UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS PROGRAM OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES (For general information about the Department see the PROGRAM OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES) ACADEMIC YEAR 2005-2006
1. GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM The Department of Mathematics of the University of Patras has instituted, since the year 2000, a Program of Postgraduate Studies (P.P.S.), which has been approved by the Greek Ministry of Education. According to this Program, the Department of Mathematics is entitled to award the following degrees: A. Master of Science (M.Sc.) Degree in: 1. Pure Mathematics 2. Applied Mathematics 3. Computational Mathematics and Informatics B. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) degree in: 1. Pure Mathematics 2. Applied Mathematics 3. Probability, Statistics and Operations Research 4. Logic and Mathematical Foundations 5. Mathematics Education and the History of Mathematics The Department of Mathematics also participates in 2 Interdepartmental Postgraduate Programs leading to: 1. M.Sc or Ph.D degree in Computer Mathematics and Decision Making, in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering of the University of Patras. 2. M.Sc or Ph.D degree in Environmental Sciences, in collaboration with the Departments of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geology of the University of Patras. The Coordinating Committee of Postgraduate Studies (C.C.P.S.) of the Department of Mathematics carries out all procedures concerning applications, acceptance and subsequent progress of every postgraduate student and is the responsible body appointed annually by the General Assembly of Special Composition (G.A.S.C.) of the Faculty of Mathematics. 1.1 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS Candidates for the P.P.S. must be graduates of internationally accredited Universities, or analogous Institutions of Higher Education, holding valid diplomas in any field of the Natural Sciences, Engineering or Social Sciences, with a strong background in the branch of Mathematics that is relevant to their area of specialization. Candidates are considered irrespective of their Nationality, Religion, or Race. Applicants who are foreign nationals are required to have a basic understanding of the Greek language. If that is not the case, they should start, soon after their acceptance, taking lessons offered at the University of Patras to achieve a working knowledge of speaking and writing Greek.
A. Application Dates and Requirements: The dates for applications start on March 15 and end on May 31 of every year. The applications must be sent by mail to the Secretary of the Department of Mathematics (attention: C.C.P.S.), University of Patras, Patras 26500 Patras, Greece and must include the following material: 1) A signed letter expressing interest in one of the Degrees of Par. I above. 2) A copy of the candidates Undergraduate Degree (or M. Sc. Degree), certified by the issuing authorities. If the degree has not been awarded by one of the Greek Universities, the candidate must obtain and attach a certificate of the Greek Organization for Recognizing Foreign Degrees (DI.K.A.T.S.A.) attesting the validity o f the corresponding degree. 3) A copy of the candidates transcripts (record of grades) certified by the issuing authorities. 4) A Curriculum Vita (CV) describing all activities of the candidate that will be useful for the C.C.P.S. to assess his or her abilities to participate in the P.P.S. This information includes e.g. participation in conferences (with copies of relevant certificates), publications, knowledge of languages, expertise in computer programming and any other kind of professional experience that the candidate feels will help his or her case. 5) At least 2 recommendation letters from persons that have known the candidate well as a student or in some professional capacity. For advanced applicants, who already hold a valid M. Sc. Degree and are interested in obtaining a Ph.D. degree, there is a second period, from December 10 20, every year, in which they can submit the above material to the C.C.P.S. It must be noted, however, that: a) For each of these candidates, there must already be one faculty member who has agreed to supervise their Ph. D. thesis, at the time of their application. b) If these candidates do not hold a Scholarship for their Ph.D. studies their admission to the Programme depends on whether the Department has already filled its annual Ph. D. positions in the previous period of admissions. c) If these candidates hold a Scholarship for their Ph.D. studies their admission is automatic (provided condition a) above also holds). B. Regulations for Acceptance in the P.P.S. After receipt of the applications, at the end of the first period (March 15 May 31), the C.C.P.S. proceeds in the consideration of the applicants according to the following regulations: 1) 4 positions are available for the Ph.D. degree for the entire P.P.S. 2) 10 positions are available for the M.Sc. degree in Pure Mathematics 3) 12 positions are available for the M.Sc. degree in Applied Mathematics 4) 14 positions are available for the M.Sc. degree in all areas of Computational Mathematics and Informatics The selection of the successful applicants is made after considering the following criteria: a) The candidate s overall grade in the Undergraduate Degree. b) The candidate s grades in the undergraduate courses that are relevant to the Postgraduate degree he/she is applying for. c) The candidate s abilities as pointed out in the submitted CV, as well as the submitted recommendation letters.
d) The candidate s performance in a personal interview conducted for all candidates in June every year. After detailed consideration of all candidates the C.C.P.S. makes its recommendation to the General Assembly of Special Composition (G.A.S.C.) of the Faculty of Mathematics, which soon thereafter announces its final decision on those who are accepted in the P.P.S.. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must have secured the approval of a faculty member (Supervising Professor), who agrees to supervise their thesis and has submitted to the C.C.P.S. a letter of recommendation for the candidate. Candidates who have not yet obtained, at the time of their application, an official recognition of their degree from a foreign University or equivalent institution of Higher Education, must submit a copy of their request to obtain a certificate of the Greek Organization for Recognizing Foreign Degrees (DI.K.A.T.S.A.), attesting to the validity of the corresponding degree. This recognition must be obtained before they can start their postgraduate studies in the P.P.S.. 1.2. ACTIVITIES AFTER BEING ACCEPTED IN THE P.P.S. A. At the University of Patras The minimum duration of postgraduate studies for the acquisition of the M. Sc. Degree is 4 academic semesters, while for the Ph.D. it is 8 academic semesters. In case the student possesses a relevant recognized postgraduate degree, these study periods can be reduced by up to 2 and 4 semesters respectively, after recommendation of the C.C.P.S. and approval of the G.A.S.C. All postgraduate students are required to renew their enrollment in the P.P.S. at the beginning of every academic semester. Candidates for the M.Sc. degree are normally required to pass successfully 8 postgraduate courses and defend a Master s Thesis, presented as a special Departmental seminar. They are supervised by an Advisor, who shortly before the presentation forms a 3-member Examination Committee, with 2 other faculty members, to give the final approval for the thesis. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must submit, at the end of every academic year, a Progress Report signed by their Supervisor, describing in detail their research over the past year and the progress in their activities towards completing the requirements of the degree. The language in which the Master s or Ph.D. theses are written is Greek. However, with the approval of the Supervisor, a thesis can be written in English, provided an extended summary is added in Greek, in which the full contents and results of the thesis are summarized. B. Socrates Erasmus Study at Other Universities: As in the case of undergraduate students, the Department of Mathematics strongly encourages its postgraduate students to do part of their studies at one of the many foreign Universities, with
which the Department has official collaboration agreements, under the auspices of the Socrates Erasmus Program of the European Union. This can be done with the approval of the student s Supervisor (of the Master s or Ph.D. thesis) and in consultation with the Department s Coordinating Committee of European Study Programs. This offers the student an invaluable opportunity to gain international experience in the research topics in which he/she is working and often helps in improving the contents of the thesis and making it better known to the wider scientific community.