Department of Mathematics

Graduate Program

University of California at Berkeley

2003 - 2004
 The Department of Mathematics
The
Department of Mathematics
at Berkeley has been
recognized as one of the
broadest, liveliest, and most distinguished
departments of mathematics in the world.
With 60 regular faculty members representing
the major fields of current research, one of the
finest mathematics libraries in the nation, and
the good fortune to be situated in a favorable
climate in one of America’s most exciting and
cosmopolitan centers, Berkeley is a favorite
location for the study of mathematics by
students and faculty from all over the world.
For the last 30 years, Berkeley has been
ranked second and then number one in the
nation by the American Council of Education.
The first-place ranking was reaffirmed in a
1995 survey. The distinguished faculty and
rich program of courses has attracted many
students: there are currently about 240
graduate students, including 70 international
students from approximately 31 foreign
countries.
The Department of Mathematics at Berkeley
is organized so as to combine the many
advantages of a large school (a variety of
choices in courses, teachers, student
colleagues, research topics, dissertation
supervisors, the ability to support a
distinguished library, computer facilities, etc.)
with those of a small school (close
acquaintance between students and faculty and
among students working in related fields, a
friendly atmosphere, etc.). This has been
achieved in part by loosely dividing students
and faculty into 6 nondisjoint sections:
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Algebra, Classical Analysis, Modern Analysis,
Applied Mathematics, Foundations, and
Geometry and Topology.* An active
Mathematics Graduate Student Association
cooperates in the effort to make Berkeley a
stimulating and rewarding place to study
mathematics.
The Department offices are located on the top 4
floors of Evans Hall, situated in the northeast
quadrant of Berkeley’s scenic hillside campus.
Within this building, the Department has
excellent facilities for a flourishing
mathematical community, including an 1800-
sq.ft. Common Room on the tenth floor
overlooking the San Francisco Bay, a
computing facility (with a network of 200
workstations and remote access to more
powerful computers), the world-class
Mathematics Library on the first floor, and 26
classrooms especially designed for mathematics
instruction on the ground floor.
Berkeley has a large number of postdoctoral
scholars and visiting teaching faculty in
residence each year. Like the graduate students,
they come from all over the world. Through
their teaching of courses, participation in
seminars, collaboration in research, talks at the
weekly Mathematics Colloquium, and
availability as consultants, these scholars greatly
enrich the educational program. Students in the
Department also profit from the existence of the
Center for Pure and Applied Mathematics, an
organized research unit, which is situated with
the Department in Evans Hall.
_______________
*Most faculty members belong to more than one section.
An exciting addition to the Berkeley
mathematics community was the
establishment of the Mathematical Sciences
Research Institute (MSRI) by the National
Science Foundation in 1981. In a beautifully
designed building on the hills above the
Berkeley campus overlooking the San
Francisco Bay, about 150 mathematicians
from around the world come each year to
participate in research programs in a wide
variety of mathematical topics. The Fall
2002 program was Quantum Computation.
Spring 2003 will include programs in
Commutative Algebra and Semi-Classical
Analysis. The 2003-2004 academic year will
see programs in Discrete and Computational
Geometry, Differential Geometry, and
Topological Aspects of Real Geometry. The
combined and cooperative efforts of the
Department, the Center, and the Institute
provide a program of mathematics courses,
workshops, seminars, and colloquia of
remarkable variety and exciting intensity.
Applied Mathematics at Berkeley
The UC Berkeley Department of
Mathematics encourages its faculty and
students not only to study mathematics for
its own sake, but also to explore the
applications of mathematics in the sciences
and in engineering.
Faculty and students interested in the
applications of mathematics are an integral
part of the Department of Mathematics;
there is no formal separation between pure
and applied mathematics, and the
Department takes pride in the many ways in
which they enrich each other. The
Department regularly offers courses in
ordinary and partial differential equations
and their numerical solution, the methods of
mathematical physics, the mathematical
aspects of fluid and solid mechanics,
3
approximation theory, scientific comput-
ing, numerical linear algebra, and
mathematical aspects of computer science. It
also encourages its students to take courses
of mathematical interest in other
departments. Topics explored intensively by
faculty and students in the Department of
Mathematics in recent years include scien-
tific computation and the mathematical
aspects of quantum theory, image processing
and medical imaging, bioinformatics,
control, robotics, and turbulence.
The Department benefits from a close
relationship with the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory (LBNL), a Department
of Energy Laboratory located on the
Berkeley campus. Graduate students with an
interest in applications can often have access
to the Laboratory’s exceptional computing
resources and have the opportunity to work
there on problems of current national
interest. Collaborations with faculty
members from physics, chemistry, statistics,
computer science, biology, and the various
branches of engineering are also encouraged
and occur frequently.
Students who engage in research projects of
substantial interest to an area of applications
often benefit from additional sources of
support that exist in the fields to which they
contribute. The Department has an excellent
record of graduating students with applied
interests who then go on to distinguished
careers in which they contribute both to
mathematics and to the increasing number of
its applications.
Applications for admission from students
with a double major, in mathematics and
another science, are particularly encouraged,
and applications from students with a strong
mathematical background and a major in a
science will be seriously considered.
 The Faculty
A brief description of major mathematical interests of the faculty is given in the following list:

Professors
David Aldous Theoretical and applied probability.

Robert M. Anderson Mathematical economics, nonstandard analysis,

probability theory.

William B. Arveson Functional analysis, operator algebras.

George M. Bergman Associative rings, universal algebra and category theory,

counterexamples.

Richard Borcherds Lie algebras, vertex algebras, automorphic functions.

Paul R. Chernoff Functional analysis, operator theory.

Alexandre J. Chorin Applied mathematics, turbulence, numerical methods, nonlinear

PDE’s.

F. Michael Christ Harmonic analysis, partial differential equations,

complex analysis in several variables.

Robert F. Coleman p-adic analysis and algebraic geometry.

James W. Demmel Numerical analysis, high performance computing.

Lester E. Dubins Probability, gambling theory, geometry.

David Eisenbud Algebraic geometry, commutative algebra and computation.

