Timeline of Activities for Graduate Students

Department of Mathematics, Duke University

• First-year
  • Foreign students are provided with the necessary papers to take to a US consulate to obtain a visa before the beginning of the academic year. Do not schedule a meeting with the consulate before receiving these papers.
  • Before orientation week there is a pre-qualifier program run by senior graduate students. This intensive course culminates in the first written Qualifying Examination.
  • Orientation week is the week before classes (see the Duke University calendar for the correct dates).
  • First-year students will begin teacher training in the fall of their first year. As a result, they will be expected to take three courses in the fall, and four courses in the spring. Teacher training begins on Monday of orientation week. All students who will be financially supported by assisting with calculus laboratories must attend the training sessions. The details of teacher training can be found by viewing the outline and the schedule of the most recent teacher training workshop.
  • Qualifying Examination
    • In the second semester, students meet with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to select two topics for the oral qualifying exam from the following list of seven topics: algebra, complex analysis, differential equations, differential geometry and topology, probability and stochastic processes, real analysis, and scientific computing. The DGS will select three professors to form an appropriate qualifying exam committee, and the student will select one of these professors as the chair of the committee. The DGS or student will give this list of names to Georgia Barnes for approval by the Graduate School. This approval must occur before the exam can be held.
    • The student will meet with the chair of the qualifying exam committee to discuss the exam topics, and in some cases to select the syllabus for the exam.
    • The student will meet with the qualifying exam committee members to select a time for the exam. Once a time has been selected, the student will send that information to Georgia Barnes and the DGS.
    • The student must be registered during the term in which the qualifying exam is administered. This rule prohibits examination between terms, for example between the spring and summer terms, or between the summer and fall terms.
    • The qualifying exam must be passed before the beginning of the spring semester of the second year. Students are allowed to take the oral qualifying exam at most twice.
  • Students are required to file a Progress Report with the Director of Graduate Studies by April 10. This report may be revised and reviewed at the end of supported summer research.
• Second year
  • Teacher training begins on Monday of orientation week. All students who will be financially supported by assisting with calculus laboratories must attend the training sessions. The details of teacher training can be found by viewing the outline and the schedule of the most recent teacher training workshop.
  • Second and third year students who are teaching take three courses per semester.
  • Second-year students begin their teaching duties by assisting with labs.
  • If the student has not yet passed the qualifying examination, it must be taken and passed before the beginning of the spring semester.
  • Students who have passed the qualifying examination at either the PhD or Masters level and want to receive a Masters degree must file an Intention to Receive Degree form with the graduate school
    • no later than January 25 for a May degree,
    • no later than July 1 for a September degree, and
    • no later than November 1 for a December degree
  • preliminary exam
    • After taking the qualifying exam, the student can select a preliminary exam committee, subject to approval by the DGS and the Graduate School. Approval by the Graduate School must occur at least 2 months before the preliminary exam is held. This committee will consist of 4 or 5 members of the Graduate Faculty at Duke, and often has members from outside the Mathematics Department. The student will select one of the prelim committee members as chair of the committee. Normally, this professor will later serve as the thesis advisor. Note that the Graduate School will assume that the thesis committee is the same as the preliminary exam committee. (The committee can be changed for the thesis defense by filing a form.)
    • In consultation with the committee, the student will make a syllabus for the preliminary exam. The syllabus must be submitted to the DGS for approval.
    • Normally, the student takes the preliminary exam during the third year. If granted a waiver by the Graduate School, the student can take the exam by the end of January of the fourth year.
  • Students are required to file a Progress Report with the Director of Graduate Studies by April 10. This report may be revised and reviewed at the end of supported summer research.
• Third year
  • Teacher training begins on Monday of orientation week. All students who will be financially supported by assisting with calculus laboratories or teaching must attend the training sessions. The details of teacher training can be found by viewing the outline and the schedule of the most recent teacher training workshop.
  • Third year students who are teaching take three courses in the first semester.
  • After passing the preliminary exam, the student begins working on a research project. Students are encouraged to take mini-courses.
  • Students are required to file a Progress Report with the Director of Graduate Studies by April 10. This report may be revised and reviewed at the end of supported summer research.
• Fourth and fifth year
  • Normally the student will conduct thesis research and teach. Students are encouraged to take mini-courses.
  • PhD Thesis Research and Defense
    • The dissertation is written in the final year of study (typically the fifth year for students who came straight from undergraduate school, and in the fourth year for students who came with a master's degree).
    • The student must consult the booklet Guide for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations so that they are aware of all deadlines and requirements they have to meet for graduation.
    • Students must file an Intention to Receive Degree form with the graduate school
      • no later than one month prior to defense,
      • no later than January 25 for a May degree,
      • no later than July 1 for a September degree,
      • no later than November 1 for a December degree, and
      • no earlier than the beginning of the school semester in which they will defend their thesis.
    • The Graduate School assumes that the thesis committee is the same as the preliminary exam committee. Any change in this committee must be approved by the Graduate School at least 2 months prior to the thesis defense. Changes to the committee can be made via the Commttee Approval Form.
  • Typically, the student applies for jobs during the fall of the final year.
  • Students are required to file a Progress Report with the Director of Graduate Studies by April 10.

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