A candidate for the MSc Degree Program must possess at least one of the following:

• a specialized honours degree (BSc or BA) in the intended area of specialization

• an honours degree with an equivalent to a major in the intended area of specialization.

• an honours degree with the equivalent of a minor in mathematics or in statistics as defined in the University of Guelph Undergraduate Calendar. The student must take sufficient courses to satisfy the requirements (or their equivalents) of a major in the intended area of specialization normally during the first two semesters of the program. These courses must be taken in addition to those described below. Students are generally not expected to undertake graduate courses before effectively completing the requirements of the undergraduate major.

An applicant who does not meet one of these requirements must register as a nondegree undergraduate student and take courses to achieve an equivalent to one of the above. Such students are encouraged to consult the departmental graduate officers or the chair of the department. The department's diploma in applied statistics fulfils the requirement of a minor equivalent in statistics.

For both regular and interdisciplinary programs, the degree requirements may be met by taking either:

• an MSc by thesis which requires at least 2.0 credits (four courses) plus a thesis; or

• an MSc without thesis (by project) which requires at least six courses; i.e., 3.0 credits, 2.0 of which must be for graduate-level courses plus successful completion within two semesters of MSc Project in Mathematics, MATH*6998 or MSc Project in Statistics, STAT*6998.

All programs of study must include the appropriate core courses (see below). Students who have obtained prior credit for a core course or its equivalent will normally substitute a departmental graduate course at the same or higher level, with the approval of the graduate co-ordinator. The remaining prescribed courses are to be selected from either graduate courses or 400-level undergraduate courses. Courses taken outside of this department must have the prior approval of the graduate program committee.

All candidates for the MSc with a mathematical area of emphasis are required to include in their program of study at least three of the following core courses:

MATH*6011		Dynamical Systems I
MATH*6021		Optimization I
MATH*6400		Numerical Analysis I
MATH*6041		Partial Differential Equations I

All candidates for the MSc with a statistical area of emphasis are required to include in their program of study the following core courses:

STAT*6801		Advanced Data Analysis I
STAT*6802		Advanced Data Analysis II
STAT*6860		Linear Statistical Models

It is recommended that students take the undergraduate course Statistical Inference, STAT*4340, if this course or its equivalent has not previously been taken.

1. The general course requirements, above, must be met.

2. The project or thesis of an interdisciplinary program must directly integrate the study of mathematics or statistics with another discipline.