L. Craig Evans Partial differential equations.

Steve Evans Probability and stochastic processes.

David Freedman Foundations of statistics.

Edward Frenkel Representation theory, integrable systems,

mathematical physics.

Alexander Givental Symplectic and contact geometry, singularity theory,

mathematical physics.

4
F. Alberto Grünbaum Analysis, probability, integrable systems, medical imaging.

Mark Haiman Algebra, combinatorics, and algebraic geometry.

Ole H. Hald Numerical analysis.

Leo A. Harrington Recursion theory, model theory, set theory.

Jenny Harrison Dynamical systems, integration theory.

Robin C. Hartshorne Algebraic geometry.

Vaughan F. R. Jones Von Neumann algebras.

William M. Kahan Error analysis, numerical computations, computers, convexity, large

matrices, trajectory problems.

Richard Karp Computer science and bioengineering.

Robion C. Kirby Topology of manifolds.

Michael J. Klass Probability theory, combinatorics.

Tsit-Yuen Lam Algebra.

Hendrik W. Lenstra, Jr. Algebraic number theory, algorithms.

C. Keith Miller Partial differential equations, numerical methods for PDE’s.

Calvin C. Moore Representations and actions of topological groups,

operator algebras.

John C. Neu Applied mathematics.

Arthur E. Ogus Algebraic geometry.

Andrei Okounkov Representation theory, combinatorics.

Yuval Peres Probability theory and Hausdorff dimension.

James Pitman Probability and stochastic processes.

Charles C. Pugh Global theory of differential equations.

Marina Ratner Ergodic theory.

Nicolai Reshetikhin Mathematical physics, low-dimensional topology,

representation theory.
5
Kenneth A. Ribet Algebraic number theory, algebraic geometry.

Marc A. Rieffel Non-commutative harmonic analysis, operator algebras,

quantum geometry.

Donald E. Sarason Complex function theory, operator theory.

Vera Serganova Super-representation theory.

James A. Sethian Applied mathematics, computational physics,

partial differential equations.

Christina Shannon Economic theory, mathematical economics.

Jack H. Silver Mathematical logic, theory of sets.

Theodore A. Slaman Recursion theory.

John Steel Set theory, descriptive set theory, fine structure.

John Strain Applied mathematics, numerical analysis, fast algorithms,

materials science.

Bernd Sturmfels Combinatorics, computational algebraic geometry.

Dan Tataru Partial differential equations.

Dan-Virgil Voiculescu Operator algebras.

Paul A. Vojta Number theory.

John B. Wagoner Differential topology, algebraic K-theory, dynamical systems.

Alan D. Weinstein Symplectic geometry, mathematical physics.

Mariusz Wodzicki Non-commutative and algebraic geometry, analysis, K-theory.

W. Hugh Woodin Set theory, large cardinals.

Hung-Hsi Wu Riemannian geometry, complex manifolds.

Maciej Zworski Linear partial differential equations, microlocal analysis.

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Associate Professors

Ming Gu Numerical linear algebra, scientific computing.

Bjorn Poonen Number theory, algebraic geometry.

Fraydoun Rezakhanlou Probability theory, partial differential equations.

Assistant Professors

Michael Hutchings Low dimensional and symplectic topology, geometry.

Allen Knutson Symplectic geometry and combinatorics.

Ai-Ko Liu Algebraic and differential geometry, symplectic topology.

Lior Pachter Applications of statistics and combinatorics to problems

in biology

Thomas Scanlon Model theory and applications to number theory.

Adjunct professors

Paul Concus Fluid mechanics, numerical analysis, applied mathematics.

Affiliated professors

Alan H. Schoenfeld Psychology of problem solving.

Professors EMERITI
John W. Addison Jr. Theory of definability, descriptive set theory, model theory,
recursive function theory.

William G. Bade Functional analysis, Banach algebras.

Elwyn R. Berlekamp Combinatorial game theory, Algebraic coding theory, electrical

engineering, computer science.

David H. Blackwell Set theory, recursive functions, measure theory, stochastic

processes, game theory, information theory, linear programming.

Paul Chambre Applied mathematics.

Shiing-Shen Chern Differential and integral geometry, topology.

Heinz O. Cordes Classical analysis.

Gerard Debreu Mathematical economics.

7
Stephen P. L. Diliberto Ordinary differential equations, celestial mechanics.

Jacob Feldman Ergodic theory, stochastic processes.

David Gale Mathematical economics.

Henry Helson Harmonic analysis, function theory.

Leon A. Henkin Logic and foundations of mathematics, mathematics education.

Morris W. Hirsch Dynamical systems, neural networks, stochastic approximation.

Gerhard P. Hochschild Lie groups, algebraic groups, homological algebra.

Wu-Yi Hsiang Transformation groups, differential geometry

Irving Kaplansky Algebra.

Shoshichi Kobayashi Differential geometry, Riemannian and complex manifolds, several

complex variables.

R. Sherman Lehman Number theory, numerical analysis.

Jerrold E. Marsden Mechanics, applied dynamics, control theory.

Ralph McKenzie Logic, universal algebra.

Andrew P. Ogg Number theory, elliptic curves, modular forms.

Beresford N. Parlett Numerical analysis, scientific computation.

Murray H. Protter Partial differential equations.

John L. Rhodes Algebra, semigroups, automata.

Rainer K. Sachs Mathematical biology.

Ichiro Satake Symmetric spaces, automorphic functions.

Isadore M. Singer Geometry, partial differential equations, physics.

Stephen Smale Algorithms, numerical analysis, global analysis.

Robert M. Solovay Mathematics of set theory, large cardinals.

John R. Stallings Topology, group theory.

8
P. Emery Thomas Number theory, diophantine equations.

Joseph A. Wolf Differential geometry, Lie groups, harmonic analysis.

