Freshmen already enrolled at Northwestern are invited to apply to enter the MMSS program beginning their sophomore year. Freshmen enrolled at another university who are applying to transfer to Northwestern may also apply to enter MMSS as sophomores.
Students entering the program as sophomores take the first-year required courses their sophomore year, the second-year required courses their junior year. They write their thesis papers their senior year.
Entering sophomores are often excused from taking the first-year MMSS mathematics sequence depending upon which calculus courses they take their freshman year. In this case, students take the second-year MMSS mathematics sequence their sophomore year.
Preference will be given to applicants that have completed and performed strongly in one of the first-year honors math sequences: MATH 290-1,2,3, MATH 291-1,2,3 or ES APPM 252-1, 2, 3. Second preference will be given to students who have completed the regular calculus/linear algebra sequence (MATH 220, MATH 224, MATH 230, MATH 234 and MATH 240) and perform strongly in it. Students with a year of high school calculus would normally be ready to begin with MATH 230 in the fall quarter, followed by MATH 234 in the winter quarter and MATH 240 in the spring quarter. Third preference will be given to students who have completed MATH 220 and MATH 224. Students with less calculus preparation may be required to start earlier in the series and therefore may not reach the end of this five-quarter series by the end of their freshman year. These students often take the first-year math sequence as sophomores.
The application deadline for students wishing to enter the program as sophomores is April 1. Completed applications will include the following:
- The two-page MMSS application.
- An up-to-date college transcript. (NU students should submit a transcript that includes winter quarter grades.)
- At least one letter of recommendation from a professor. Letters of recommendation can be e-mailed to William Rogerson, the MMSS director.
