Beginning with their first year in residence, students are strongly urged to attend research seminars and discuss research opportunities with faculty members. By the end of their second semester, students select an advisory committee and develop a plan of study specifying how all degree requirements are to be met. One philosophical tenet of the Department of Mathematics graduate program is that each mathematics graduate student will be well grounded in at least two foundational areas of mathematics. To this end, each student's background will be assessed, and the student will be directed to the appropriate level of study.