9

Calendar
The University of California, Berkeley,
operates on a two-semester academic
calendar, with the first semester starting in
late August and ending before the winter
break. In 2002-2003, the Fall Semester 2002
begins on August 20 and ends on December
19, the Spring Semester 2003 begins on
January 14 and ends on May 24.
Summer Sessions
There is no requirement of admission to the
University to enroll in Summer Sessions.
New students whose admission is effective
in the Fall can attend the preceding 8-week
Summer Session. Some of the basic
undergraduate courses are taught in the
summer. The Departments of French,
German, and Slavic Languages offer 10-
week courses that may be useful to students
preparing for the Language Examinations.
For information about future Summer
Sessions and courses offered, write to the
Summer Sessions Office, 22 Wheeler Hall
#1080, University of California, Berkeley
CA 94720-1080, or refer to their web page
http://summer.berkeley.edu/summer2002/ .
Admission
Graduate Application for Admission and
Fellowship. Applicants should use the on-
line application which can be found at
www.grad.berkeley.edu. A paper applica-
tion may be requested if internet access is
unavailable.
In addition to completing the application
form and submitting transcripts, applicants
are required to submit (1) 3 letters of
recommendation from persons who are
familiar with their qualifications to pursue
graduate study in mathematics, (2) a brief
10
description (course number, subject matter
covered, books used, instructor, and grade)
of junior, senior, and graduate level
mathematics courses they have taken or plan
to take before entering graduate school at
Berkeley, and (3) scores on the Graduate
Record Examination, both the General Test
and the Mathematics Subject Test.
Applicants should take these tests early
enough so that their scores will reach the
Department of Mathematics by mid-January,
when the evaluation of applicants begins.
All application materials should be sent to
the Graduate Student Affairs Officer,
Department of Mathematics, 910 Evans Hall,
University of California, Berkeley, CA
94720-3840. Institutional Code 4833,
Departmental Code: Applied Mathematics
0702, Mathematics 0703. (See
http://math.berkeley.edu/graduate/online_app.html.)
The Graduate application for Admission and
Fellowships gives information on deadlines
and details about fees and expenses.
Applicants should note that the deadlines are
quite early, and they should take special care
to see that transcripts are sent on time.
Delayed receipt of transcripts is one of the
most prevalent problems in the admissions
and financial aid process. The General
Catalog contains a statement of general
requirements for higher degrees and
regulations pertaining to graduate students. It
also contains information on such matters as
fees and housing. Refer to the website
http://math.berkeley.edu/catalog/grad/intro.html. It is
available from the Cal Student Store, Attn:
Mail Order Department, #4500, University
of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
94720-4500.
To order by phone, call 510-981-9618 or
800-766-1546.
 Financial Support
Financial support from the University is
available on a competitive basis to entering
graduate students in the form of Fellowships,
Graduate Student Instructorships, Graduate
Student Researchships, Readerships, and
University Financial Aid. The Department
pledges incoming Ph.D. students sufficient
financial support so that they have funding
for at least 5 years of graduate study at
Berkeley, subject to the student making good
progress toward the degree and satisfactory
performance of all teaching duties.
For entering Ph.D. students without outside
support, the Department normally covers all
fees and nonresident tuition during the first
year of study. Nonresident tuition will be
covered for up to 4 additional years for Ph.D.
students making good progress who are
ineligible to become California residents.
Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent
residents are eligible to establish California
residency after one year in the state and
should plan to do so. The Department lacks
the resources to cover their nonresident
tuition for longer than one year. Students
will receive advice on how to qualify for
residency. The Graduate Division
Fellowship Office requests that all domestic
students submit a FAFSA (Free Application
for Federal Student Aid). This information is
for use only by the Fellowship Office to
allow for the use of need-based funds. Please
note: as graduate students you do not need to
include parental information. Prior to
receiving a stipend or being hired as a
Graduate Student Instructor or a Graduate
Student Researcher an international student
must have a Social Security number. We
recommend students arrange to get a Social
Security number at the Embassy before
coming to the U.S.
11
Fellowships
The procedures and deadline for applying for
University of California fellowships are
described in the application for admission.
Because the number of such fellowships is
small, applicants are also strongly
encouraged to apply for other fellowships,
such as the National Science Foundation
fellowships. In past years, many strong
students have missed the opportunity to get
one of these fellowships by not applying.
Fellowship applicants are expected to supply
information on their financial status.
Graduate Student Instructor Positions
The Department has a number of half-time
Graduate Students Instructorships for which
graduate students may apply. The workload
usually averages between 14 and 16 hours
per week.
New GSIs are required to enroll in
Mathematics 300 (Teaching Workshop) for
one semester, during their first term holding
the teaching position. The class meets for 2
hours per week, about 8 times during the
semester.
The University requires that prospective
international Graduate Student Instructors
demonstrate proficiency in spoken English
before they begin teaching. Since a high
score on the Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) does not guarantee the
necessary degree of fluency, all applicants
whose native language is not English are
required to take the Test of Spoken English
(TSE). This test, which is given by the
Educational Testing Service, can usually be
taken at the same office abroad as the one at
which the TOEFL is offered. A score of 50
or above on the TSE is necessary for
eligibility for an appointment as a Graduate
Student Instructor.
It is essential that the TSE be taken during
the first two weeks of August so that the
results will reach the Department in time for
consideration. In the absence of a TSE score,
the Department can make only a conditional
offer of a teaching appointment which will
be contingent upon a satisfactory score on an
oral proficiency test. Alternately, the
Graduate Student Teaching & Resource
Center offers the SPEAK test (Speaking
Proficiency English Assessment Kit), several
times during August. International students
should plan to arrive on campus at least 3
weeks before the semester starts. It is
recommended that the test be taken at least 1
week after arrival in the United States, but at
least 10 days before the first day of classes,
as it takes 10 days to receive the test results.
Students should contact the Graduate
Student Affairs Officer for additional
information.
Incoming students who are not able to pass
the TSE or SPEAK before the beginning of
the Fall semester should concentrate on
mastery of spoken English during the Fall
semester and must pass the TSE, SPEAK, or
