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Graduate Program

 

5/20/2024: The Department of Mathematics and Statistics Masters and Doctoral graduate programs are currently being reevaluated and is currently on pause. We are not accepting any applications to these programs for the Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 semesters at this time. Please check back for future updates.

 

ISU's graduate program in mathematics is supported by a strong and energetic faculty with a commitment to teaching, research and professional service. Faculty research interests represent a wide range of mathematics and statistics that include areas such as differential geometry, algebra and representation theory, mathematical biology, carcinogenesis and other medical applications, applied statistics, numerical analysis, matrix theory, and real, complex, and functional analysis. The department offers a Doctor of Arts (DA) and Master of Science (MS) in mathematics and a Master of Arts in Mathematics for Secondary Teachers (MAMST).

  • The DA is a terminal degree for those planning college teaching careers. It emphasizes broad competence in mathematics, skill in exposition, teaching effectiveness, and theoretical and practical preparation in pedagogy. Students complete a D.A. thesis that may be of a research, expository or pedagogical nature. Please see the list of all our D.A. Alumni since the program's inception in 1970.

  • MS students develop a broad and deep knowledge of mathematics. The program prepares them for careers in government or industry, teaching at junior or community colleges or for further study at the doctoral level. Thesis and non-thesis options are available.

  • PhD in Engineering and Applied Science: Our department also participates in the Subsurface Science emphasis of this degree.

 

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Contact us:

  • Graduate Director, Dr. Bennett Palmer, at (208) 282-2402, or palmbenn@isu.edu
  • To facilitate an individualized reply, please describe any math degree(s) completed and/or additional math courses taken, but be advised that admission prospects cannot be fully evaluated until a complete official application is received. Please do not send scanned copies of transcripts or other large attachments.

Note: See bottom of page for additional information/procedure required by international students

 

Doctor of Arts (DA) in Mathematics


For admissions to the DA program in Mathematics, the applicant must meet all admission requirements of the Idaho State University (ISU) Graduate School as well as the following admission requirements of the department:

  1. completion all of the requirements for a master's degree equivalent to the Master of Science (MS) degree in Mathematics at ISU prior to the start of initial enrollment;

  2. at least a 3.5 (out of 4.0) grade point average (GPA) in all previous graduate course work; and

  3. at least the 67th percentile on the quantitative reasoning section and reasoning section and 50th percentile for the average of the percentiles on the verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.


In addition to completing the application procedure specified by the Graduate School, an applicant to the DA program in Mathematics must:

  1. submit a letter addressing the applicant's reasons for pursuing the DA degree in Mathematics by uploading it, with the application, to the ISU Graduate School; (You can find information on how to apply here: How To Apply ) and

  2. arrange for at least 3 confidential letters of recommendation to be submitted directly to the ISU Graduate School, by the recommender, that addresses the applicant's background and potential for success in the study of advanced mathematics and teaching of college-level mathematics courses. (The recommenders may send their letter of recommendations directly to the Graduate School through the mail, or they may upload the letter via a link provided to them by the applicant.)


Applicants will be selected according to the following criteria:

  1. measure of success in completing the Master's degree;

  2. satisfactory GRE scores (see item 3 of the departmental admission requirements, listed above.);

  3. teaching experience;

  4. letters of recommendation; and

  5. applicant's reasons for pursuing the DA degree.


An applicant who wishes to be considered for financial assistance must complete a Financial Assistance Application form and submit the completed Financial Assistance form directly to the Idaho State University Graduate School.


Applications must be received by April 1st to be given full consideration.

 

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Engineering and Applied Science


Applicants must:

  1. meet the Idaho State University (ISU) Graduate School admission requirements for the doctoral programs;

  2. have attained a Master's degree in engineering, physics, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, or a closely related field;

  3. submit a one-page statement of research interests, a one-page statement of career interests and a resume along with their application; and

  4. arrange for 3 confidential letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the ISU Graduate School, by the recommender. The recommender may send the letters directly to the Graduate School, or they may upload their letter via link that is provided to them by the applicant.

The approval of the Chairperson of the department is required for admission. In some special cases, a student with an exceptional undergraduate academic record and aptitude for research, but without an MS degree, may be directly admitted to the PhD program with the approval of the Department Chair of the student's parent department.

 

Master of Science (MS) in Mathematics


For admission to the MS program in Mathematics, an applicant must meet all admission requirements of the Idaho State University (ISU) Graduate School, as well as the following admission requirements of the department:

  1. completion of a bachelor's degree with a strong mathematical component prior to the start of initial enrollment;

  2. at least a 3.0 (out of 4.0) grade point average (GPA) in upper-division undergraduate course work in mathematics;

  3. at least the 50th percentile on the quantitative reasoning section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test; and

  4. completion of the course work in modern algebra, differential equations, and analysis courses beyond the calculus sequence.


In addition to completing the application procedure specified by the Graduate School, an applicant to the MS program in Mathematics must:

  1. submit a letter addressing the applicant's reasons for pursuing the MS degree in Mathematics directly to the ISU Graduate School; and

  2. arrange for at least 3 confidential letters of recommendation to be submitted directly to the ISU Graduate School, by the recommender, that address the applicant's background and potential for success in the study of advanced mathematics. The letters of recommendation may be sent directly to the Graduate School through the mail or the recommender may upload their letter via a link that is provided to them by the applicant.


An applicant who does not fully meet the departmental requirements will be considered for admission on an individual basis and required to make up the deficiency, at ISU, in case of admission.

An applicant who wishes to be considered for financial assistance must complete a complete a Financial Assistance Application form and submit it directly to the ISU Graduate School.

Applications must be received by April 1st to be given full consideration. 

 

*International Students Requirements

In addition to the department program requirements and the ISU Graduate School admissions requirements, international graduate students have additional requirements for admission to the Graduate School.


Financial Verification

International students must submit a financial statement, to the Graduate School, verifying that they will be able to support themselves financially for one year while attending ISU.

This document must consist of a statement or letter, from a bank, indicating that funds are available and accessible. The amount of money available to the student must be listed on the financial statement.

A Graduate Assistantship or Fellowship awarded by a department or college may be used as part, or all, of this amount.


Language Requirements

International students who have not graduated from an accredited college or university in the United States and whose native language is not English, normally must achieve satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System test (IELTS).

Options for Satisfactory TOEFL requirements for Classified admission are:

  • Internet-based test (IBT): a total score of 80 or above with a minimum score of 20 on each section on the IBT. (Graduate Assistants who teach courses must score 23 or above on the speaking section of the IBT.)

  • Computer-based test: a total score of 213 or above, with a score of at least 21 on section 1 (Listening Comprehension) on the computer test.

  • Paper-based test: a total score of 550 or above, with a minimum score of 55 on Section 1 (listening Comprehension) on the paper test.

  • Successful completion of Level 112 from the ELS Language Centers.

Information about the TOEFL, including test dates and locations in international countries, can be obtained from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Satisfactory IELTS performance is a score of 6.5 or above.

Photocopies of TOEFL and/or IELTS scores will not be accepted.

 

 

Doctor of Arts (DA) in Mathematics


Residence:

Up to 6 credits beyond the master's degree may be transferred into the program. Two consecutive semesters of full-time study are required in residence.


Committees and Advising:

The student will be advised initially by the departmental graduate committee. This group will be the student's temporary advising committee and will assist in the selection of the student's permanent committee which will supervise the remainder of the student's program.


General Requirements:

The program requires course work, a thesis, teaching internships and examinations as described below. The program requires a minimum of 48 credits beyond the master's degree and at least two 6600-level sequences taken in residence. Approval for optional courses is granted by the departmental graduate committee. 

