Submatriculation is an honors program at Penn for very strong undergraduates who would like to pursue a Masters degree at the same time that they pursue their Bachelors degree. In order to enter this program in Mathematics, students need to follow the steps listed below, including the submission of an application to the graduate program (item 6 on the list).  Similar to other graduate applications, it's important to note that this process is not automatic. For further details on this procedure, interested students are advised to refer to the School of Arts & Sciences document on Submatriculation.

Admission to the program

Students can begin the application process no sooner than their junior year. You can apply for submatriculation online between October 1st and December 15th.

After entering the program, students are expected to complete two of the four courses Math 5080-5090 and Math 5020-5030 (or the equivalent), with an average grade of at least A-.  A student submatriculating into the master’s program is also expected to complete the two degrees within the normal four undergraduate years.  Students can register for up to two full semesters of Master's Thesis Status, which maintains full-time status at the graduate student level in the final year. 

The steps of the application process:

1. Consult an Assistant Dean for Advising in your school office (for e.g., the College) to notify them of your interest in submaticulation. 
2. Contact the Graduate Chair in the Mathematics Department to express your interest in the possibility of submatriculating. In your email, you should indicate the mathematics courses you have taken beyond standard calculus classes, along with the names of the professors in those courses and your grades. If the Graduate Chair agrees that it makes sense to move forward, and agrees on a course plan, then complete the "application for submatriculation" form and obtain the signature of the Graduate Chair on this form.
3. Consult the Undergraduate Chair of the undergraduate major department (if courses are to be double counted). Get the chair's signature of approval on the application for submatriculation form.
4. Return the completed application for submatriculation to the assistant Dean mentioned in step 1. and obtain their approval to proceed.
5. Submit via email an electronic copy of the completed application for submatriculation form to Reshma Tanna in the Graduate Division.
6. Submit ApplyWeb online application via CollegeNet to the Mathematics Graduate Program, indicating that you are applying as a submatriculant. You do not have to submit GRE or TOEFL scores. You should get letters of recommendation from two Penn Mathematics professors from whom you took proof-based courses. After submitting your application, notify the Mathematics Graduate Chair.
7. Once a decision is made, you will be informed via the ApplyWeb application portal.

Requirements for the degree

The student must fulfill all of the requirements for a Masters degree (see the description of the The Masters Program). These requirements are: 

1. Pass the Masters Preliminary Exam. For submatriculants, the preliminary exam must be passed by the beginning of their senior year, before the beginning of classes. If not, they may be dropped from the program.
2. Fulfill the Masters degree course requirements.
3. Write a Masters Thesis: soon after passing the preliminary exam, the student should immediately begin planning for the thesis by seeking/assigning a faculty member who can serve as their thesis advisor.  Send a completed Defense Committee form to Reshma Tanna in the Graduate Division.
4. Register to graduate with the Master's degree online in the first academic month of the semester you plan to graduate. You will receive directions on how to write your thesis and other requirements.
5. Pass the Masters General Examination/Masters Thesis Defense.

For the course requirements as many as 4 (of the total of 8) credits can be counted towards both the Bachelors degree and the Masters degree. Graduate courses completed before admission to the submatriculation program can no longer be applied towards the Masters degree. A student submatriculating into a research master’s program is expected to complete the two degrees within the normal four undergraduate years. All of the courses for the Masters degree must be taken for a grade.

IMPORTANT:  If you substitute a graduate course for one that you previously listed on the Submatriculation form, YOU MUST fill out a new form and repeat the process. If courses are not showing up on your graduate transcript, you need to make sure the form you filled out is up to date.

Students considering submatriculation are strongly encouraged to speak with a counselor in the Student Registration and Financial Services office as soon as possible to discuss how tuition is billed for students at various stages of submatriculation,  and to what extent undergraduate financial aid can be applied.

Policies governing submatriculation