There are two options within the traditional track. The comprehensive examination option requires the completion of 30 graduate credit hours of courses and passing a comprehensive examination. The thesis option requires the completion of 24 graduate credit hours of courses and six credit hours for a master's thesis. The curriculum must include the following core courses:

1. MATH 601: Measure Theory
2. MATH 611: Applied Analysis
3. MATH 620: Numerical Analysis I
4. MATH 630: Matrix Analysis
5. MATH 650: Foundations of Optimization

The comprehensive examination option requires completion of 30 credit hours of approved courses with an average grade of “B” or better, of which at least 18 credit hours are approved MATH courses, including the core above. Not more than six credit hours of STAT courses may be used to fulfill the 30 credit hours course requirement. In addition, students must pass the written comprehensive examination in applied and computational mathematics, which covers material from the core courses MATH 620, MATH 630 and MATH 650.

The thesis option requires the completion of 24 credit hours of approved courses with an average grade of “B” or better, of which 18 credit hours must be approved MATH courses, including the core above. The remaining six credit hours may be chosen from other disciplines with approval of the advisor. In addition, six credit hours of MATH 799, Master's Research must be completed, as follows. After establishing an area of concentration, the student should seek a thesis advisor from the university graduate faculty. The student should submit a thesis proposal to the graduate program director with an endorsement from the prospective thesis advisor. It is expected that the completed thesis will be a significant exposition of the approved topic or will concentrate on the development of better methods of solving practical problems. The final acceptance and earning of credit for the master's thesis require passing an oral defense of master's thesis examination. This examination is conducted in accordance with the general Graduate School regulations.