OPT test before the beginning of the Spring
semester in order to qualify for financial
support from the Department. Failure to pass
TSE, SPEAK, or OPT after the end of the
first year will result in loss of all financial
support from the Department.
Graduate Student Research Positions. A
number of positions as Graduate Student
Researchers are also available. These are
funded by the grants of individual faculty
members, and most are reserved for students
who have been advanced to candidacy.
Readership Positions. A limited amount of
support may be earned as a Reader.
Tutor Positions. Some graduate students
earn money as tutors. The Department
maintains a registry of volunteers on a
12
semester basis, which is available to students
desiring help. Tutors make their own
arrangements with the students.
University Financial Aid
Domestic students are eligible for loans,
grants, workstudy (which may be applied to
GSI appointments) or a combination of
these, the amount depending on the student’s
“need” as calculated by the Financial Aid
Office. New students can obtain information
on types of financial aid and request an
application by writing to: Financial Aid
Office, Graduate Division, 201 Sproul Hall
#1960, Berkeley, California 94720-1960, or
phone (510) 642-0485. Detailed information
on financial aid is also available on page 7 of
the Graduate Application for Admission and
Fellowship. The deadline for applying for
University Financial Aid is in early
December for entering students, and
February 1 for continuing students.There is a
campus Placement Office which helps
students find part-time employment (but
income from such employment reduces
“need” for those receiving University
Financial Aid).
Summer Support
There are several sources of summer support
for graduate students in Mathematics.
Summer GSIs. The Department needs
about 35 Graduate Student Instructors each
year to teach in Summer Session. Summer
GSIs teach independent sections of lower-
division and, occasionally, upper-division
courses. Appointments are made on the
basis of experience and past teaching
performance.
Summer GSRs. Some faculty members
with grants have funds to support their
students as Graduate Student Researchers
during the summer.
Internships. The Department has a Summer
Internship Program in which students hold
summer positions in industry and
government laboratories (see below).
Stipends. The Department provides first-
year Ph.D. students, staying at Berkeley,
working on math, and lacking other summer
support, stipends of $2,000 for their first
summer in Berkeley.
Summer Internship
There are many opportunities available for
graduate students to obtain summer
internships in Bay Area companies and in
National Laboratories. The Graduate
Student Affairs Officer has a list of such
opportunities in 910 Evans. The Department
will facilitate placement in an internship for
all students, and can help seek out additional
possibilities.
Experience in a summer internship is
invaluable as a part of training to be a
mathematician and is strongly recommended
for every graduate student at some point in
their graduate student career. Moreover, it
provides additional income. Students who
undertake an internship will have a broader
and deeper appreciation of how mathematics
is used in significant applications and will,
thereby, enhance their preparation for all
careers in the mathematical sciences. In
addition, they will create contacts and
possible job opportunities that will be
potentially useful throughout their careers.
Degree Information
Students are admitted for specific degree
programs (viz., M.A. in Mathematics, Ph.D.
in Mathematics, Ph.D. in Applied
Mathematics). Transfers between the two
Ph.D. programs are fairly routine, but
applications to transfer from the M.A. to the
Ph.D. program are considered carefully.
Department policy requires that an applicant
to the Ph.D program who has previous
13
graduate work in mathematics -- including
our M.A. program -- must present very
strong evidence of capability for
mathematical research.
The M.A. Program
Aim of the M.A. Program. The purpose is
to offer students who hold the A.B. degree in
mathematics (or related fields) an
opportunity to broaden their knowledge in
the several fields of mathematics and its
applications by providing further courses at
the upper-division and beginning graduate
levels. The program is designed to prepare
graduates for teaching at the high school and
junior college levels or for careers in
business, industry, or government. The
M.A. program is not intended primarily as
preparation for the Ph.D. program.
Adequately prepared students whose
ultimate objective is the Ph.D. are advised to
apply directly to the Ph.D. program.
However, students who apply to the Ph.D.
program and are not accepted may be
considered for the M.A. program. They may
apply to transfer later from the M.A. to the
Ph.D. program if their record during their
first year is sufficiently strong. Graduate
Student Instructorships and other forms of
departmental support are typically offered
only to students in the Ph.D. program.
Prerequisites. To enter the M.A. program, a
student should have an A.B. degree in
mathematics or a related field. Exceptions
can be made at the discretion of the
departmental Committee on Graduate
Admissions and the Graduate Division. The
student should have completed a minimum
of 4 courses, each with a content equivalent
to a one-semester upper-division
mathematics course at Berkeley, distributed
as follows: one in algebra, one in analysis,
and one from each of 2 different fields from
the following list: geometry, foundations,
numerical analysis, computer science,
statistics, one or 2 fields of applied
mathematics. These courses must have a fair
amount of mathematical sophistication.
Students who are admitted without having
the prescribed 4 courses must make up the
entrance deficiency at the beginning of their
studies here, and these make-up courses will
not be counted toward the M.A. degree.
Degree Requirements. General University
requirements for the M.A. degree are given
in the General Catalog. In particular, there is
a two-semester academic residence
requirement, a restriction on transfer credit
from other institutions, and a choice between
two plans:
Plan I requires at least 20 semester units of
upper-division and graduate courses and a
thesis. At least 8 of these units must be in
graduate courses (200 series). These 8 units
are normally taken in the Department of
Mathematics at Berkeley. In special cases,
upon recommendation of the Graduate
Adviser and approval of the Dean of the
Graduate Division, some of the 8 graduate
units may be taken in other departments.
Plan II requires at least 24 semester units of
upper-division and graduate courses,
followed by a comprehensive final
examination, the M.A. examination. At least
12 of these units must be in graduate courses
(200 series). These 12 units are normally
taken in the Department of Mathematics at
Berkeley. In special cases, upon
recommendation of the Graduate Advisor
and approval of the Dean of the Graduate
Division, some of the 12 graduate units may
be taken in other departments. All courses
fulfilling the above unit requirements must
have significant mathematical content. In
general, M.A. students are encouraged to
take some courses outside the Department of
Mathematics. In many jobs, at least some
acquaintance with statistics and computer
science is essential; and, for some students,
courses in such fields as engineering,
14
biological or physical sciences, or economics
are highly desirable.
