BS/MS in Applied Mathematics and Polymer Engineering
The Program: After successful completion of this accelerated five-year BS/MS program, students will receive a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and a master’s degree in polymer engineering. Students of this program will be supervised by faculty advisors in applied mathematics and polymer engineering, and are expected to finish the core course requirements and most of the electives for the bachelor’s degree in the first three years of the program. Students are asked to formally apply to the accelerated program through the Graduate School during the third year of their bachelor’s degree. Upon acceptance, students will be expected to complete the remaining electives of the bachelor’s degree and 30 credits of graduate course work for the master’s degree in the last two years of the program, while registering for at least nine graduate credits in each semester of the last two years of the program. Students will be eligible to apply for graduate assistantship in these last two years of the program.
Why Should I Be Interested? The obvious advantage is that you will earn both your BS and MS degrees together and make yourself eligible for Master’s level polymer engineering jobs. You will be attending classes with equally committed and motivated peers from applied mathematics in first three years and with excellent polymer engineering graduate students in last two years. If interested, you may also want to join the Ph.D. program in polymer engineering, after finishing this program. This will prepare you further for an exciting career in research and research administration. The quality of students in this program and the international reputation of the polymer engineering program will attract top level recruiters. You will receive professional and academic guidance from faculty within the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mathematics as well as in the Department of Polymer Engineering.
What are the Admission Requirements? The number of students admitted to the program will be limited. Therefore, admission into this program is not guaranteed. To be eligible for acceptance into the program, a student must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Once admitted, all students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to remain in good academic standing in the polymer engineering graduate program and to be eligible for receiving a graduate course tuition waiver and graduate stipend.
When Do I Apply? You should indicate your interest as soon as possible by completing a plan change form in the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Advising Office. By completing the plan change form, you will be given pre-admission status in the program (pre-admission status does not guarantee formal admission into the program). After you complete the plan change form, you will be added to the BS/MS mailing list and will receive updates about the program. You will also be invited to attend information sessions and informal gatherings arranged by the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mathematics and the Department of Polymer Engineering. Your academic performance will be monitored closely by the advisors in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mathematics and the Department of Polymer Engineering. Students in this program will be expected to attend the university on a full-time basis and to complete their coursework in a relatively lockstep manner in order to graduate within the five year period. Therefore, it is important to get guidance as soon as possible.
When Can I Be Formally Admitted to the Program? To receive official acceptance into the program, in addition to satisfying the admission requirements outlined above, students must also provide two letters of recommendation from instructors and apply to and be accepted into the Graduate School before the start of their senior year. Once accepted into the program, students must earn and maintain a 3.0 or better GPA to stay in the program. Students who are not able to do so will complete the regular bachelor's program instead of the accelerated BS/MS program.
How Can I Obtain more Information About the Program? A list of course requirements is available below. For more information, contact Cheryl Slusarczyk (330 972-5281, cac32@uakron.edu) or Dr. Curtis Clemons (330 972-8353, curtis2@uakron.edu).