The Joint A.B.-A.M. Program The joint A.B./A.M. program allows very strong undergraduates in Arts & Sciences to earn both the A.B. and A.M. degrees in their major area.  Some freshmen arrive with college credits already earned through Advanced Placement or courses taken at a college while in high school--occasionally with the equivalent of a full semester's college work.  In addition, some students choose to carry more than the standard 15-unit course load.  Therefore we see students who could complete the requirements for the A.B. degree in fewer than the traditional 8 semesters. Most of these students simply apply for the A.B. degree upon completion of undergraduate requirements, often with more than one major. However, a few elect to enter the joint A.B./A.M. program in their chosen area and are awarded the two degrees simultaneously.  The AB/AM program is meant for students who are able to complete requirements for both degrees in 8 semesters.  The program might be advantageous to students able to complete requirements for both degrees in 9 semesters.  When 10 or more semesters will be needed, it will be to a student's advantage NOT to pursue a joint program: instead, first complete bachelor's requirements and then apply for admission to a graduate program.  Financial aid for A.B./A.M. students is arranged by the undergraduate Office of Financial Aid.  Consistent with the first point, a maximum of 8 semesters of support is normally  available.  A.B./A.M. students are not eligible for any form of financial support from the Graduate School..  (But see the link to the Information Sheet, below.) Candidates must be recommended by the Department and then be admitted to the program by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. According to the Graduate School, "only in exceptional cases will candidates be admitted to the joint A.B.-A.M. after the fifth semester of study."  So the application process should be started at the beginning of your junior year. The Graduate School's requirements for the program are: At least 135 units of college/graduate school course work, including all academic and residency requirements for the A.B. At least 30 units of graduate course work (400-500 level courses) in the major field beyond the minimum required for the A.B. degree. These 30 units must all be completed with a grade of B or better and cannot also be counted toward fulfilling the undergraduate major requirements. No more than 9 of the 30 graduate units can be earned in independent study, research, or thesis preparation. Completion of a thesis or a special exam such that the department can certify that the student has achieved the level of competence normally expected of candidates for the A.M. degree. For the Mathematics Department, the last item in the list can be either  a Master's Thesis (with departmental approval, up to 6 of the required 30 units can be earned for the independent study, research and writing involved), or by passing two of the Department's "qualifier exams"  (there are altogether five such exams, one corresponding to each of the course sequences 5021-5022, 5031-5032, 5041-5042, 5051-5052, 5061-5062), or,  with the permission of the Department's Graduate Committee, a comprehensive exam on the contents of the courses 4111, 4121, 417, 418, 429, and 430. In our departmental experience, undergraduate students in this program more often choose to take two of these course sequences and the corresponding exams rather than write a master's thesis. If you are doing a project for Latin Honors, that project cannot also be used as a Master's Thesis. Here are copies of The Graduate School's Information Sheet about applying to the Joint A.B./A.M Program The Application Form Part of the application process involves submitting a plan that shows which math courses will be taken and applied toward the master's degree (all of these must be 400 or 500- level courses) and which will count toward the undergraduate major.  As a practical matter, a student usually fills out this form allocating to the undergraduate major the minimal set of courses to meet the requirements, and allocating all other 400-500 level courses to the graduate degree. A completed copy of the application form should also be reviewed by Professor Ron Freiwald (Director of Undergraduate Studies) before it is submitted to the Graduate School.   Your advisor can help you determine if such a program might be feasible or advantageous for you.  Interested students can also talk with  Professor Ron Freiwald as early as possible in the junior year about the procedures. You can also find more information in the Bulletin of the College of Arts & Sciences.