MA Mathematics, Program Information

Program Faculty

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Department Chair

Asamoah Nkwanta, Ph.D.

Professor

 

Program Coordinator 

Xuming Xie

Associate Professor 

Department of Mathematics

Calloway Hall, Room  223

Tel: (443) 885-3890; Fax: (443) 885-8216

E-mail: xuming.xie@morgan.edu

 

Program Faculty

Ashraf Ahmed, Ph.D.

Lecturer

 

 Mingchao Cai, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

 

 Marshall Cohen, Ph.D.

Visiting Professor 

 

Jonathan Farley, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Xiao-Xiong Gan, Ph.D.

Professor

 

Elisabeth Kemajou-Brown, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

 

Rodney Kerby, Ph.D.

Lecturer

 

Bhamini  Nayar, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Gaston N’Guerekata, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor

 

Nkwanta, Asamoah, Ph.D.

Professor

 

Alexander Pankov, Ph.D.

Professor

 

Kendra Pleasant, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

 

Aron Reznik, Ph.D.

Lecturer

 

Ahlam Tannouri, Ph.D.

Lecturer

 

Xuming Xie, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Guoping Zhang, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

 

Najat Ziyadi, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Program Description

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The Master of Arts in Mathematics program offers opportunities for students to study mathematics and its applications beyond the bachelor’s degree.  A student admitted to the program will be able to do Thesis or a Research Project with a graduate faculty member of his or her choice. The Department of Mathematics has faculty members with expertise in real analysis, complex analysis, functional analysis, algebra, combinatorics, differential equations and applications, operations research, numerical analysis, topology, mathematical modeling, mathematical biology, actuarial science, statistics and biostatistics.  

Program Objectives

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The Master of Arts in Mathematics degree is designed for qualified students who are interested in pursuing graduate work beyond the bachelor’s degree and qualified secondary school teachers who wish to improve their subject matter competence by earning a master’s degree in Mathematics. 

General Requirements

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Candidates for the Master of Arts in Mathematics degree must complete a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours with an average grade of B or better. The General Degree Requirements of the Master of Arts Degree in Mathematics consist of two options: Thesis option and Non-thesis option. The thesis option requires that 18 graduate credits from the core courses must be completed including defending a master’s thesis. The Non-thesis option requires the completion of 18 credits from the core courses and one course project approved by the Chair of the Department and the Graduate Program Director.

Admission

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To be eligible for admission to the Master of Arts in Mathematics Program an applicant must: 

• Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, preferably in mathematics. 

• Possess an undergraduate cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) of 3.0 or better from a regionally accredited college or university. Students who possess a cumulative undergraduate GPA below 3.0 and above 2.5 may be considered for conditional admission approved by the Department of Mathematics.   

• Submit an application for admission to the School of Graduate Studies.  All required documents must be submitted as directed by the School of Graduate Studies prior to program review and admission decision.  

• Admission/Application procedure to the Graduate Program in Mathematics will be according to the rules and regulations specified in the document for admission to the School of Graduate Studies. The rules for visa requirements and for English language proficiency for foreign students also will be guided by the rules for admission to the School of Graduate Studies at MSU.

 

Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant.  The decision of the Program Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program.  The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer admission should be made based on that review.

Thesis Completion

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After establishing an area of interest, the student should seek a thesis advisor from the graduate faculty and seek departmental approval for this selection at the beginning of the second semester of the first year of enrollment. The student should submit a thesis proposal to the graduate program director with an endorsement from the prospective thesis advisor and set up the thesis committee. The student begins thesis work after departmental approval of the thesis proposal and the thesis committee. It is expected that the completed thesis will be a significant exposition of the approved topic or will concentrate on developing better methods for solving practical problems. The final acceptance and earning of credit for the master thesis require passing an oral defense of master’s thesis. This defense is conducted in accordance with the general guidelines and regulations of the School of Graduate Studies of the Morgan State University.

Research Project for Non-Thesis Option Students

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One elective course must be a research project course. For the research project, students have the option of selecting one of the following 3-credit research seminar courses:

• MATH 665: Introduction to Research in Mathematics Seminar

• MATH 671: Topics in Applied Mathematics Seminar

• MATH 673: Topics in Computational Mathematics Seminar

• MATH 675: Topics in Analysis Seminar

• MATH 677: Topics in Topology Seminar  

• MATH 679: Topics in Algebra Seminar

 

Additional Requirements

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Graduate students are cautioned to avoid practices that threaten the integrity of their academic career and their research, including, but not limited to falsification or fabrication of data, violations of privacy and confidentiality provisions, conflicts of interest, cheating, plagiarism, and  copyright infringements. Unethical research threatens the integrity of the academic and scientific enterprise and may subject graduate students to severe penalties. Appeals and due  process will be followed according to the academic regulations of the School of Graduate Studies and the college, school, and department in which they are pursuing a degree.

Program Course Requirements

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MA Mathematics (30 credit hours):  

• 18 credit hours from Core Courses (Thesis Option)

MATH 505:  Abstract Algebra I 3

MATH 506:  Abstract Algebra II 3

MATH 521:  Real Analysis I 3

MATH 522:  Real Analysis II 3

MATH 541:  Point Set Topology I 3

MATH 797/799 Thesis Guidance / Thesis Defense 3/9* 

 

* Note: Upon achieving Master’s Candidacy, the student will continuously register in Fall and Spring terms for MATH 797 (Thesis Guidance) until the Master’s Thesis is completed and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for review.  The course is used only when the curriculum is near completion, and the student is completing the research and writing of the thesis. The course registration maintains the student status as a matriculated, full-time student (student is registered for 3 credit hours and the system reports a full-time 9 credit hour load).  

 

After the Intent to Defend the Master’s Thesis form has been accepted by the School of Graduate Studies, this course registration will be changed to MATH 799 (Thesis Defense) for the given semester and count for 3 credit hours of curricular coursework (MATH 799 will also count for 9 credit hours of load).  Other courses cannot be substituted for XXXX 797 (Thesis Guidance). The only eligible grade for MATH 797 (Thesis Guidance) is the grade of “S” and the only acceptable grade for MATH 799 (Thesis Defense) is “P/F” (Pass/Fail).

 

• 18 credit hours from  Core Courses (Non-Thesis Option)

MATH 505:  Abstract Algebra I 3

MATH 506:  Abstract Algebra II 3

MATH 521:  Real Analysis I 3

MATH 522:  Real Analysis II 3

MATH 541:  Point Set Topology I 3

 

Plus a choice of one of the following:

MATH 527:  Complex Analysis I 3

MATH 512:  Probability and Statistics 3

MATH 559:  Numerical Analysis 3

 

• 12/9 credit hours from Elective Courses* (Thesis/Non-Thesis Options)

MATH 527:  Complex Analysis I 3

MATH 528:  Complex Analysis II 3

MATH 507:  Ordinary Differential Equations 3

MATH 508:  Combinatorics I 3

MATH 510:  Applied Combinatorics and Graph Theory 3

MATH 512:  Probability and Statistics 3

MATH 553:  Computational Mathematics 3

MATH 559:  Numerical Analysis 3

MATH 575:  Introduction to Partial Differential Equations 3

MATH 631:  Biostatistics 3

MATH 635:  Computational Linear Algebra 3

MATH 663:  Nonlinear Programming 3

MATH 670:  Combinatorial Optimization and Integer Programming 3

MATH 665: Introduction to Research in Mathematics Seminar 3

MATH 671: Topics in Applied Mathematics Seminar 3

MATH 673: Topics in Computational Mathematics Seminar 3

MATH 675: Topics in Analysis Seminar 3

MATH 677: Topics in Topology Seminar 3

MATH 679: Topics in Algebra Seminar 3

 

*NOTE: Other non-core courses may be recommended by the student and faculty advisor as elective courses. The recommended elective course must be approved by the Graduate Program Director and Department Chair.  Thesis Option Students will take 12 credit hours in Electives. Non-Thesis Option Students will take 9 credits of Elective Courses.

 

• 3 credit hours from Research Project Courses* (Non-Thesis Option)

MATH 665: Introduction to Research in Mathematics Seminar

MATH 671: Topics in Applied Mathematics Seminar

MATH 673: Topics in Computational Mathematics Seminar

MATH 675: Topics in Analysis Seminar

MATH 677: Topics in Topology Seminar

MATH 679: Topics in Algebra Seminar