Freqeuntly Asked Questions

Eligibility for the programme is a Mathematics major/honours degree (It could be B.A. or B.Sc.) with 50% aggregate.

(or)

A B.A./B.Sc degree in which the students should have studied three subjects with equal weightage with Mathematics as one of the subjects with an overall aggregate of 50% and 55% in Mathematics courses. This provision is for the students from those states/Universities who have a general B.A. or B.Sc degree. (Note that, in such universities, the students are eligible for admission to postgraduate courses in all the three subjects they have studied.) However, preference is for the first category students and if seats remain vacant after admitting them, students of the second category will be admitted.

No Physics, Chemistry or any other honours or major students will be admitted even if they have studied Mathematics as one of the subjects.

The Mathematics taught in all the above cases is tailored for a particular purpose and does not include all the topics covered in a Mathematics honours course. For example, rings and fields, abstract vector spaces, inner product spaces, topics in group theory like normal subgroups, group homomorphisms are either not covered at all or covered in a superficial manner. The M.Sc. (MACS) is primarily a M.Sc. degree in Mathematics and it assumes the honours level knowledge of Mathematics.

You have to download the common prospectus from the IGNOU website, fill in the form in this and submit it with the attested copies of the relevant documents and a demand draft for Rs.400 towards registration fee. You have to submit the application only in the seven RCs listed in the answer to question 7. All these rates are subject to change. Please confirm with the concerned regional centre or check the IGNOU website for the latest rates.

This programme is available only in January session. Advertisement usually appears by the last week of September or later. Apply after the advertisement appears.

The application form is in the common prospectus.

There is no entrance test. Admission is based on merit.

No, you have to just pay the registration fee of Rs.400. After you receive the letter from Regional Centre offering you admission to the programme, you have to pay the fees for the first semester.

This provision is not available for the programme because admission is not automatic and a merit list has to be prepared.

You will get a letter or some other communication from the regional centre concerned informing you that you have been selected. You can then pay the fee for the first semester.

Yes, it is compulsory to complete all the prescribed practical sessions. The student has to prepare file in which, for each session, the student has to give the source code of the programme and algorithm in pseudo code. The student has to show the programme to the counsellor and run it before the counsellor. The counsellor may ask questions to check the understanding of the student and he/she may ask the student to modify/improve the programme. The counsellor will sign the file if he/she is satisfied with the programme. The student will not be allowed to appear for the practical examination of the course unless he/she completes at least 70% of the sessions that are prescribed for the course. A course with a practical component is not complete without clearing the practical examination.

You can appear for the term end theory examination anywhere in India at any of the IGNOU centres where examinations are being held but you can appear for your practical exam only in the study centre to which you are attached.

This course is offered in Delhi, Ranchi, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Pune and Jabalpur only. The details of the centres are given below.

Because of the specialized nature of the courses in the programme, the programme has been started only in places where IGNOU could provide resources for the conduct of theory and practical counselling.

IGNOU Degrees/Diplomas/Certificates are recognised by all member universities of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and are at par with Degrees/Diplomas/Certificates of all Indian Universities/ Institutions, as per UGC and AIU guidelines. For more information you may refer the UGC website.

It is not advisable to do so. The programme is demanding in nature and you may need to attend the counselling sessions at the centre, particularly the practical counselling sessions which are compulsory. Note that there are on an average 15 computer based practical sessions per semester. It is compulsory to complete them.

Yes, you can. The programme is basically a M.Sc. (Mathematics) programme and it is comparable to other M.Sc. programmes in the country.