Master's Degree Forms & Policies
International Travel Policy
International travel is increasingly important to our work. Our students are taking to heart our encouragement to study abroad. The University has developed this policy and the resources that support it in order to make the international travel experience more enjoyable and secure for the entire University community. The International Travel Policy/SPG #601.31 pertains to all faculty, staff, and students engaged in University-related international travel. It addresses the health, safety, and security of U-M travelers. This policy addresses the U-M Travel Registry; travel abroad health insurance; emergency evacuation insurance; U-M travel warnings or University travel restrictions; and international travel involving student groups.
University Travel Registry: All faculty, staff, and students traveling abroad must register their international travel in the Registry before departure. This confidential and secure database provides a convenient tool for the traveler and the department to coordinate travel details. It will also help the University locate you if an emergency situation arises.
Travel Abroad Health Insurance: All students traveling abroad are required to have travel abroad insurance coverage from the University's authorized vendor. Faculty and staff traveling internationally are covered under the University's blanket policy with that vendor.
Emergency Evacuation Insurance: All faculty, staff, and students traveling internationally are covered under a blanket policy for emergency evacuation due to political unrest or natural disaster.
University Travel Warnings or Travel Restrictions: This segment delineates policies pertaining to travel to destinations for which the University has issued a Travel Warning, and travel to destinations for which the University has issued a Travel Restriction.
International Travel Involving Student Groups: Includes specific requirements for University-sponsored travel abroad and student-initiated group travel abroad.
Comprehensive information is available on this Global Michigan website.
Rackham Graduate School Academic Policies
All Department of Mathematics graduate students are subject to our Rackham Graduate School's Academic Policies and Regulations.
The graduate programs of the Rackham Graduate School are located in the schools, colleges, and departments of the University of Michigan. The academic policies and regulations in this document have been established by the Rackham Executive Board to ensure consistent standards in admissions, registration, degree requirements, and the awarding of degrees across all Rackham graduate programs. Individual graduate programs have additional requirements and rules. Students are expected to be familiar with both the policies of the Graduate School and those of their programs.
The Graduate School maintains an academic, scholarly, and professional code of conduct to safeguard standards of learning, research, and professional integrity. Students are expected to understand and observe these standards. In conjunction with the schools and colleges, the Graduate School has procedures for investigating allegations of misconduct and imposing sanctions.
Doctoral Degree Forms & Policies
Academic Probation & Dismissal Policy
Policy for satisfactory academic progress, unsatisfactory academic standing, academic probation and dismissal from the Mathematics and AIM Ph.D. programs
Approved by the Mathematics Department Executive Committee: October 17, 2018
Ph.D. Program Requirements for the Mathematics Ph.D. and AIM Ph.D. programs, and required timelines for achieving them, are available on the math department webpage and in printed form from the graduate office. Requirements are discussed with each student by staff and faculty at advising appointments, informational meetings, and through written communication.
The policy for academic progress, unsatisfactory academic standing, academic probation, and dismissal from the Mathematics and AIM Ph.D. programs will be communicated in writing to each student upon arrival for orientation at the University before beginning their first semester. It is also posted on the department website.
Satisfactory progress.
To remain in good standing and achieve satisfactory progress, pre-candidate students meet with the chair of the doctoral committee or AIM director after each attempt at any Qualifying Review exam to discuss their academic performance, and each semester after that to discuss their progress towards selecting a PhD advisor. Then, the student will meet regularly with their advisor to discuss their progress toward the degree. In addition, all student progress is reviewed annually by the doctoral committee (Math) or AIM committee (AIM). Students are informed in writing each May whether their progress is deemed satisfactory or unsatisfactory after that review.
Unsatisfactory academic standing, academic probation and dismissal.
Students are notified in writing immediately when they have failed to achieve any of the required milestones described in the Mathematics Graduate Brochure (or online) or when their progress is otherwise deemed insufficient by the doctoral committee, AIM committee or other relevant faculty. This assessment is based on written evaluations of student work provided by instructors/advisors after each semester, and any other evidence gathered, including conversations with relevant faculty. The written notification of unsatisfactory progress will include an invitation for the student to discuss their progress and strategies for success with the Doctoral Committee chair or AIM director.
In the following cases, the student may be placed on academic probation:
1. Failure to make progress or pass the Qualifying Review by the prescribed deadlines described in the Program Requirements.
2. Failure to achieve candidacy by the end of the third year.
3. Failure to continue making progress toward the degree with a designated thesis advisor once candidacy has been achieved.
The decision to place a pre-candidate on probation will be made by the doctoral committee or AIM committee; for candidates, the decision will be made by a faculty group of at least three faculty, normally including Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, the Doctoral Committee chair or AIM Director, and the student’s advisor (if any). The probationary period will normally conclude at the end of the semester it is imposed, but in no case will it be shorter than two months. The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies will notify the student and Rackham Office of Academic Records and Dissertations (OARD) in writing before the probationary period begins, explaining the reasons and conditions of probation, the start and end dates of the probationary period, and options for appeal. The financial commitment to the individual student will not be altered by the probation.
A student who has been placed on probation may request a leave of absence or withdraw from the program. The leave or withdrawal will stop the clock on the probationary period, which resumes when the student returns to active status or is reinstated. Probation will remain in effect until the conditions are remedied or the student is dismissed.
At the end of probation, and upon the recommendation of the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies and the consent of the Graduate School, a student may either be returned to good academic standing, be dismissed from the program or have the probation extended. The decision to dismiss a student will be made by a faculty group of at least three faculty, normally the doctoral committee or AIM committee in consultation with the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. The student and Rackham OARD will be informed of the recommendation of dismissal, and of the policy for appealing the decision.
Appealing academic probation or dismissal.
If a student chooses to appeal the decision to be placed on academic probation or to be dismissed, the department will convene a separate committee to review their case. Students may use the Graduate School’s Academic Dispute Resolution process only for procedural issues of fair and equal treatment under the policy of the program, and not to appeal the academic reasons for the decision.
Students who fail to meet standards of academic or professional integrity or who have been found responsible for violations of other University standards of conduct may be dismissed in accordance with separate procedures described in Rackham Academic and Professional Policy (Section 8).
Change of Advisor Guidance
LSA Mathematics Guidelines and Best Practices for Changing PhD Advisor(s)
Approved November 25, 2024
The need to change advisors, though infrequent, is a normal aspect of doctoral education. Students may change advisors for many reasons: as they fully develop their research interests, discover their advising and mentoring needs, and/or as they realize a mismatch with their advisor. It is expected that the Mathematics Faculty will support the transition process. Students who may need to change advisors are encouraged to speak to multiple faculty members and students about their research areas. If there are concerns, students can contact the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies at math-acgs@umich.edu.
As a change of research advisor may occur at any point in a student’s career, the needs throughout the transition may vary. A common concern among students is that changing advisors may delay their degree progress. While it may not be possible to completely eliminate the delay, new advisors should actively collaborate with students to minimize disruptions. One effective strategy is to maintain the student's existing research topic or, if necessary, integrate prior work into a new research area. Significant shifts in research direction may preclude the inclusion of previous work in the final dissertation. Students should discuss the impacts of their specific case as it relates to their academic standing and milestones with the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies and the Math Graduate Office; an extension to time to degree may be granted.
In the event that a new advisor lacks necessary resources to fund a student as a GSRA, departmental funding will be available as guaranteed in the admissions offer letter. Should a student on GSRA support need to transition to a new advising relationship mid-term, emergency support may be available through the College of LSA. Please contact the Math Graduate Office for details.
Once students have identified a new advisor, they should inform the Graduate Office via email at math-grad-office@umich.edu. The Graduate Office will inform the program directors, including the Doctoral Chair, ACGS, and/or AIM Director, as applicable.
Changing advisors can be stressful and impact a student's well-being and progress. Students are encouraged to seek support from various resources, including other faculty, the Math Graduate Office, the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, and the Rackham Graduate Student and Program Consultation Services Office. Conflict situations may require departmental or college intervention. Retaliation is unacceptable and should be reported to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
GSI Absence/Travel Policy
The Michigan Math Department supports our graduate students’ research and teaching careers. It is important for graduate students to be able to advance their research careers by going to conferences and workshops. At the same time, graduate students are often employed as GSIs, with responsibilities toward their own students, the colleagues with whom they are teaching, and our educational mission more broadly. Having instructors teaching their own classes for as many days as possible during the semester is important for building a relationship of trust and providing students with personalized support. The department has a responsibility to support the undergraduates who are taught by our GSIs, and to support the Introductory Program (105/115/116) as a whole. This policy is an attempt to create a balanced system that takes all of these things into account.
GSIs teaching 105/115/116
Precandidates: Allowed 1 missed class per semester, for any reason (including a conference), as long as:
● the absence does not occur during the period starting on the Friday before an exam through the completion of exam grading for the course,
● the student submits an email to the course coordinator at least 24 hours in advance, and
● the instructor has found a suitable substitute.
The GSI and the substitute must mutually work out compensation. No approval is needed for this absence.
Candidates: Allowed 1 missed class per semester, for any reason (including a conference), and 1 additional missed class for a conference or workshop, as long as:
● the absences do not occur during the period starting on the Friday before an exam through the completion of exam grading for the course,
● the student submits an email to the course coordinator at least 24 hours in advance, and
● the instructor has found a suitable substitute.
The GSI and the substitute must mutually work out compensation. No approval is needed for these absences, and they can be consecutive to allow the GSI to attend a longer conference.
GSIs teaching 215/216
Allowed 1 missed class day (four labs) per semester, for any reason (including a conference), as long as:
● the absence does not occur during the period starting on the Friday before an exam through the completion of exam grading for the course,
● the student submits an email to the course coordinator at least 24 hours in advance, and
● the instructor has found a suitable substitute.
The GSI and the substitute must mutually work out compensation. The GSI is responsible for keeping up with all grading responsibilities during their absence. No approval is needed for this absence.
GSIs teaching Other Courses in the Math Department should make arrangements with their direct supervisor. GSI positions outside math are not included in this policy.
Additional/Extended Absences
When a GSI would like to attend a conference or other event that does not fall under the above guidelines, they can request permission by submitting an email to the course coordinator as soon as possible but at least four weeks before the requested absence. With their request, they should include the name of a faculty member who supports the travel, as well as the plans they have made to make sure their students get the attention they need during the absence The request will be reviewed by the course coordinator, in consultation with the Associate Chair for Education and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, as needed, and the student will be informed as soon as possible, but within one week, whether or not permission to miss work for the conference will be granted.
Absences due to emergency or illness are not subject to this policy. For emergency leave including sick leave, bereavement leave and immigration proceedings leave, see the GEO contract.
Informing the Department of an Absence / Requesting an Extended Absence
All GSIs who will be missing their teaching responsibilities under the conditions of this policy must inform the department by emailing their course coordinator. Failure to do so may result in future exclusion from the allowances in the policy.
Substitutes
Any instructor who has taught the course previously or is currently teaching the course is considered a suitable substitute with the following exception: Math 115 classes covering sections 2.4, 4.1, 4.2 need to be covered by an instructor who has previously taught Math 115.
To request a subsititute, please email request-mathgrad-sub@umich.edu. If a GSI needs help finding a substitute beyond the request system, they can contact the course coordinator of their course for assistance.
Substitute Pay: Rules & Procedures
- Once a substitute has been found, the following information is needed to process the request for sub pay: the reason for the sub request (illness, conference, bereavement, etc.), the sub's name, the course to be covered, and the date/time/hours covered. Please email this information to math-intro-admin@umich.edu.
- Subtitutes will only be paid for someone who is absent due to jury duty, sick leave, bereavement leave, or immigration proceedings.
- Graduate students may also sub for a postdoc for the reasons above for additional pay.
