Undergraduate Policies and Resources

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Undergrad Majors Blog

For ongoing news and opportunities, check out our Undergrad Majors Blog.  The blog is updated frequently with research opportunities, events, scholarships and much more!

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Students interested in independent study (AMATH 499) or project/thesis (AMATH 498) with a faculty member will want to seek out faculty whose research area is appealing to their own interests.  To check out further research opportunities, please explore the linked resources below:

University Resources

Academic Planning Guides

Double Major Policy

  • Students in the AMath, AMath-DS, CFRM, or CFRM-DS major may not double major with any pathway of Applied and Computational Mathematical Sciences (ACMS).
  • Students may not double major between AMath, AMath-DS, CFRM, and CFRM-DS. 
  • Any other double major or double degree is acceptable, provided students follow University restrictions.
  • In order to double major, students will update their MyPlan with required coursework for both majors, in order to show that they are able to graduate on time and have planned for each major. They will then contact the Undergraduate Program academic advisor (amathadv@uw.edu) to let them know that their plan is updated for each quarter towards their anticipated graduation.

Minor/Major Overlap Policy

  • AMATH majors: May complete the Computational Finance (CF) minor but CFRM courses cannot be counted toward both major and minor. To earn the CF minor, students would need to take the 15 credits of the CFRM sequence (405, 410, 415, 420, 425), plus STAT 311 or 390, in addition to the 55 required credits from the AMATH major. 
  • AMATH majors with Data Science option: May not complete the CF minor due to the overlap with major requirements, as CFRM credits cannot be counted toward both major and minor. 
  • CFRM majors: May not complete the AMATH minor due to the overlap with major requirements, as AMATH credits cannot be counted toward both major and minor.
  • CFRM majors with Data Science option: May not complete the AMATH minor due to the overlap with major requirements, as AMATH credits cannot be counted toward both major and minor.
  • Per UW policy (under Rules and Regulations): You may not complete a major and a minor in the same program at the same time. Once you complete a major, you may not ever earn a minor in that program.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Students in F-1 status are eligible to apply for optional Curricular Practical Training (CPT) after being enrolled full time at a college or university in the U.S. for one academic year. CPT provides temporary work authorization and is granted by the UW International Student Services office. Students must also have a job or internship offer that directly relates to their field of study. To start the CPT approval process, please follow the steps outlined below. 

Step 1: Review CPT eligibility requirements 

Please review the ISS CPT website for more information on CPT eligibility, details, and when to apply. For students who are double-majoring, please submit your CPT request through the department for which your job duties are most relevant.

Step 2: Email adviser job information for initial approval

Prior to submitting a CPT application, please email your adviser (amathadv@uw.edu) with the following information:

  • PDF of job offer letter
  • employer name
  • employer address
  • job title
  • 2-3 job duties
  • expected graduation quarter
  • desired start & end dates of job/internship

Once approved, your adviser will follow up with CPT course registration information. Please be conscious of your job offer start date and the time it takes to process CPT applications (2-3 weeks).

Step 3: Submit CPT application through MyISSS

You must include a departmental academic adviser’s name and contact information in the application. Please use: Becky Beard, rbeard@uw.edu.

Departmental Continuation Policy

While the University has general regulations governing scholastic eligibility for continuation, the majors in AMath and CFRM have adopted additional requirements in order to make the best use of the limited facilities and resources available and to provide reasonable assurance of academic success. The following criteria and procedures will be applied to all undergraduate students for determining continuance in the program:

  • Students must take AMATH and/or CFRM required courses such that they are able to graduate within the limits dictated by the University's Satisfactory Progress Policy.
  • Students must successfully complete at least two AMATH or CFRM classes every four consecutive quarters (including Summer). 
  • Students must earn a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in courses applied to the major.
  • Lack of academic progress may be evidenced by low scholarship, excessive course repeats, course drops or University withdrawals. 

Review and notification of progress

Applied Mathematics Advising will review the progress of all students in the major at the end of each quarter. If progress is found unsatisfactory, the student will be notified in writing of their status for the upcoming quarter: 

  • Warning: Students will be emailed a warning letter by the department the first quarter they do not meet the program's satisfactory progress. A registration hold may be placed on the student's account until the student acknowledges the warning letter. Students are encouraged to meet with academic advising to discuss any special circumstances. Academic advisers may be able to help with academic planning and/or discuss resources across campus. 
  • Probation: Students will be placed on academic probation if the problem is not remedied after the end of the warning quarter. A registration hold may be placed on the student account's until the student completes an academic advising meeting. The goal of this meeting is to address concerns about academic progress and assist the student with locating campus resources. Students making appropriate academic progress towards remedying their deficiencies will continue to remain on probation; students who are not will be evaluated for dismissal.
  • Dismissal: Students on probation will be dismissed from the major if the student fails to meet one or more of the criteria of satisfactory progress. The student will be notified in writing of the change in program status, and will be coded as a pre-major or extended pre-major in the College of Arts & Sciences. 

Appeal process

The student facing dismissal may appeal the dismissal to the department in writing, stating all available evidence on their behalf and requesting that the academic probation be continued for another quarter. In general, appeals to alter the student’s status without new evidence or information are unlikely to be approved. The student must submit this letter within one week after the letter of dismissal is issued.

Departmental Student Honor Code

The Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Washington expects students in all programs to conduct themselves with the highest degree of academic integrity. The Student Honor Code summarizes those standards, which are intended to support the reputation of individual students, the department, and the university.

Grade Appeal Procedure

A student who believes that the instructor of an AMATH or CFRM course erred in the assignment of a grade, or who believes a grade recording error or omission has occurred, shall first discuss the matter with the instructor before the end of the following academic quarter (not including Summer Quarter.)

If the student is not satisfied with the instructor's explanation, the student, no later than ten days after his or her discussion with the instructor, should submit a written appeal to the chair of the Applied Math Department, with a copy of the appeal also sent to the instructor. This written document should include evidence to support the appeal (e.g., email communication from instructor, course syllabus with relevant information highlighted). Within ten calendar days, the chair will consult with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student's performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the chair believe the instructor's conduct to be arbitrary or capricious and the instructor declines to revise the grade, the chair, with the approval of the voting members of his or her faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. Once a student submits a written appeal, this document and all subsequent actions on this appeal are recorded in written form in a department file.

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