The M.A. Examination. The M.A.
examination is a two-hour examination
consisting of:
¾ a 45-minute prepared talk on an
advanced topic in the student’s field of
concentration, followed by 15 minutes of
discussion of the subject of the talk;
¾ and 2 half-hour oral examinations, each
covering very basic material in one of the
fields cited above. (The student selects
the 2 fields for the examination.)
The Ph.D. Program
Prerequisites. The Dept of Mathematics
offers 2 Ph.D. degrees, one in Mathematics
and one in Applied Mathematics. Applicants
for admission to either Ph.D. program are
expected to have preparation comparable to
the undergraduate major at Berkeley in
Mathematics or in Applied Mathematics.
These majors consist of 2 full years of lower-
division work (covering calculus, linear
algebra, differential equations, and
multivariable calculus), followed by 8 one-
semester courses in each of real analysis,
complex analysis, abstract algebra, and linear
algebra. These eight courses may include
some mathematically based courses in other
departments, e.g. physics, engineering,
computer science, or economics.
Applicants for admission are considered by
the Department’s Graduate Admissions and
Appointments Committees. The number of
students that can be admitted each year is
determined by the Graduate Division and by
departmental resources. In making
admissions decisions, the Committee
considers, among other things, grades in
mathematics courses, letters of recommenda-
tion, and GRE scores.
Experience has shown that the score on the
Mathematics Subject GRE is a fairly
(although not totally) reliable indicator of
preparation for Berkeley’s PhD program. A
score below the 80t h percentile suggests
inadequate preparation and must be balanced
by other evidence if a favorable admission
decision is to be reached.
Degree Requirements
In outline, to qualify for the Ph.D. in either
Mathematics or Applied Mathematics, the
candidate must meet the following
requirements.
1 . During the first year in the Ph.D.
program: (a) take at least 4 courses, 2
or more of which are graduate courses
in mathematics; (b) and pass the six-
hour written Preliminary Examination
covering primarily undergraduate
material. (The exam is given just
before the beginning of each semester,
and the student must pass it within
their first 3 semesters.)
2. Pass a three-hour oral Qualifying
Examination emphasizing, but not
exclusively restricted to, the area of
specialization. The Qualifying
Examination must be attempted within
two years of entering the program.
3. Complete a seminar, giving a talk of at
least one hour duration.
4. Pass language examinations in 2 of
French, German, or Russian.
5. Write a dissertation embodying the
results of original research and
acceptable to a properly constituted
dissertation committee.
15
6. Meet the University residence
requirement of two years or four
semesters.
The detailed regulations of the Ph.D. program
are as follows:
Course Requirements
During the first year in the Ph.D. program, the
student must enroll in at least 4 courses. At least
2 of these must be graduate courses in
mathematics. Exceptions can be granted by the
student’s Graduate Advisor.
Preliminary Examination
The Preliminary Examination consists of 6 hours
of written work given over a two-day period.
Most of the examination covers material, mainly
in analysis and algebra, that should be part of a
well-prepared student’s undergraduate training.
The Preliminary Examination is offered twice a
year -- during the week before classes start in
both the Fall and Spring Semesters. A student
may repeat the examination twice. A student
who does not pass the Preliminary Examination
within 13 months of the date of entry into the
Ph.D. program will not be permitted to remain in
the program past the third semester. In
exceptional cases, a fourth try may be granted
upon appeal to Committee Omega.
PhD Qualifying Examination
To arrange for the Qualifying Examination, a
student must first settle on an area of
concentration, and a prospective Dissertation
Supervisor, someone who agrees to supervise
the dissertation if the examination is passed.
With the aid of the prospective supervisor, the
student forms an examination committee of 4
members, at least 2 of which must be
members of the Department. The Graduate
Division requires that at least one committee Graduate Study in Logic
member be from outside the Department and
that the committee chair be someone other
Master’s Degree. Students desiring to
than the Dissertation Supervisor. The
obtain a master’s degree in Logic or a related
syllabus of the examination is to be worked
field are advised to obtain a master’s degree
out jointly by the committee and the student,
in Mathematics. Neither the Group in Logic
but before final approval it is to be circulated
and the Methodology of Science nor the
to all faculty members of the appropriate
Department of Philosophy administers a
Sections. The Qualifying Examination must
program leading to a master’s degree.
cover material falling in at least 3 subject
areas and these must be listed on the
application to take the examination.
Ph.D. Degree. There are three different
Moreover, the material covered must fall
Ph.D programs at the University of
within more than one Section of the
California, Berkeley, in which a student
Department. Sample syllabi can be seen in
wishing to specialize in logic and related
910 Evans Hall.
fields may enroll.
Before attempting the Qualifying
Examination, the student must pass one
Ph.D. in Mathematics. The Department of
language examination. The student must
Mathematics administers programs leading
attempt the Qualifying Examination within
to the degrees of Ph.D. in Mathematics and
twenty-five months of entering the Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics. Students in
program. If a student does not pass on the
these programs may specialize in the
first attempt, then, on the recommendation of
Foundations of Mathematics, but are also
the student’s examining committee, and
expected to obtain a broad education in
subject to the approval of the Graduate
mathematics, and in particular to pass the
Division, the student may repeat the
regular departmental examinations.
examination once. The examining committee
must be the same, and the re-examination
Ph.D. in Philosophy. The Department of
must be held within thirty months of the
Philosophy administers a program leading to
student’s entrance into the Ph.D. program.
the degree of Ph.D. in Philosophy. Students
in this program may specialize in Logic, but
For a student to pass the Qualifying
are also expected to obtain a broad education
Examination, at least one identified member
in Philosophy. Detailed information about
of the subject area group must be willing to
this program can be obtained directly from
accept the candidate as a dissertation student,
the Chairman, Department of Philosophy,
if asked. The student must obtain an official
University of California, Berkeley,
Dissertation Supervisor within one semester
California 94720-2390.
after passing the Qualifying Examination or
leave the Ph.D. program. For more detailed
Ph.D. in Logic and the Methodology of
rules and advice concerning the Qualifying
Science. The Group in Logic and the
Examination, see the Graduate Student
Methodology of Science administers a
Information Handbook, available in Room
program leading to the degree of Ph.D. in
910 Evans Hall.
Logic and the Methodology of Science. The
Group is neither a part of the Department of
Mathematics nor of the Department of
Philosophy, but is an independent interde-