- Subs are only be paid for actual teaching hours, not prep time.
- Subs will be paid the hourly contract rate for GSIs.
- International Students hired as a GSI or GSRA may not receive additional pay for subbing because they already work the maximum 20 hours per week allowed to international students.
- NSF and RMF (RSA) students may not work more than 10 hours per week during semesters receiving fellowship support.
Office Hours
During their absence, GSIs are expected to arrange for their office hours, including their Math Lab hour, to be held by a substitute, or to reschedule these hours to a date shortly before or after their absence.
Advanced Notice
The department works hard to try to optimize the configuration of GSIs working in the department in any given semester. As a part of this process, it is important that GSIs inform the Introductory Program Directors before teaching assignments are made if there are conferences they are seriously considering attending. In some cases, this will allow the GSI to be given an assignment that minimizes the effect of their absence on the undergraduates taking our classes, and the effect on the Introductory Program as a whole. Requests that are made in advance are easier to accommodate, so may be more likely to be approved.
GSI Class Size Policy
GSI Class Size Policy
Please click here to view the LSI GSI Class Size Policy.
GSI Office Assignment Policy
Graduate Student Office Assignment Policy
Adopted 7/7/2022
Due to the removal and addition of new office spaces in East Hall, the placement of graduate students in offices will adhere to the procedure below.
Please note: Out of respect for office mates doing homework or research, it is best practice for Graduate Student Instructors to book a classroom in which to hold office hours rather than holding office hours in their graduate student office.
Master’s Degree students will be given a key to a shared office in B082. Desks are provided, but should not be claimed by individual students. Please wipe down the desk with an antibacterial wipe after use to maintain a healthy environment for others using the common office.
First year Ph.D. and MLB students will be assigned to the group office in 5080 East Hall which has individual desk space, common bookshelves, chalkboards, a refrigerator, a microwave, hardwood floors, and upper windows that do not open.
Premium Offices (2867, 3867, and 4867) have large windows and space for 7 people. Priority will be given to those groups who have not been previously assigned to a premium office.
The process for assigning offices for these students is as follows:
- In April/May, the Graduate Coordinator sends an email to math-grads@umich.edu requesting office preference information from PhD and MLB students.
- Each student indicates their preferred officemates and location, as well as their priorities of premium office/officemates/remaining-in-current-office.
- Every effort is made to match students with preferences.Students who do not list preferences are placed wherever there is space available.
- Once completed, the office assignments are distributed to students along with moving instructions.
International Travel Policy
International travel is increasingly important to our work. Our students are taking to heart our encouragement to study abroad. The University has developed this policy and the resources that support it in order to make the international travel experience more enjoyable and secure for the entire University community. The International Travel Policy/SPG #601.31 pertains to all faculty, staff, and students engaged in University-related international travel. It addresses the health, safety, and security of U-M travelers. This policy addresses the U-M Travel Registry; travel abroad health insurance; emergency evacuation insurance; U-M travel warnings or University travel restrictions; and international travel involving student groups.
University Travel Registry: All faculty, staff, and students traveling abroad must register their international travel in the Registry before departure. This confidential and secure database provides a convenient tool for the traveler and the department to coordinate travel details. It will also help the University locate you if an emergency situation arises.
Travel Abroad Health Insurance: All students traveling abroad are required to have travel abroad insurance coverage from the University's authorized vendor. Faculty and staff traveling internationally are covered under the University's blanket policy with that vendor.
Emergency Evacuation Insurance: All faculty, staff, and students traveling internationally are covered under a blanket policy for emergency evacuation due to political unrest or natural disaster.
University Travel Warnings or Travel Restrictions: This segment delineates policies pertaining to travel to destinations for which the University has issued a Travel Warning, and travel to destinations for which the University has issued a Travel Restriction.
International Travel Involving Student Groups: Includes specific requirements for University-sponsored travel abroad and student-initiated group travel abroad.
Comprehensive information is available on this Global Michigan website.
