Mathematics and Statistics
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics grants degrees at both the masters and doctoral level in a variety of areas of specialization. For more information on all programs offered by the Department, see the Department Graduate Handbook.

NOTE: All procedures and rules described are subject to revision by the Graduate Committee and the Mathematics and Statistics Department at any time.

Masters Degree Programs

The Department offers Master of Science and Master of Mathematics degrees. The Master of Science options are intended for students pursuing areas of research in pure and applied mathematics and statistics and industrial mathematics. The Master of Mathematics program is intended for students who are interested in teaching in public schools and in two and four year colleges and universities.

Master of Science in Mathematics

  • Jobs: Teach at four year colleges, prepare for Math or Stat PhD programs, Industrial jobs
  • Degree Requirements : 30 total credits of approved coursework at or above 5000 level. At least 18 of these credits must be at 6000 level or above. 3 of these credits must be thesis credit for Plan B option, or 6 credits must be thesis credit for Plan A option.
  • Example Research Projects: Study connections between graph structure and matrices to discover properties of linear operators. Analyzing linear operator (matrix) behavior when axioms for + / x change to allow for different number systems.

Master of Science in Statistics

  • Jobs: Government and Industrial Jobs, PhD preparation in Statistics/Bioinformatics
  • Degree Requirements : 30 total credits of approved coursework at or above 5000 level. At least 18 of these credits must be at 6000 level or above. 3 of these credits must be thesis credit for Plan B option, or 6 credits must be thesis credit for Plan A option.
  • Example Research Projects: Estimating the standard error of gene expression summaries with the bootstrap. Applying computational techniques to visualize statistical properties of complicated data sets.

Master of Mathematics

  • Jobs: Careers in teaching at middle schools, high schools and community colleges, preparation for Math or Stat PhD Education.
  • Degree Requirements : 36 total credits of approved coursework. At least 21 credits must come from Mathematics or Statistics courses at 5000 level or above. Remaining credits may come from relevant courses offered in the College of Education and Human Services. Of the 36 credits, 3 must be thesis credits for Plan B option.
  • Example Research Projects: Examine the design and implementation of strategies for effectively teaching mathematics to public school students. Designing tightly focused, highly interactive computer-based "mathlets" to help K-12 students learn particular concepts through engagement with mathematical ideas.

Master of Science in Industrial Mathematics

  • Jobs: Government and Industrial Jobs PhD preparation in Mathematics/Statistics/ Bioinformatics
  • Degree Requirements: 36 credits of approved coursework at 5000 level or above. At least 15 of these credits must come from Mathematics courses at 6000 level or above. Students must complete 9 of 36 credits outside of Mathematics in coures which complement thier internship and final project. A maximum of 3 of these 9 credits may be taken at the 5000 level. Of the 36 credits, 3 must be thesis credit for Plan B option, or 6 credits must be thesis credit for Plan A option.
  • Example Research Projects: Path planning algorithms to govern robotic devices in complicated environments. Using mathematical models and dynamical systems to optimize genetic amplification technology for industrial pathogen detection. Predicting relationship between global warming and forest insect outbreaks.

Doctor of Philosophy Programs

The doctoral program in the Department has the following options. Each of these options has its own specific requirements that are described in the Graduate Handbook.

PhD in Mathematical sciences, Pure and Applied Mathematics Specialization

  • Jobs: University and College Teaching Government and Industry Research Careers
  • Degree Requirements: At least 60 credits of approved coursework in mathematics at or above the 6000 level, excluding MATH 6990 and 7990. At least 6 of the 60 credits must be selected from seminars and courses at the 7000 level, and no more than 30 of the credits can be completed in MATH 7970.
  • Example Research Projects: Developing new Maple software for differential geometry and its applications to mathematical physics and differential equations. Solving nonlinear partial differential equations to understand crystal patterns arising during alloy creation and nerve signal propagation.

PhD in Mathematical Sciences, Statistics Specialization

  • Jobs: University and College Teaching, Government and Industry Research Careers
  • Degree Requirements: At least 60 credits of approved coursework in statistics at or above the 6000 level, excluding STAT 6990 and 7990. With the permission of the student's supervisory committee, some of these credits may be in the mathematics or in another discipline. At least 6 of the 60 credits must be selected from seminars and courses at the 7000 level, and a maximum of 30 credits may be completed in STAT 7970.
  • Example Research Projects: Development and application of statistical models to forecast the spread of invasive species and epidemics. Constructing new methods to deal with the 'data deluge' of information created by consumers using electronic purchasing.

PhD in Mathematical Sciences, College Teaching Specialization

  • Jobs: University and College Teaching in Mathematics, Statistics and Math Education
  • Degree Requirements: At least 60 credits of approved coursework in mathematics at or above the 6000 level, excluding MATH 6990 and 7990. At least 6 of the 60 credits must be selected from seminars and courses at the 7000 level, and no more than 20 of the credits can be completed in MATH 7970. 6 credits of MATH 7910 are also required.
  • Example Research Projects: Raise and address questions and issues regarding the design and implementation of strategies for effectively teaching mathematics to college and university students.

PhD in Mathematical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies Specialization

  • Jobs: University and College Teaching, Government and Industry Research Careers
  • Degree Requirements: At least 60 credits of approved coursework in mathematics at or above the 6000 level, excluding MATH 6990 and 7990, STAT 6990, 7990. At least 20 of the 60 credits should be in mathematics and/or statistics, of which at least 6 should be in seminars and courses at the 7000 level. 10 credits in the student's chosen interdisciplinary area are also required.
  • Example Research Projects: Developing fast homogenization methods to aid in oil reservoir modeling and simulation of enhanced oil recovery. Using integrodifference models and satellite data to predict the course of mountain pine beetle outbreaks in Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley.