Mathematics, Southeast Missouri State University


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Southeast Missouri State University

Mathematics

Why Should I Study Mathematics at Southeast?

Many universities have excellent graduate programs, so what makes the program at Southeast Missouri State University the right choice for you?

The Master of Natural Science degree is flexible enough to allow you to design a graduate program that supports your future career plans. Whether planning to pursue a doctoral program, teach at the community college level, or enter business or industry, the Master of Natural Science degree with a Mathematics emphasis allows you and your advisor to develop a program of courses preparing you for your career after graduation.
The courses are taught by active teacher/scholars whose research areas include Algebra, Statistics, Number Theory, Applied Mathematics, Algebraic Geometry, Differential Equations, Topology, and Mathematics Education. This provides a wealth of areas in which to select your thesis or graduate project.
The graduate program at Southeast also offers Teaching Assistantships that provide our students the opportunity to develop their skills as classroom instructors by being in charge of teaching one or two sections of an algebra class as the instructor of record. Many of our former graduate teaching assistants now teach at colleges and universities.

Southeast has much to offer students who are looking for a graduate degree in mathematics.

Admissions Requirements: Minimum G.P.A. of 2.75 (on a 4 point scale) for last 30 semester hours of undergraduate science and math courses. For more information, please consult the Graduate Bulletin.

Capstone Requirements: The Master of Natural Science degree offers two options. The Capstone requirement for Curriculum A is a thesis involving original research. Curriculum B requires the writing of a comprehensive examination over six graduate courses and an expository graduate paper.

Career Opportunities: A graduate degree in mathematics opens the door to a wide variety of careers. Some of our graduates choose a very traditional option and continue their mathematical studies in Ph.D. programs. Other graduates have chosen to teach full-time in universities, colleges, or community colleges. Several of our students teach in secondary schools while pursuing their Master of Natural Science degree. Upon graduation, these teachers continue to contribute to the department as adjunct faculty members teaching dual credit courses for Southeast. While most of our graduates pursue careers in education, the program of courses you choose for your Master of Natural Science degree may be directed toward a career in business or industry if that is your preference. Links that describe some of the possibilities are:

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics describes;
Theoretical mathematicians, applied mathematicians, and teachers in www.bls.gov/oco/ocos043.htm
Mathematics who closely related to computer science theory and applications in www.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, SIAM Thinking of a Career in Applied Mathematics: www.siam.org/careers/thinking.php
American Mathematical Society, AMS Careers and Employment: www.ams.org/employment
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: www.nctm.org/teachmat
Society of Actuaries, American Statistical Association: http://www.amstat.org/

Graduate Assistantship Opportunities: There are currently six graduate assistant positions in the Master of Natural Science in Mathematic program. Each assistant teaches two Intermediate Algebra classes during the Fall and Spring semester. The assistantship term is limited to two years but provides more than enough time to complete the degree. These assistantships include waiver of courses fees for up to 24 hours of graduate coursework annually, as well as a stipend of $7,100 per year. The graduate assistant application is available on the Department of Mathematics Web site.. For more information please see the graduate assistantship Web site.

Student Organization: Graduate Student Advisory Council

Professional Certifications & Organizations: The leading professional organizations in mathematics, statistics, and mathematics education are:

Facilities: The Department of Mathematics is housed in Johnson Hall. All faculty and teaching assistant offices and classrooms are located in Johnson Hall.

Research Opportunities: The Department of Mathematics has active scholars in the areas pertaining to Algebra, Applied Mathematics, Combinatorics, Complex Analysis, Differential Equations, Geometry, Graph Theory, History of Mathematics, Linear Algebra, Mathematical Modeling, Mathematics Education, Number Theory, Real Analysis, Statistics, and Topology. Research projects are available in each of these areas, and our faculty members welcome the opportunity to design a project that is important mathematically and of interest to you.

Teaching Opportunities: The Teaching Assistantship allows you (with the guidance of the graduate coordinator) to practice college teaching with full classroom responsibility. This experience is valuable not only when applying for teaching positions but also for positions in business and industry where presenting development plans, sales campaigns, and production methods require organizational skills and the confidence to address a large group of clients or fellow workers.