With the approval of the department, undergraduates may take graduate courses, under three conditions.

1. There are no undergraduate courses in mathematics which are more appropriate for the student's program.
2. Prior achievement in undergraduate or graduate mathematics courses provides a clear indication of the student's ability to do well in graduate level work.
3. Admission of the student to the graduate course is consistent with the needs and desires of the graduate program.

Application Procedure

Students wishing to take graduate courses should consult the chair of the honors committee (Committee on Honors and Prizes), who will verify the first two conditions. If approved by the chair of the honors committee, the application will be reviewed by the Graduate Director in consultation with the instructor responsible for the course.

Who should take graduate courses?

Students who wish to take graduate courses should familiarize themselves with the other special opportunities available for undergraduates in the mathematics department, including the Honors Track, the Directed Reading Program, and Research Opportunities for Undergraduates. See our Undergraduate Program page for the relevant links.

Graduate courses are sometimes used to satisfy requirements for graduating with honors; specifically, a graduate course may count as an mathematics honors graduation unit. Students who wish to have a graduate course count as an honors unit must submit an application for approval of alternative honors graduation unit to the undergraduate math office.

Students in the honors track are encouraged to take some graduate courses in their senior year.