For more detail about the program requirements, please visit:  Graduate Program Requirements

For Graduate course descriptions, please visit:  Graduate Course Descriptions


Examinations:

  1. DA Written Examination: A written comprehensive examination on undergraduate-level mathematics.

  2. Oral Examination:  An oral examination on the four core areas, previously described in Section 1.

  3. Final Examination:  The candidate will present, to the public, a lecture on the candidate's dissertation and will answer any questions that arise. Following the lecture and question period, the candidate will be examined orally by the candidate's dissertation committee on topics related to the dissertation.

 

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering and Applied Science

The PhD degree requires completion of at least 84 credits consisting of 30 credits for the MS degree, 18 credits of additional course work (at least 50% of the credits should be at the 6000 level), 1-4 credits of graduate seminar and 32-35 credits of dissertation research. Additional dissertation research credits may be required by the student's dissertation committee.

An advisory committee consisting of Idaho State University graduate faculty (a minimum of two from the student's parent department and one from another relevant department) will be formed for each student upon entry into the program. The committee will guide the student in establishing his or her program of course work and laboratory study based upon the student's background and research interest. The advisory committee has the responsibility of ensuring that the student has adequate knowledge to support research in his or her chosen area of interest.

After completing 18 credits of course work, the student will take an 8-hour written, comprehensive qualifying examination covering relevant information within the scope of the chosen research area. A student taking the comprehensive qualifying exam must be prepared to take an oral examination conducted by the student's Advisory Committee. The oral exam will focus primarily on material in the written exam that was not adequately answered. However, the Advisory Committee, at its discretion, may excuse a student from taking the oral examination if the student excels in the written examination. The student will be allowed two attempts to pass the comprehensive qualifying examination, and the second attempt must be within one-half year after the first attempt. The student will be admitted to candidacy only upon passing the comprehensive qualifying examination.

A Dissertation committee is formed with a minimum of 5 members consisting of a thesis advisor, 2 members from the student's parent department, a member from another relevant department, and a Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR). The student's thesis advisor chairs the dissertation committee. Within six months of passing the comprehensive qualifying examination, the candidate, with guidance from the thesis advisor, will satisfactorily complete an oral presentation and defense of a proposal for dissertation research to the Dissertation Committee. The research and dissertation preparation must be conducted under the close supervision of the committee and must include at least one full year of work performed under Idaho State University graduate faculty. The candidate can submit the final dissertation any time after six months from the date of acceptance of the research proposal, if the candidate meets the requirement of one full year of work.

Dissertation approval requires a public presentation of the dissertation and a satisfactory oral defense to the Dissertation Committee. Doctoral oral examinations are open to all regular members of the faculty as observers. Further, oral presentations are open to the public until questioning by the Dissertation Committee begins.

For more details, refer to:  Steps from Admission to Graduation

 

Master of Science (MS) in Mathematics


The Master of Science program in Mathematics provides a thesis and non-thesis option. Students choosing either option must take 15 credits in mathematics at the 6600 level, including two full-year sequences. Of the remaining 15 graduate credits required for the degree, at least 9 credits must be in mathematics. The entire program of study must be approved by the departmental graduate committee.

Students must pass a written examination on one of the 6600-level sequences in their program(s) of study. Those who choose the thesis option must also complete and defend an expository or research thesis, for which they will receive 6 credits of MATH 6649. Those who choose the non-thesis option must pass a final oral examination over all courses in their program(s) of study.

 

For information on the types of financial support that are available for eligible students, please visit: Graduate School/Funding and Support .  

Such awards include a waiver of non-resident tuition and are routinely accompanied by scholarships waiving in-state fees. 

 

*Students who wish to apply for financial support should apply by April 1st for full consideration.

Applying for Admission:

Admissions Application Deadlines

  • For Spring semester admission:  November 1st
  • For Summer admission: N/A (No summer admission in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics)
  • For Fall semester admission:  April 1st

 *Students who wish to apply for financial support should apply by April 1st for full consideration.

 

Applying for Graduation: