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Master's Degrees in Mathematics |
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The Department of Mathematics offers the Master of Science (M.S.) degree and the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. Both degrees have thesis and non-thesis options, and both require 30 semester hours of graduate-level courses. The M.S. degree requires traditional courses in analysis, algebra, topology, and applied mathematics; the M.S. degree is designed for students who wish to: obtain a Ph.D. degree, teach in a community college, or seek employment in industries needing mathematical or computational expertise. The M.A. degree is designed for secondary teachers and includes courses that will help them become more knowledgeable about the mathematics they teach in high school and gain a deeper understanding of the connections and extensions of that knowledge to college and higher mathematics. All of the required courses for the M.A. degree program are offered through online via the internet. Simply CLICK on the following Hypertext LINK in order to learn more about this flexibility option: e-Math @ WKU . |
1. A GAP score of 3000. 2. Completion of the following undergraduate courses:
3. A cumulative grade point average of a least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in at least one of the following:
Admission may be granted to a student having at most one deficiency in the undergraduate courses listed in Item 2. |
1. A GAP score of 3000. 2. Secondary teacher certification. 3. A bachelors degree in mathematics, or completion of the following undergraduate courses:
Admission may be granted to a student having at most one deficiency in the undergraduate courses listed in Item 3.
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I. The General Option 2. An applied Mathematics course selected from MATH 529, 531, 535, 536, 540, 541, 542, 550, Comprehensive Exams: A student electing to write a thesis is required to present an oral defense of the thesis and to complete comprehensive written exams over four courses (normally including on year-long sequence) approved by the departmental Graduate Committee. Non-thesis students must complete comprehensive written exams based on six courses (normally including two year-long sequences) approved by the departmental Graduate Committee.
II. The Computational Option The Computational Mathematics Option requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate-level mathematics and computer science courses. The following are required: 1. MATH 405G Numerical Analysis I MATH 406G Numerical Analysis II STAT 549 Statistical Methods I MATH 470G Introduction to Operations Research CS 549 Algorithms Analysis 2. At least two courses from the list below are required: CS 562 Parallel and Distributed Computing CS 565 Data Mining Techniques and Tools CS 595 Advanced Topics in computer science (with permission of advisor regarding content) 3. The remaining courses will be chosen from the list below: MATH 431G Intermediate Analysis I MATH 541 Graph Theory MATH 570 Topics in Operations Research MATH 504 Computer Applications to Problems in Mathematics MATH 540 Stochastic Processes MATH 542 Advanced Topics in Discrete Mathematics MATH 590 Advanced Topics in Mathematics (with permission of advisor regarding content) 4. A maximum of 12 hours at the 400G-level may be included in the entire program. Graduate students are required to complete additional problem sets and/or papers to receive graduate credit for these courses, which are also open to undergraduate students. 5. Comprehensive exams are required. 6. The research tool requirement is satisfied by the computer science classes.
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The M.A. in Mathematics requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level courses, including the following: CORE Mathematics Courses |
A student may receive Rank II Certification from the Kentucky Department of Education by earning a Master of Arts in Mathematics or a Master of Science in Mathematics. In addition to satisfying the degree requirements, such a student must develop and submit a professional portfolio consistent with the Experience Teacher Standards. A teaching component of at least one semester (either in a secondary school or as a graduate teaching assistant) is also required. |
Graduate assistantships are available, on a competitive basis, from the Department of Mathematics. A tiered system that consists of three levels, and which focuses on the student's readiness to assume primary teaching responsibility for a section of Math 096 (Intermediate Algebra), is described below. Graduate assistants are reviewed each semester and may be reappointed at a different level. All graduate assistants pay tuition at the resident rate of $3260/semester. Non-resident graduate students not on assistantship pay tuition of $3570/semester; and, international graduate students not on assistantship pay tuition of $4040/semester. (Tuition rates given are for the Fall 2006 semester. Increases may occur for the 2007-2008 academic year.) Level I Teaching Assistant: This level is for students who have removed all undergraduate deficiencies (if any) and are prepared to assume primary teaching responsibility for a section of the developmental course Math 096 (Intermediate Algebra). A student may demonstrate eligibility by successfully completing a teacher certification program (including student teaching) as an undergraduate or by serving at least one semester as a student assistant in a section of Math 116 (College Algebra). Holding primary teaching responsibilities for one section of Math 096 each semester (4 semester hours each semester), a Level I Teaching Assistant will be awarded a stipend of $12,500 for the academic year. Level II Teaching Assistant: This level is for students who have removed all undergraduate deficiencies (if any) and will be prepared to assume primary teaching responsibilities for a section of Math 096 after one semester of supervised service as a student assistant in section of Math 116. Serving as a student assistant during the first semester and holding primary teaching responsibilities for one section of Math 096 during the second semester, a Level II Teaching Assistant will be awarded a stipend of $10,750 for the academic year. Level III Graduate Assistant: This level is for students who have demonstrated appropriate potential for graduate study in mathematics but have a deficiency that may be removed by a single undergraduate course, or, for another reason, are not adequately prepared to serve as a student assistant in a section of Math 116. During the first semester, such a student will be assigned duties in the department's computer lab and/or tutoring laboratory (Math Lab) while removing the deficiency and becoming prepared for supervised service in a section of Math 116. A Level III Graduate Assistant will be awarded a stipend of $9,000 for the academic year. |
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