16
partmental agency which cooperates closely
with both of these departments. Students
desiring to pursue the Ph.D. in Logic and the
Methodology of Science should seek
admission in the Graduate Division in
“Logic and the Methodology of Science,”
rather than in “Mathematics” or in
“Philosophy.” Students in this program are
expected to study both mathematics and
philosophy, but neither as broadly as if they
were obtaining a degree in one of these
subjects. Although there are no Graduate
Student Instructorships in Logic and the
Methodology of Science, students in this
program may hold, if qualified, Graduate
Student Instructorships in the Department of
Mathematics or in the Department of
Philosophy. Detailed information about the
program can be obtained directly from the
Chairman, Group in Logic and the
Methodology of Science, University of
California, Berkeley, California
94720-3840, or on the web at
http://www. math.berkeley.edu/logic/.

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 Graduate Mathematics Courses
Some graduate mathematics courses play a special role in providing an introduction to the
various branches of mathematics at the graduate level. Most advanced courses have one or more
of those courses as prerequisites. With a few exceptions, they are given at least once a year. A
list of these courses, with brief descriptions and representative texts, is as follows:

Algebra

Mathematics 250A. Groups, Rings, and Fields. Group theory, including the Jordan-Hoolder
theorem and the Sylow theorems. Basic theory of rings and their ideals. Unique factorization
domains and principal ideal domains. Modules. Chain conditions. Fields, including fundamental
theorem of Galois theory, theory of finite fields, and transcendence degree.

Mathematics 250B. Multilinear Algebra and Further Topics. Tensor algebras and exterior
algebras, with application to linear transformations. Commutative ideal theory, localization.
Elementary specialization and valuation theory. Related topics in algebra.
Texts:Lang: Algebra (Addison-Wesley); van der Waerden: Algebra,
Volumes I and II; Ungar and Hungerford: Algebra (Springer-Verlag)

Topology and Analysis

Mathematics 202A. Introduction to Topology and Analysis. Metric spaces and general
topological spaces. Compactness and connectedness. Characterization of compact metric spaces.
Theorems of Tychonoff, Urysohn, Tietze. Complete spaces and the Baire category theorem.
Function spaces; Arzela-Ascoli and Stone-Weierstrass theorems. Partitions of unity. Locally
compact spaces; one-point compactification. Introduction to measure and integration. Sigma
algebras of sets. Measures and outer measures. Lebesgue measure on the line and Rn .
Construction of the integral. Dominated convergence theorem.

Mathematics 202B. Measure and integration. Product measures and Fubini-type theorems.
Signed measures; Hahn and Jordan decompositions. Radon-Nikodym theorem. Integration on
the line and in Rn. Differentiation of the integral. Hausdorff measures. Fourier transform.
Introduction to linear topological spaces, Banach spaces and Hilbert spaces. Banach-Steinhaus
theorem; closed graph theorem. Hahn-Banach theorem. Duality, the dual of LP. Measures on
locally compact spaces, the dual of C(X). Weak and weak-* topologies; Banach-Alaoglu
theorem. Convexity and the Krein-Milman theorem. Additional topics chosen may include
compact operators, spectral theory of compact operators, and applications to integral equations.
Texts: Lang: Real Analysis (Addison-Wesley); Kelley: General Topology
(Springer-Verlag); Halmos: Measure Theory (Springer-Verlag)

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Differential Equations
Mathematics 204AB. Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations. Fundamental existence
theorems for ordinary differential equations. Properties of linear systems with constant and
periodic coefficients. Sturm-Liouville theory, Poincare-Bendixson theorem. Cauchy-Kowalewski
theory for systems of partial differential equations. Initial and boundary value problems for
elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic second-order equations. Nonlinear equations and systems.
Texts: Coddington & Levinson: Theory of Ordinary Differential Equations (Krieger);
John: Partial Differential Equations (Springer-Verlag)

Mathematics 222AB. Partial Differential Equations. The theory of initial value and boundary
value problems for hyperbolic, parabolic, and elliptic partial differential equations, with emphasis
on nonlinear equations. More general types of equations and systems of equations.
Texts: Smoller: Shock Waves and Reaction-Diffusion Equations (Springer-Verlag);
Gilbarg and Trudinger: Elliptic Partial Differential Equations of Second Order,
(Springer-Verlag); Evans: Partial Differential Equations (AMS)

Foundations
Mathematics 225AB. Metamathematics. Metamathematics of predicate logic. Completeness
and compactness theorems. Interpolation theorem, definability, theory of models.
Metamathematics of number theory, recursive functions, applications to truth and provability.
Undecidable theories.
Texts: Shoenfield: Mathematical Logic (Addison-Wesley);
Chang and Keisler: Model Theory (American Elsevier)

Geometry-Topology
Mathematics 214. Differentiable Manifolds. Smooth manifolds and maps, tangent and normal
bundles. Sard’s theorem and transversality, Whitney embedding theorem. Morse functions,
differential forms, Stokes’ theorem, Frobenius theorem. Basic degree theory. Flows, Lie
derivative, Lie groups and algebras. Additional topics selected by instructor.
Texts: Warner: Foundations of Differentiable Manifolds and Lie Groups, (Springer
Verlag); Hirsch: Differential Topology (Springer-Verlag); Spivak: A Comprehensive
Introduction to Differential Geometry (Publish or Perish).

