Undergraduate Research

A senior honors thesis is typically completed over two semesters, usually but not always in one's senior year. The student works on a project with a faculty mentor. Typically one registers for MTH499-Independent Study in the fall and then MTH 497-Honors Thesis in Mathematics in the spring. Satisfactory completion of an honors thesis is required to graduate with departmental honors.

The National Science Foundation sponsors many different summer research programs for undergraduates. These usually include travel and housing money plus a modest stipend. Learn more about NSF REU programs.

These are specially designed programs for mathematics. Many of the available study-abroad programs also offer excellent opportunities to study mathematics.

• Mathematics Advanced Study Semester (MASS) at Penn State
• The Junior Program of the Center for Women in Mathematics at Smith College
• Math in Moscow semester-long program in English
• Budapest Semesters in Mathematics semester-long program in English

The Summer Math Scholarship supports an undergraduate who wishes to pursue individual research with a faculty mentor. Each fall, potential scholarship recipients will apply jointly with a willing faculty mentor, writing up a description of the proposed research and the hoped for outcomes. The mathematics department’s undergraduate studies committee will select the winner. During the Spring semester the student will register for an independent study, including literature review and discussion of research tools. The six-week full-time summer program will include a stipend in the range of $3,500. The following academic year the research will be written up into a senior honors thesis. Learn more about the Summer UB Math Scholarship.