The Syllabus for the Qualifying Examination in Algebra

Groups:

Elementary concepts (homomorphism, subgroup, coset, normal subgroup), solvable groups, commutator subgroup, Sylow theorems, structure of finitely generated Abelian groups. Symmetric, alternating, dihedral, and general linear groups.

Rings:

Commutative rings and ideals (principal, prime, maximal). Integral domains, Euclidean domains, principal ideal domains, polynomial rings, Eisenstein's irreduciblility criterion, Chinese remainder theorem. Structure of finitely generated modules over a prinicpal ideal domain.

Fields:

Extensions: finite, algebraic, separable, inseparable, transcendental, splitting field of a polynomial, primitive element theorem, algebraic closure. Finite Galois extensions and the Galois correspondence between subgroups of the Galois group and subextensions. Solvable extensions and solving equations by radicals. Finite fields.

References:

Artin, Algebra
Dummit and Foote, Algebra
Lang, Algebra
Hungerford, Algebra