree" upon application to the graduate school, after completing the written, oral and foreign language exams and 36 credits of approved course work. This marks the official beginning of the student's dissertation work.

Research credits

• A student must satisfactorily complete 24 specially designated "research credits".

Dissertation

• A written dissertation based on original research in Mathematics, completed under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty

General requirements for graduate degrees at Rutgers are governed by the rules of the Graduate School - New Brunswick and are listed in the current catalog. These include how and when credit can be transferred and how many credits can be taken each semester.