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3.1. Out-of-State Tuition Waiver
Half-time employment by the Math Department qualifies students to pay in-state tuition regardless of their residency status. The following assignments are all considered half-time employment:
- Teaching two classes during a long semester.
- Teaching one class during summer school.
- Math lab or grading assignments that equal 20 hours per week.
- Research assignments that equal 20 hours per week.
A scholarship which equals $1000 or more per academic year also qualifies a student to pay in-state tuition, if it is a competitive scholarship.
A complete list of conditions that qualify for tuition or fee waivers is available from Student Accounting and University Cashiering Services (http://essc.unt.edu/saucs/payment.htm).
Eligibility for Out-of-State Tuition Waivers is determined on a term by term basis. There are five terms: Fall, Spring, Maymester, Summer I, and Summer II. In order to receive a waiver students must satisfy one of the eligibility criteria during the semester they are taking classes.
These waivers will either be distributed to student's departmental mailboxes before each term or can be picked up from Belinda. Students will need to take a signed copy of this waiver with them to the Bursar’s Office when they pay their tuition.
Teaching Fellows who have passed two qualifying exams will be paid at the "Ph.D" rate. Prior to passing two qualifiers, all TFs will be paid at the lower "master's"rate.This is the Qualifying Exam Policy voted on and passed by the Math Department faculty in May 1999:
These policies will be enforced for students entering the program Fall 1999 forward. Note that the last item applies to students who are currently in the program but have not yet passed two qualifying exams.
- The department will provide information concerning the exams in the graduate studies catalog as well as any literature put out by the department that describes our graduate program. The information should include the number of exams to be taken, topics, times exams are offered, and amount of time including number of allowed attempts given to pass the exams. It will be emphasized to students (both in writing in the catalog, and in person by either the chair or the relevant graduate advisor) that passing the qualifying exams is necessary but by no means sufficient for earning a Ph.D. in mathematics.
- A student must pass two qualifying examinations (in different areas: real analysis, complex analysis, topology and algebra) prior to registering for dissertation hours (in mathematics).
- The exam times will be at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters: August and January. Both qualifying examinations must be completed by the end of the fourth year of graduate studies in mathematics (initiated at University of North Texas).
- A student has at most five attempts to pass two exams within the time constraints mentioned above. A student may attempt examinations in all four areas (real analysis, complex analysis, topology, and algebra). Under no circumstances are students allowed to continue in the graduate program if they have not passed both qualifying examinations by the end of the fourth year.
- Each year the chair of the department will appoint a committee and a chair for each subject area (real analysis, complex analysis, algebra, and topology). Ideally these committees are as large as possible, and individuals may serve on more than one committee. Each committee is in charge of composing two exams in the given subject area to be administered in January and August. The two exams in each area should be composed simultaneously so that they are comparable in difficulty. Any unused exams may be recycled for the following year.
- Each exam subject area will have a syllabus that contains a detailed list of topics covered by the exam, together with suggested readings. Also old exams will be made available to students. The area committee is responsible for keeping the syllabus current and accurate.
- These policies go into effect May, 1999. Students enrolled in the graduate program when these policies go into effect have the option of staying with the former system or adopting the new system.
The "four years" in item (c) means four complete years. For example, a student who started in the Fall of 2001 and who has not passed two qualifying exams by the Spring of 2005 (their fourth year) will be allowed to take a qualifying exam or exams in August 2005, immediately prior to the beginning of their fifth year.
Students who start in the Fall, have not passed two qualifying exams by the Spring of their fourth year, are Teaching Fellows, and plan to take a qualifying exam or exams the next August (before the beginning of their fifth year) should consult with the Graduate Advisor and the Chair of the Math Department regarding their employment status for the Fall of their fifth year. Since qualifying exams are offered so close to the beginning of the term, TFs in this situation may, at the discretion of the Math Department, be hired for the Fall term of their fifth year if they are planning on taking a qualifying exam or exams. If they do not pass the exam or exams, their Teaching Fellowship will not be renewed the following Spring.
For students whose first term is Maymester or Summer I or Summer II, their subsequent Fall term will count as the beginning of the four years in item (c).
The UNT Graduate Catalog (Academics/Definition of Terms/Degree Plans) states:
The degree plan is an official document prepared and approved in the student's major department that lists courses completed, courses to be completed, proficiency examinations and all other requirements for a particular degree program. The master's or doctoral degree plan should be prepared and approved in the department and submitted for graduate dean approval during the student's first semester of enrollment.Students may submit degree plans as often as they like. The reason to submit a degree plan after a student's first semester is that if the department changes degree requirements, students with approved degree plans will have the option of satisfying either the old requirements or the new requirements, while students who don't have an approved degree plan will have their degree plans evaluated on the basis of only the new requirements.
