The Department of Mathematics offers a Mathematics Honors Program for those students who have demonstrated excellence in the major. Successful completion of the Mathematics Honors Program entitles the student to graduate with departmental honors(see Department Honors in the Academic Regulations section of the UCSD General Catalog).

Application to the Mathematics Honors Program should be made at least two quarters prior to the quarter of the Honors presentation. Students who will present their projects in Spring quarter should submit their application prior to the start of Fall quarter. 

Program Update: Changes to the Honors Program admission requirements have recently been approved. The following will be in effect for all 2026-2027 applicants except students in the Joint Mathematics-Economics major, who will still use the older requirements. For questions regarding program requirements, please reach out to Math Advising via VAC (vac.ucsd.edu).

Requirements for admission to the Mathematics Honors Program are:

  1. Junior Standing.
  2. An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  3. A GPA of 3.7 or higher in the major. (*Math-Econ majors, please reach out to Math Advising)
  4. An agreement from a Mathematics Department faculty professor to be your Mathematics Honors Program Advisor.
  5. Completion of MATH 109, and two of Math 100A, 100B, 103A, 103B, 140A, 140B, 142A, 142B, 180A, or 180B.

Completion of the Mathematics Honors Program requires the following:

  1. At least one quarter of the student colloquium, Math 196 (NOTE: Math 196 is only offered in the Fall and Winter quarters.)
  2. Minimum GPA of 3.7 or higher in the major must be maintained (*Math-Econ majors, please reach out to Math Advising)
  3. An Honors Thesis: The research and writing of the thesis will be carried out over at least two quarters during the junior and/or senior years, under the guidance of a Mathematics Honors Program Advisor. This research will count for eight to twelve units of MATH 199H. 
  4. The completed thesis must receive approval from the department’s Honors Committee and be presented orally at the Undergraduate Research Conference or a similar appropriate venue.

*Joint Math-Econ majors should consult the General Catalog for further requirements to the Honors Program.

Past honors thesis papers can be found here and provide a sample of the different themes that undergraduate mathematics students have researched and the varying quality of work produced.

Before applying to the program, you should look up the research areas of the department faculty members. If you find one or more areas that draw your attention, read up on the research that particular faculty members have published in that area. If you are interested in a particular area of research, you should arrange to meet with a faculty member and discuss it and see if they are willing to be your mentor for the program.

The department’s Honors Committee will determine if Honors will be awarded, and if so, at which level (Honors with Distinction, Honors with High Distinction, or Honors with Highest Distinction); the student’s GPA in the major and the quality of both the thesis and the presentation will all be taken into account.

If you meet the above requirements and would like to be considered for the Mathematics Honors Program, please complete the following:

Student must also: 

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