Capstone Course Arrangements

Capstone courses (MATH4900/MATH4400) 2025-26

Overview.

  1. The information in this page is intended for students who have passed MATH2050/2058 (or plan to do so in the First Semester 2025-26), and who have passed MATH2221, and who intend to graduate in MATH by summer 2026.

  2. To fulfill the MATH graduation requirement, you must pass a capstone course, which is either MATH4900 (Seminar) or MATH4400 (Project). These two courses are mutually exclusive.

  3. If you are a MATH student, what you need to do in order to register for a capstone course varies according to your situation or choice:

    1. To take MATH4900 in the First Semester 2025-26, having passed MATH2050/2058 and MATH2221 already?
      • This is what most of you are expected to do. For the detail of follow-up action, click here.
    2. To take MATH4900 in 2025-26, but not in the First Semester?
      • Special action must be taken no later than 25th July 2025. For detail, click here.
    3. To take MATH4400 instead of MATH4900?
      • Special action must be taken no later than 27th June 2025. For detail, click here.

  4. If you are a non-MATH student and intend to graduate with a second major in MATH by summer 2026, click here.

  5. For add-drop matters in MATH4900, click here.

  6. The topics and their descriptions can be found here, towards the end of July 2025.

To take MATH4900 in the First Semester 2025-26, having passed MATH2050/2058 and MATH2221 already?

  1. This applies to only those students who have already passed MATH2050/2058 and MATH2221.

  2. There are tentatively eight sections of MATH4900 in the First Semester 2025-26. Each has its own theme.

  3. Registration for MATH4900 is to be done on CUSIS, during the course registration day (in early August 2025) for final-year students, on a first-come-first-serve basis.

  4. By the end of the course registration day for final-year students, you are expected to have exactly one CUSIS entry across all MATH4900 sections, be it in a class list or a waiting list.

    1. During the course registration day for final-year students, if you find yourself in the waiting list of a section, you had better register for another section immediately.

    2. By the end of the course registration day for final-year students:---

      1. If you have entered the class list of one MATH4900 section, all records of yours in the waiting lists of the other sections will be regarded as null and void by the department.

      2. If you have entered the waiting list(s) of some MATH4900 section(s) but not the class list of any one MATH4900 section, the department may assign you to any MATH4900 section, regardless of your records in the waiting list(s).

        If you do not take up the place to which you are assigned, you might fail to register for the course altogether, and end up delaying graduation.

      3. If you have entered neither the class list nor the waiting list of any one MATH4900 section, the department will suppose you do not plan to take MATH4900 in 2025-26, unless you have already been approved to take MATH4400, or have been excused by the department from taking MATH4900 in the First Semester.

        While you may apply for adding into the course by writing to the department, there is no guarantee that the department can find a place for you. (For the procedure, click here.) The deadline for such applications is 1300hrs of the last day of the official add-drop period.

  5. It will be up to the department to decide what to do with the vacancies of MATH4900, after the end of the course registration day for final-year students.
Back to Overview.

To take MATH4900 in 2025-26, but not in the First Semester?

  1. This applies to only those students who are not taking MATH4400 and who have been excused by the department from taking MATH4900 in the First Semester 2025-26.

  2. Only in exceptional circumstances (such as going for an exchange or internship, or taking MATH2050/2058 during the First Semester 2025-26) will a student be excused by the department.

  3. To request to be excused, you must write to the department no later than 25th July 2025.

    1. In your application letter you must explain why you are prevented from taking MATH4900 in the First Semester.

      Supporting evidence, where relevant, must be provided.

      You must also attach to the letter your unofficial academic transcript and your study plan for all subsequent terms of study.

    2. If you are excused from taking MATH4900 in the First Semester 2025-26, the department will arrange for you to take the course some time in the academic year 2025-26.

    3. Late applications will NOT be guaranteed consideration.
Back to Overview.

To take MATH4400 instead of MATH4900?

  1. To apply for a place in MATH4400, follow the procedure below:---

    1. Check whether you are qualified for taking this course.

      To be eligible for taking this course, you must:---
      • have passed MATH2050/2058 or MATH2060/2068, and
      • have passed MATH2221, and
      • have obtained Major GPA at least 3.3 in the preceding academic term, or have obtained cumulative Major GPA at least 3.3.
      Here the word `major' is interpreted as `MATH course'. The phrase `previous academic term' is interpreted as `the regular semester immediately before the term of taking MATH4400'.
    2. Find a teacher who consents to be the supervisor for your project, whether in the First Semester or the Second Semester 2025-26.

      Be aware that it could take, say, 10 days, for the teacher to decide. So do make your approach early.
    3. After obtaining your project supervisor's consent, submit an online application here
    The closing date of application is 27th June 2025.
    NO late application will be entertained.

  2. Applicants will be informed of the result by 4th July 2025.

    1. Successful applicants will be pre-assigned to MATH4400 in the respective semesters, prior to course registration day.
    2. If your application is unsuccessful, you are expected to register for MATH4900 in 2025-26. For detail, click here.
Back to Overview.

Capstone courses for second major in MATH.

  1. If you intend to take MATH4400, follow the same procedure as that for MATH students.

  2. If you intend to take MATH4900, write to the department, no later than 25th July 2025, to apply for a place in MATH4900 in 2025-26.

    Late applications will NOT be guaranteed consideration.

    It will be up to the department to decide into which section you will be added.

Back to Overview.

Add-drop matters in MATH4900.

  1. The department will impose departmental add-drop consent to MATH4900 in CUSIS after the end of the CUSIS course registration day for final-year students. You are not free to do electronic add-drop on CUSIS during the semester.

  2. You may apply for adding into, and/or dropping from, MATH4900.

    1. For `drop', submit to the General Office of the Department of Mathematics an add-drop form signed by the teacher of the respective section.

    2. For `add', you need to write to the department to apply for a place in MATH4900.

      The department will approve such an application only in exceptional situations. Also, it will be entirely the department's right to decide to which MATH4900 section you will be assigned.

  3. After the course registration day for final-year students, there will be no such thing as `swap-class'.

    While you may apply for `drop' from the section that you have registered for (and hence `drop' from the course), the department will not guarantee that you may be allowed to `add' back into the course (not to mention `add' into any specific section) after the `drop' application is approved.

  4. The deadline for add-drop applications is 1300hrs of the last day of the official add-drop period. NO late application will be entertained.

Back to Overview.

Topics of the various sections of MATH4900 (First Semester 2025-26).

  • MATH4900A:

    Time.

    Description.

    Expected/preferred background skills/knowledge.

  • MATH4900B:

    Time.

    Description.

    Expected/preferred background skills/knowledge.

  • MATH4900C:

    Time.

    Description.

    Expected/preferred background skills/knowledge.

  • MATH4900D:

    Time.

    Description.

    Expected/preferred background skills/knowledge.

  • MATH4900E:

    Time.

    Description.

    Expected/preferred background skills/knowledge.

  • MATH4900F:

    Time.

    Description.

    Expected/preferred background skills/knowledge.

  • MATH4900G:

    Time.

    Description.

    Expected/preferred background skills/knowledge.

  • MATH4900H:

    Time.

    Description.

    Expected/preferred background skills/knowledge.

Back to Overview.