Mathematics 215AB. Algebraic Topology. Fundamental group and covering spaces, simplicial
and singular homology theory with applications, cohomology theory, duality theorem. Homotopy
theory, fibrations, relations between homotopy and homology, obstruction theory, and topics from
spectral sequences, cohomology operations, and characteristic classes.
Texts: Spanier: Algebraic Topology (McGraw-Hill);
Greenberg: Lectures on Algebraic Topology (Benjamin)

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Numerical Analysis
Mathematics 221. Advanced Matrix Computations. Direct solution of linear systems,
including large sparse systems: error bound iteration methods, least square approximation,
eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices, nonlinear equations, and minimization of functions.
Text: Demmel: Applied Numerical Linear Algebra (SIAM)

Mathematics 228AB. Numerical Solution of Differential Equations. Ordinary differential

equations: elementary methods, including Runge-Kutta and predictor-corrector methods, stability
theory. Richardson extrapolation, stiff equations, boundary value problems, variational methods,
singular perturbations. Partial differential equations: stability, accuracy, and convergence. Von
Neumann’s condition, finite difference solution of hyperbolic and parabolic equations, the
Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition, numerical dissipation and dispersion, finite differences and
finite element solution of elliptic equations.
Texts: Hairer, Wanner, Norsett: Solving Ordinary Differential Equations 1-Nonstiff
Problems (Springer); Henrici: Discrete Variable Methods in Ordinary Differential
Equations (Wiley); Strikwerda: Finite Difference Schemes and Partial Differential
Equations (Wadsworth)

Other Graduate Courses

Usually given either every year or every other year, include:

Mathematics 205 Theory of Functions of a Complex Variable

Mathematics 206 Banach Algebras and Spectral Theory

Mathematics 207 Unbounded Operators

Mathematics 208 C*-Algebras

Mathematics 209 Nonlinear Functional Analysis

Mathematics 219 Ordinary Differential Equations and Flows

Mathematics 227AB Theory of Recursive Functions

Mathematics 229 Theory of Models

Mathematics 235AB Theory of Sets

20
Mathematics 236 Metamathematics of Set Theory

Mathematics 240 Riemannian Geometry

Mathematics 241 Complex Manifolds

Mathematics 242 Symplectic Geometry

Mathematics 245AB General Theory of Algebraic Structures

Mathematics 251 Ring Theory

Mathematics 252 Representation Theory

Mathematics 253 Homological Algebra

Mathematics 254AB Number Theory

Mathematics 255 Algebraic Curves

Mathematics 256AB Algebraic Geometry

Mathematics 257 Group Theory

Mathematics 258 Classical Harmonic Analysis

Mathematics 259 Transformation Groups

Mathematics 260 Abstract Harmonic Analysis

Mathematics 261AB Lie Groups

Mathematics 265 Differential Topology

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Topics Courses
In addition to the regular course offerings, numerous advanced topics courses and seminars are
given each year. Although the subjects vary from year to year, the following list from Fall 2002
gives an illustration of the number and diversity of these courses in a typical year.

Mathematics 271
J. W. Addison “Topics in Foundations – Infinitary Boolean Operations”
Mathematics 274
E. Frenkel “Topics in Algebra – Study of Representations of Affine Kac-Moody
Algebras in Context of Langlands Program”
B. Sturmfels “Topics in Algebra”
Mathematics 275
E. Berlekamp “Combinatorial Games”
Mathematics 276
M. Hutchings “Topics in Topology – Floer Theory”

Seminars
The following is a list of graduate-level research seminars that were given during the academic
year 2001-02. Most of these seminars recur every semester, but it depends on the availability and
interests of the sponsoring professor.