Rackham Graduate School Academic Policies
All Department of Mathematics graduate students are subject to our Rackham Graduate School's Academic Policies and Regulations.
The graduate programs of the Rackham Graduate School are located in the schools, colleges, and departments of the University of Michigan. The academic policies and regulations in this document have been established by the Rackham Executive Board to ensure consistent standards in admissions, registration, degree requirements, and the awarding of degrees across all Rackham graduate programs. Individual graduate programs have additional requirements and rules. Students are expected to be familiar with both the policies of the Graduate School and those of their programs.
The Graduate School maintains an academic, scholarly, and professional code of conduct to safeguard standards of learning, research, and professional integrity. Students are expected to understand and observe these standards. In conjunction with the schools and colleges, the Graduate School has procedures for investigating allegations of misconduct and imposing sanctions.
Some Ph.D. Specific Policies are listed below.
Rackham's Continuous Enrollment Policy
Once admitted to a PhD program, students will register every fall and winter term until their degree is awarded, unless they are taking an official leave of absence. Students must be registered for 8 credits of Math 995 during the term of the dissertation defense.
Events may occur that make it necessary for a student pursuing a PhD to interrupt his or her progress toward a degree. Since students in PhD programs are required to be continuously enrolled, they may ask for a temporary leave of absence when certain life events make impossible continued active participation in the degree program. A leave of absence enables a student to not register during a fall or winter term and remain in compliance with the continuous enrollment requirement. A leave will be granted to students for illness or injury, to provide care or assistance for family and dependents, to meet military service obligations, or for other personal reasons. The official Leave of Absence Policy is maintained by the Rackham Graduate School. Additional information can be found on the Leave of Absence webpage.
A Ph.D. student who discontinues enrollment in Spring/Summer 2012 or later and subsequently is reinstated into the same program will be assessed a fee equal to one quarter of the prevailing candidacy tuition rate for each fall and winter semester that the student was not registered, up to a maximum of eight semesters. Students who discontinued their enrollment at any time prior to Spring/Summer 2012 are not subject to this fee. Responsibility for paying the reinstatement fee will be split between the graduate student seeking to re-enroll and the graduate program that agrees to reinstate the student, such that the graduate program will pay at least half of the fee. For additional information, please visit Rackham's Reinstatement to a Ph.D. webpage.
Extramural Study
A student who enrolls at another institution to pursue study relevant to the PhD in a period that overlaps substantially with a University fall or winter term may be eligible for extramural study status (extramural study is not an appropriate status for a student who is engaged in fieldwork or archival research, or who has an internship but is not enrolled in a formal course of study at another institution). The official Extramural Study Policy is maintained by the Rackham Graduate School. Additional information can be found on the Extramural Study webpage.
Travel Fund Policy
The Mathematics Department Travel Fund is intended to make professional trips possible for Mathematics Ph.D. graduate students without other sources of funding. Students are required to request funding from the Rackham Graduate School and from their faculty advisor before requesting funds from the Department.
Requests to make use of this fund should be made to the Associate Chair for Graduate Students via this application form. One trip per student during their academic training will normally be approved by the Associate Chair or Chair, subject to availability of funding. A student must have achieved candidacy and should not be beyond the fifth year of training.
Travel that will typically be supported includes conferences and meetings that support the career of the student as a mathematician or educator, e.g., where the student is making a presentation or participating in a panel or administrative meeting. The purpose of the trip should be documented at the time of application for funding, e.g., by a copy of a letter of invitation.
Reimbursements are limited to a maximum of $750 for trips in the continental United States and Canada and $1,000 for international trips or trips to Hawaii and Alaska. Expenses incurred for transportation, lodging, registration, and miscellaneous expenses permitted under University guidelines may be requested, but not expenses for meals.
Cases where there is an issue of eligibility or of sufficiency of funding should be brought to the Executive Committee.
Approved and adopted in final form by the Executive Committee, February 13, 2020.
NOTE: In accordance with U-M SPG 507.10-1, requests must be submitted within 45 days of travel.