Filing a degree plan is a simple process:
The graduate advisor will have the degree plans signed by the chair and pass them on to the graduate secretary. The graduate secretary will make a file copy and send the completed degree plans to the graduate school. The degree plan will be evaluated by someone at the graduate school. If it is approved, the copies will be signed by the dean of the graduate school and all but one copy will be sent back to the department where they will be put in the student's file in the math department office. If the degree plan is not approved, the student will be notified that his or her degree plan has not been approved and told what the problem is. It can take several weeks for degree plans to be evaluated by the graduate school.
- Download the appropriate degree plan form from the graduate school web page (http://www.tsgs.unt.edu/gradcouncil/index.htm).
- Complete the degree form after consulting your advisor.
- Give a preliminary copy of the degree plan to the graduate advisor.
- When the graduate advisor has made sure that the degree plan satisfies all math department and graduate school requirements, make five copies, have them all signed by the advisor, and give them to the graduate advisor.
Graduate students employed by the Math Department as half-time employees are normally required to enroll in nine hours of approved coursework each long semester.
The minimum enrollment requirement any summer session a student is employed by the Math Department is three hours in all circumstances. (See Chapter One in the UNT Handbook for Teaching Fellows and Teaching Assistants.)
In certain circumstances, the minimum enrollment requirement may be reduced to three hours each long semester. The relevant section in the UNT Policy Manual is 18.3.13, which states:
Upon written recommendation of the college/school dean and approval of the dean of the graduate school, the minimum registration limit may be reduced to three semester hours for the long term for students who have filed an approved degree plan, have completed all course work, and are either ready to take the qualifying examinations and/or registered for thesis or dissertation.In the CAS this policy is implemented in each department. In the Math Department, students who have an approved degree plan and have completed all coursework required for their degree may be recommended for a course load reduction. A student who is eligible for a course load reduction and wishes to be recommended for one should contact the graduate advisor BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER, and the graduate advisor will send a letter to the dean of the graduate school recommending a reduction.
The graduate school considers an approval of a course load reduction recommendation to be valid the semester the recommendation was approved, so students should contact the graduate advisor BEFORE each semester they are eligible and would like to register for fewer than nine credit hours.
Students who are employed quarter-time by the department and are not eligible to be recommended for a course load reduction to three hours are required to enroll in six hours of approved coursework each long semester. (See Chapter One in the UNT Handbook for Teaching Fellows and Teaching Assistants.)
Students with more than 99 doctoral hours will pay nonresident tuition, regardless of their residency status, unless exempted by the Coordinating Board.
Unless students have had exemptions approved by the Coordinating Board under either the program or individual exemption provisions of this policy, teaching or research assistantships, teaching or research fellowships, and all other internal or external scholarships, fellowships, or financial aid will not exempt them from payment of nonresident tuition when they have accumulated more than 99 doctoral hours, regardless of their residency.
Students with more than 99 doctoral hours will pay nonresident tuition until any program or individual exemptions affecting them are officially approved by the Coordinating Board. However, in any given semester, students otherwise entitled to pay resident tuition who pay nonresident tuition as a consequence of this policy and who receive their exemption approvals prior to the audit class day of a semester will be refunded the difference between nonresident and resident tuition. Refunds will not be considered for exemptions that are officially approved after the audit class day or for prior semesters.
3.6. Dissertation/Thesis Preparation
General information about thesis and dissertation preparation is available from the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. (See http://www.tsgs.unt.edu/graduation_process/index.htm.) Notice that theses and dissertations must be submitted electronically.
It is the student's responsibility to type her or his thesis or dissertation. Please do not ask the secretaries to type theses or dissertations. This is not part of their job description!
Use of TeX or LaTeX or AMSTeX for thesis and dissertation preparation is encouraged. PCTeX is supported by the CASCSS and is available to anyone logged on to the CAS network. In addition, the Math Department has several printed manuals that may be checked out from the department office.
Once students have registered for thesis or dissertation hours, they MUST continue registering thesis or dissertation hours until they graduate. The penalty for not continuing to register for thesis or dissertation hours once started is that all thesis or dissertation credit earned (and paid for!) before the break in enrollment will be invalidated. It is possible to appeal to the dean of the graduate school to have thesis or dissertation hours reinstated after a discontinuity, but the appeal will only be granted in truly exceptional circumstances.
Here is the relevant section from the UNT Policy Manual (18.1.20):
Here's the relevant section from the UNT Graduate Catalog (Academics/Continuous Enrollment):A student must maintain continuous enrollment in a minimum of three credit hours of thesis or dissertation during each long semester until the thesis or dissertation has been accepted by the Dean of the Graduate School. Thesis or dissertation registration in at least one summer session is required if the student is using the university facilities and/or faculty time during that summer session. Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment subsequent to passing the qualifying examination for admission to candidacy. Master's students must maintain continuous enrollment once work on the thesis has begun.
Failure to maintain continuous enrollment will either (sic) invalidate any previous thesis or dissertation credits or will result in the student being dropped from the degree program unless granted an official leave of absence by the Graduate Dean for medical or other exceptional reasons.
Continuous enrollment applies to the student admitted to a master's or doctoral degree that requires completion of a thesis or dissertation. Once work on the thesis or dissertation has begun, the student must continuously enroll in a minimum of 3 semester hours of thesis (5950) or dissertation (6950) during each long semester until the thesis or dissertation has been completed and submitted to the graduate dean for acceptance. Thesis or dissertation registration in at least one summer session is required if the student is using university facilities and/or faculty time during that summer session. Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment subsequent to passing the qualifying examination for admission to candidacy.
In the Math Department, Ph.D. students are admitted to candidacy after they have passed two qualifying exams, so the last sentence in the quote above should be: "Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment subsequent to passing both qualifying examinations."
Students planning to graduate should be aware that they must apply for graduation at the graduate school and that the deadline for applying for graduation is always very early in the term.
To be able to apply for graduation, a student must already have an approved degree plan.
The relevant deadlines for graduation may be found in the "Graduate Graduation Deadlines" section of the Academic Calendar, which is available online at http://www.unt.edu/attendingclasses.htm.
To apply for graduation, students need to pick up a graduation packet from the graduate school and follow the instructions it contains. Complete information about applying for graduation is available from the graduate school online at http://www.tsgs.unt.edu/graduation_process/index.htm.
Here's the relevant section from the UNT Graduate Catalog (Academics/Application for Graduation):
It is the responsibility of the student to stay abreast of progress toward the degree and to file the appropriate degree application in the office of the graduate dean. Consult the Academic Calendar section in this catalog for the proper dates. The applicant's grade point average on all graduate work attempted must be at least 3.0 for the application to be accepted.
Because of the time required for receipt of transcripts, students otherwise eligible for graduation who complete their last course or courses elsewhere will not graduate at the end of the semester or summer session in which the work is completed, but will receive their degrees at the close of a subsequent UNT semester or summer session.
Information concerning graduation fees is furnished on request by the office of the graduate dean, and is contained in the annual Tuition, Fees and Other Charges, available from Student Accounting and University Cashiering Services. Students anticipating graduation should consult the Academic Calendar for final dates for payment of fees and meeting other graduation requirements.
Students may be exempted from paying fees during their last semester at UNT if they are registering only for thesis or dissertation credit. Section 2.2.10 in the UNT Policy Manual states:
Texas resident students registered in the final hours of dissertation or thesis are entitled to register by paying only the current tuition per hour rate.
The student must sign a certification statement at Student Accounting and University Cashiering Services to receive the waiver. The waiver may be used only once and such credit is the final credit requirement for the degree in progress.
Graduate School Travel Awards are available to qualified students. Follow the
Graduate Student Travel Awards!link on the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies home page for more information.Effective Fall 1999 Ph.D. students will be partially supported for travel to a conference by the department, the purpose of which is to help students find jobs and to help them grow professionally. The policy supports each student to travel once during his or her time at UNT. A student must be, in the opinion of the advisor, within a year of the Ph.D. degree to qualify. Application forms and more information can be obtained from Belinda. This option may be exercised once.
The E-Math list of open positions is available on the AMS website (http://www.ams.org/eims/). This is an invaluable source of information regarding academic employment opportunities.
Students must prepare their own resume and letters of application. Departmental letterhead and envelopes may be used for this purpose. Students must pay the postage for sending out applications.
Samples of resumes and applications are available from Sharon.
Students will need to furnish the department with mailing labels for reference letters. The secretaries will be happy to mail reference letters for students who need them, but they are not responsible for preparing the envelopes.
3.11. Leaving the Math Department
Before leaving the Math Department, there are several things a student should do:
- Ask the departmental secretary for a complete list of exit procedures - this will include an exit interview.
- Remove all their data from any departmental computer they have used.
- Turn in any university keys they have.
- Turn in any books they have checked out from the department.
- Make sure the department has copies of records and grade books for all classes they have taught at UNT.