Algebraic Geometry Hartshorne

Applied Mathematics Evans

Analysis Bade

Arithmetic Geometry Poonen

Combinatorics Sturmfels

Commutative & Noncommutative Eisenbud

Algebra & Algebraic Geometry

Geometric Group Theory Stallings

Infinite-Dimensional Algebras Frenkel

and their Deformations

Matrix Computations Parlett

Mirror Symmetry Givental

Model Theory Scanlon

22
Number Theory Coleman

Numerical Analysis Strain

Partial Differential Equations Zworski

Probabilistic Operator Algebra Voiculescu

Quantum Geometry Rieffel

Recursion Theory Slaman

Ring Theory Lam

Set Theory Woodin

Subfactor Jones

Symplectic Geometry Weinstein

23
 Department Offerings
Colloquia. The Department offers a number
of colloquia during the academic year. The
Department Colloquium meets on Thursdays
at 4:00; the Logic Colloquium on Fridays at
4:00; the Functional Analysis Colloquium
meets on Tuesdays at 4:00. In addition,
graduate students offer their own
Colloquium series, entitled “Many Cheerful
Facts”, in which they describe their work to
each other. It is scheduled semester by
semester.
Monday Lecture Series. Two lecture series
alternate on Mondays with talks aimed at the
first-year graduate level. The MSRI-Evans
Lecture Series features talks by visitors to
MSRI. In the Mentor Program Lecture
Series, Berkeley faculty members explain
their areas to first-year graduate students.
First- and second- year graduate students are
especially urged to attend regularly.
Mentor Program
The Mentor Program aims to help incoming
students adjust to life in Berkeley by
assigning a mentor to each student. Mentors
are more senior graduate students and
typically (but not always) have advanced to
candidacy. In making the pairings an attempt
is made that mentors and mentees share
mathematical interests.
Mentors can help answer many questions,
including:
1. Who might be a good advisor for
you in your chosen field?
2. What courses should you take?
3. What is the best way to find
affordable housing?
24
The Noetherian Ring
The Noetherian Ring is an organization
devoted to strengthening the community of
women in mathematics at Berkeley. The
membership is drawn primarily from the
graduate students in the Berkeley
Mathematics Department, but also includes
post-docs, visitors, faculty, and
undergraduates. In recent years, a particular
effort has been made to include interested
people from MSRI, as well as the
departments of Statistics, Computer Science,
Education, and other mathematically-related
disciplines.
The core of the Noetherian Ring is a weekly
Thursday afternoon meeting intended to
provide a peer forum for female graduate
students to present topics in areas of
research. In addition, a number of young
women faculty members have spoken about
their research and experiences after graduate
school. The weekly talk is preceded by a
half-hour of informal socializing over
refreshments. While the support and advice
of more advanced students is particularly
cherished, each person (male or female)
attending the meetings contributes to the
community of women in mathematics at
Berkeley.
The Noetherian Ring maintains a visible
presence in the department by sponsoring
women in the departmental colloquia; in the
past two years, it has invited and helped to
fund visits by prominent women. It also
makes a concerted effort to contact and host
prospective graduate students, assist with
departmental functions like the recent book
signing for “Julia” (Constance Reid's
biography of her sister Julia Robinson), have
lunch with visiting women mathematicians,
and hold a series of events designed to
welcome new women students to Berkeley.
If you have any questions about the
Noetherian Ring, would like to volunteer to
give a talk, suggest future colloquium
speakers, or would like to be put on the
electronic mailing list, please contact
nring@math.berkeley.edu.
The Blackwell Society
The Blackwell Society began on the UC
Berkeley campus in Fall 1999, and is
supported by the Professional Development
Program (PDP). The club is named after
renowned mathema-tician/statistician and
UC Berkeley Emeritus Professor David
Blackwell. Its goal is to promote diversity in
mathematics by encouraging under-
represented students to major or minor in
mathematics or statistics, and to encourage
current math and statistics undergraduates to
continue on to graduate study. Graduate
students will both receive and impart
encouragement.
Mathematics Opportunity
Committee (MOC)
The MOC provides opportunities for
graduate mathematics study at Berkeley to
students who have demonstrated exceptional
mathematical promise despite having
encountered, in their earlier education,
limited resources which may have affected
their preparation. The Committee is
especially interested in helping women and
under-represented minority students
successfully complete graduate mathematics
study at Berkeley.
Admission. The Department’s Graduate
Admissions and Appointments Committees
consider all applicants for admission and
financial support in the graduate program.
The MOC also reviews applicants in order to
identify those of high promise whose
potential is not adequately reflected in their
academic records or preparation. The
25
Department assigns approximately 10% of
its admission offers to MOC. A special
Information Form is included .pdf format
online at
http://math.berkeley.edu/graduate/online_app.html
to allow applicants to bring to the
Committee’s attention special circum-
stances which might be relevant to assessing
potential. There is also a Supplementary
Reference Report form which may be used
by those writing references for applicants.
The use of these forms is optional; they are
seen only by the MOC.
The Pre-PhD Option. The Pre-PhD option
provides students who elect it with an extra
year to prepare for the PhD program. It is
designed for students of high potential whose
mathematical backgrounds are not as strong
as we normally expect of beginning PhD
students. Pre-PhD students spend their first
graduate year taking the honors versions of
Berkeley’s core undergraduate major
courses: linear algebra, abstract algebra, real
analysis, and complex analysis. They are
mentored by a faculty advisor from the MOC
and encouraged to help each other. Those
who do well begin the PhD program in their
second graduate year. Applicants can request
to be considered for the Pre-PhD option by
checking the appropriate box on the MOC
Information Form. The MOC in its review
of applications will try to identify other
applicants who might benefit from the
option.
Academic Advising. Every graduate
student, upon arrival, meets with the Vice
Chair for Graduate Affairs to select a
Graduate Advisor from among the
Department’s faculty. Some faculty
members with special interests in the MOC’s
work have been designated Mathematics
Opportunity Advisors, and are familiar with
some of the particular issues faced by the
students this program aims to help. Students
may request to be assigned a Mathematics
Opportunity Advisor at any time. If they do
not, they can still consult such advisors on an
informal basis.
Prelim Workshop. MOC offers workshops
aimed at boosting students’ preparation for
the Preliminary Examination (see the section
on the PhD Program). These are open to all
students in the Department. Though they are
designed for students with uneven
undergraduate backgrounds, many students
with strong preparation also find them worth
attending.
Tutoring. The MOC, if requested, will try
to arrange tutoring for graduate students with
weak backgrounds or those experiencing
academic difficulties.
Other Activities. An important function of
the MOC is to foster communication and
camaraderie among students and between
students and the committee. MOC activities
include a social/informational reception
every semester, and a bulletin board outside
1015 Evans which displays information of
interest to students. Suggestions for new
activities or involvement in ongoing
programs are always welcome.
Those with further questions on the
operations of the MOC should write: Chair,
Mathematics Opportunity Committee, Dept
of Mathematics, University of California,
Berkeley, CA 94720-3840.
Other Resources
Graduate Opportunity Program. The
University Graduate Division has a Graduate
Opportunity Program (GOP) which, among
other activities, makes financial support
available to students with high potential who
have overcome obstacles in pursuing their
educations. The Department of Mathematics
is allowed to nominate a certain number of
26
admittees for GOP grants. Awardees are
selected by the GOP on a competitive basis.
Every applicant who feels he or she might
qualify for a GOP award should be sure to
complete and submit the relevant pages of
the Graduate Application. For additional
information regarding the Graduate
Opportunity Program, write to:
Graduate Opportunity Program
318 Sproul Hall #5900
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-5900
Professional Development Program. The
PDP, located at 230B Stephens Hall, works
at the campus level toward many of the same
goals as does the MOC within the
Department. Students may find it
particularly valuable to look into the PDP’s
activities, which include advising, computer
workshops, dissertation writing workshops,
and tutorials.
Diversity Officer Colette Patt, Director,
Physical Sciences Student Diversity
Programs, works closely with the MOC to
make sure that all qualifying graduate
students are given assistance and
information, and that all possible forms of
support are provided to them. Dr. Patt can be
reached at 642-0794, in 150 Le Conte, or via
email at Colette_Patt@ls.berkeley.edu.
Obtaining Information
Many students come here from
undergraduate institutions where the size of
the department, the style of course work, the
administrative procedures, and the social
environment are quite different from those at
Berkeley. Students are urged to ask for
information whenever the need arises.
Available sources of information include: the
MOC, advisors, fellow students, instructors,
faculty members in fields of interest to the
student, the affirmative action officer, and
departmental staff. The Department has an
orientation for all new graduate students
each August.
For most questions on departmental
procedures the Graduate Student Affairs
Officer in 910 Evans Hall can be extremely
helpful. The Vice Chair for Graduate Affairs
also holds regular office hours in 914 Evans
Hall. The graduate program at Berkeley is a
large one, and it is not easy to keep track of
how everyone is doing. Students
finding themselves in serious difficulty of
any sort should not remain silent! They
should see the Graduate Student Affairs
office or the Vice Chair for Graduate Affairs
immediately.

27
 University of California
Department of Mathematics
970 Evans Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-3840

Department Office
510-642-6550
Graduate Student Affairs Officer
510-642-0665

Visit our Web Site

http://math.berkeley.edu/
Schedule of Classes and Seminars
1 Course Descriptions
2 Faculty Interests

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