General
Departmental Program Requirements and
Policies
This
document
supplements the Montana
State University Graduate Catalog
on issues pertaining to general admission and degree requirements for
all programs of study in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. For a detailed
description of departmental requirements for each degree, see
the Departmental Program
website.
1.
Applicant Review and Requirements.
The
prospective
graduate student must fill out a Preliminary Application Form to
be considered for admission. This may be done online at our Preliminary
Application webpage
(click on "How do I apply" in the upper left menu). All applicant
requirements - such
as GRE scores, language
requirements for international students, etc. and deadlines are also
listed at the same website.
2. Qualifying Examinations.
As
a university
procedure, this pertains only to Ph.D. students.
- Ph.D. in
Mathematics:
no qualifying
exam
- Ph.D. in
Mathematics Education: no qualifying exam
- Ph.D. in
Statistics:
requires a qualifying exam*
*
The qualifying exam for the Ph.D. programs in Statistics covers the content of
the statistics M.S. core and is administered during the
first year of the Ph.D. course work.
3.
Selection of an Advisor and Graduate Committee.
During the
first semester of residence each new student will be advised by a
temporary
advisory committee. Students should then select a graduate committee
during their second semester in the program. Relevant forms
are available electronically. The student's graduate committee is
comprised of an advisor (the chairperson of the committee) and other
faculty members. An Master's
graduate committee typically consists of three faculty
members. A Doctoral
graduate committee typically consists of five faculty members
and a graduate representative from outside the department. The graduate
representative is appointed by the Division of Graduate Education. No
faculty member is required to accept more students than he
or she believes can be handled successfully and the department does not
guarantee that a faculty member will be available to serve as
an advisor. Each student should plan well in advance to enable him or
her to find an acceptable advisor.
4.
Graduate Programs of Study.
The
student, in
conference with the advisor and the graduate committee, plans
a Program of Study. Except in unusual circumstances, the program should
conform to the Program Guidelines for the degree sought. This program
must be approved by the head of the department and filed with the
College of Graduate Studies. Relevant forms
are available electronically. Master's
graduate programs and Doctoral
graduate programs must be filed during the second semester in
the program. The filed program lists all major, minor, and supporting
courses, and the proposed thesis title, if appropriate. Declaring a
minor is optional and supporting courses are required for Ph.D. degrees
only. Signatures of the committee members and of the head
of the department are required prior to filing the program with
the Division
of Graduate Education.
Final approval rests with the Graduate Vice Provost. The accepted graduate
program constitutes a flexible
contract between the student and the university. Changes may be
made in the graduate program up to one month prior to the completion of
graduation requirements.
5.
Course Work.
The Division of
Graduate Education maintains basic policy for all graduate student
course loads:
To be in good standing, students
must maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Any course in which a
grade lower than C - has been received must
be repeated. Once a course on a graduate program has been completed, it
cannot be removed.
Graduate students in statistics or
applied mathematics
are encouraged to
possess knowledge of some area of science, engineering, business, or
other area to which statistics/mathematics is applicable. Such students
are also encouraged to develop prolific computer
skills. Thus, students in statistics or
applied mathematics should
discuss with
their advisor whether their program
warrants the inclusion of course work from another disciplines.
Departmental course
requirements vary from program to program. The student should consult
the Departmental Graduate Program webpage:
6.
Comprehensive Examinations.
The Division of
Graduate Education Policies
for
M.S. and Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations are:
Departmental
requirements regarding comprehensive examinations vary from program to
program. The student should consult the Departmental Graduate
Program webpage:
7.
Foreign Language Requirements.
There
is no departmental foreign language
requirement for a graduate degree.
8.
Thesis of Dissertation and
Writing Projects:
- Statistics
M.S. Writing Requirement:
Plan
B
of the M.S. degree requires no thesis. Nonetheless, written
communication
is an important component of post-graduate employment. Students
choosing the writing project must write a paper that surveys an area of
statistics. The area is chosen by the student in
consultation with the student's major professor. The work may be
directed
by the major professor or any other faculty member. The survey
paper will organize and illuminate the results from several sources and
should include a formal reference list.
- M.S.
Thesis:
For Plan A of the M.S.
degree an acceptable thesis based on research must
be submitted as a part of the major requirements.
For statistics students this thesis supplants the M.S. writing
requirement
described above. Registration in at least 10 credits
of "Master's Thesis" courses (MATH/STAT 590) over a minimum of two
semesters
is expected during those semesters that the student is
in residence and engaged in the research for and writing of the thesis.
The thesis is written under the supervision of the student's
advisor and two other graduate committee members. The student's thesis
must be submitted to his/her graduate committee at least
two weeks before the time scheduled for the final examination. The
student is required to give a thesis defense. One bound copy of the
thesis must be submitted to the Department of Mathematical Sciences. An
electronic (PDF) version of the thesis must be submitted to
the The
Division of Graduate Education.
- Doctoral
Dissertation:
A
thesis is required of
all doctoral degrees. It must embody the results of an extended
research by the candidate, be an original contribution to knowledge,
and include new material worthy of publication. Registration in at
least 18 credits of "Doctoral Thesis" courses (MATH/STAT 690) is
required. The thesis is written under the supervision of the student's
advisor and two other graduate committee members. The thesis must be
submitted to the graduate committee at least four weeks before the time
scheduled for the final examination. The final thesis must meet the
approval of the department and the Division of Graduate
Education.
One bound copy of the thesis must be submitted to the Department of
Mathematical Sciences. An electronic (PDF)
version of the thesis must be submitted to the The Division of
Graduate Education.
9.
Doctoral
Dissertation Defense.
This
is the required
final examination for the Ph.D. or Ed.D. degrees. At the
discretion of the committee, it may be written, oral or both.
The examination includes, but need not be limited to, an oral defense
of the thesis. The student's thesis must be submitted to his/her
graduate committee at least four weeks before the time scheduled for
the final examination. The thesis defense is given before the
final draft of the thesis is made. It is the student's responsibility
to make arrangements with his or her advisor and other committee
members for the examination. Doctoral final exams are open to the
public.
10.
Deadlines
General deadlines for
Master's students are in the Summary
of Procedures for Master's Students while those for Doctoral
students are in the Summary
of
Procedures for Doctoral Students. Specific deadlines,
including
those for written and oral exams and submission of theses, are given in
the Dates
and Deadlines section of the College of Graduate Studies
Catalog.
