Contiguous Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway
The 4+1 pathway into the Mathematics Master’s program is an option that allows undergraduates at U.C. Santa Cruz to:
- Take two required graduate courses during their undergraduate degree in preparation to finish the master’s degree in just one additional year.
- Apply to the Mathematics Master’s program through a streamlined application process.
Undergraduate students currently enrolled in the Mathematics B.S. have the opportunity, any time after the start of their junior year until December 1st of their senior year, to apply to be admitted to the 4+1 contiguous pathway leading to the Mathematics Master’s degree. Qualified undergraduates from other undergraduate majors may also apply to the pathway and their applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The requirements for admission into the 4+1 pathway are:
- A GPA in the major of 3.5 or more;
- to have taken MATH 105B or MATH 111B; and
- to have taken, to be currently enrolled, or have the plan to enroll by fall of the senior year in one of the required graduate courses.
Interested students should set up a meeting with the Mathematics Undergraduate Advisor to discuss their curriculum plan and complete the application form. The deadline for application to the pathway is December 1st of the senior year, although students are encouraged to apply earlier.
Students who are accepted into the pathway must apply to the Mathematics MA Program through the standard graduate application. The MA application process for 4+1 students will be streamlined: only unofficial UCSC transcripts will be required; the GRE, Statement of Purpose, and Personal History requirements will be waived; and letters of recommendation will be preferred, but not required.
Students in the pathway who apply through the streamlined application process to the Master’s program are not guaranteed admission. The Mathematics Department expects to admit students who have passed two of the required graduate courses and have maintained a GPA in the major of 3.5 or more (Advanced Reqirements of Math 24 and above used for Major GPA calculation). Once accepted into the Master’s program, students from the pathway will follow the same requirements as any other students in the two-year track with expected graduation in the fifth year.