Requirements

Attendance & Participation.  It is expected that you will be present and participate in all scheduled class meetings in the Fall semester, and that you will be present and provide feedback at all the senior presentations in the Spring semester.

Completion of Interim Assignments.  The main products of the senior comps project is a written paper and an oral presentation.  However, to successfully complete these products, you will need to reach a variety of interim goals such as selecting and refining a topic, writing an outline, writing drafts of the paper, practicing your talk, etc.  You will be given target dates for each of these interim goals and it is expected that you meet these target dates or provide sound reasons why you may need additional time to reach these goals.  See the comps timeline for specific information on meeting these deadlines.  These interim assignments will always be submitted both to me and to your faculty mentor.

Written Paper.  You are required to complete a written paper of acceptable content and quality on an area of mathematics which will allow you to synthesize and/or extend your knowledge of mathematics.  There is no specific style or software that must be used in completing this paper.  But the paper should display a certain level of professionalism and care in presentation in addition to the quality of the content.  If you want to typeset your paper using LaTeX (JQ), most of the faculty will be willing and able to assist and support you.

Oral Presentation.  As a way to share your results, each of you will give an oral presentation of your comps project during the Spring semester.

Comps I Examination.  The Comps I examination will be given on the afternoon of  Thursday, October 12.  As in recent years, the Comps I exam will be a three-hour closed-book test consisting of basic questions from Calculus I, Calculus II, Linear Systems, Multivariable/Vector Calculus, and Discrete Mathematics.  The purpose of the exam is to have you revisit some of the fundamental ideas from these core mathematics courses and to exhibit your proficiency at applying these ideas in a test situation.  A passing mark will be set after the exam is graded, and those who do not pass will be required to rewrite the examination on their own (using texts, notes, and limited faculty assistance) to a higher level of proficiency.  Revisions will be due three weeks after the exams are graded and returned.  Only one opportunity to rewrite the exam to the requested higher level of proficiency will be given. The Comps I exam may be taken only by seniors.