Graduate Catalog 2004-2005
Mathematics and Statistics
Neal Carothers, Chair
Hanfeng Chen, Graduate Coordinator
450 Mathematical Sciences Building
Phone: 419-372-2636
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts; Master of Arts in Teaching; Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy
Graduate Faculty
| Professors: | James Albert, Ph.D.; Neal Carothers, Ph.D.; Kit Chan, Ph.D.; Hanfeng Chen, Ph.D.; So-Hsiang Chou, Ph.D.; Arjun Gupta, Ph.D.; Barbara Moses, Ph.D.; Truc Nguyen, Ph.D.; Steven Seubert, Ph.D.; Sergey Shpectorov, Ph.D.; Gábor Székely, Ph.D. |
| Associate Professors: | Alexander Izzo, Ph.D.; David Meel, Ed.D.; J. Gordon Wade, Ph.D.; Craig Zirbel, Ph.D. |
| Assistant Professors: | Juan Bès, Ph.D.; John Tuhao Chen, Ph.D.; Corneliu Hoffman, Ph.D.; Warren McGovern, Ph.D.; Diem Nguyen, Ph.D.; Tong Sun, Ph.D.; Dale Winter, Ph.D. |
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers the Master of Arts, the Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Science in Applied Statistics, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree programs. Through proper selection of course work, students in the M.A. program can prepare for direct entry into careers in business, industry, government, and education, or for study toward a Ph.D. in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or operations research. Areas of specialization in the M.A. program are pure mathematics, mathematical statistics, and scientific computation.
The pure mathematics specialization is designed for students interested in obtaining a broad background in pure mathematics or in pursuing a Ph.D. degree in mathematics. The mathematical statistics specialization is intended for students interested in statistics and can be designed for those planning to pursue a doctoral degree. The scientific computation specialization is intended for students interested in applied mathematics.
The Master of Arts in Teaching degree is designed for those who plan a teaching career in the secondary schools, two-year colleges, or small liberal arts colleges.
The goal of the Ph.D. program is to maintain a balance between efficiently preparing students for dissertation work and achieving breadth in the mathematical sciences.
Prerequisites to Graduate Work
The preferred foundation for graduate work is an undergraduate major in mathematics or a closely related area. Applicants with less than this level of prerequisite background may be accepted if it appears that they are adequately prepared for graduate work. Minimum preparation consists of a full year in differential and integral calculus and two courses for which calculus is a prerequisite.
Applicants planning to specialize in scientific computation should have completed courses in linear algebra, advanced calculus, ordinary differential equations, and programming in a high-level language such as C or FORTRAN before or soon after admission.
Admission Procedure
Applicants seeking admission to the graduate programs in mathematics and statistics should follow the instructions outlined in the "Graduate Admission" section of this catalog.
In addition to the application required by the Graduate College, applicants must submit a statement of intent delineating the purpose for enrolling in the program and career goals.
Requests for department application materials should be directed to the Department Graduate Secretary. Please also see http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/math and https://gradcollege.bgsu.edu/apply/.
Degree Requirements
Master of Arts
Candidates must complete at least 30 semester hours of approved graduate credit, including at least 18 hours in mathematics courses numbered 600 or above, excluding MATH 585, 590, 591, 592, 685, 694, and 695. In addition, students must satisfy all the requirements in one of the three groups described below.
Pure Mathematics: Required courses are MATH 633, 634, 665, and 666.
Mathematical Statistics: Required courses are MATH 565 or 665, 641, 642, and two additional courses in specialized areas of statistics selected from among MATH 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 671, 740, and any approved 682 course in statistics. Students should take MATH 666 if they are planning to pursue a Ph.D.
Scientific Computation: Required courses are MATH 539, 618, 620, 665, and 668.
Each of the three programs is offered under two plans.
Plan I: Candidates must write a thesis and pass an oral and/or written examination on the thesis.
Plan II: Candidates must pass a written comprehensive examination.
Related courses from other fields may be included in the student's plan, subject to the approval of the graduate coordinator. The actual course of studies is designed by the student in consultation with, and with the consent of, the graduate coordinator on an individual basis.
The Master of Arts in Teaching degree is offered under Plan II for experienced teachers. Degree requirements are listed under the heading of Master of Arts in Teaching in the "Degree Programs" section of this catalog.
Master of Science
The Master of Science in Applied Statistics is offered jointly with the Department of Applied Statistics and Operations Research. Students may pursue the M.S. degree under either Plan I or Plan II. Requirements under either plan are: MATH 641 and 642, STAT 502, 506, and 508; at least one course from MATH 650, STAT 675; at least six hours of graduate course work in an approved cognate area; and three elective courses in statistics (at least two at the 600 level). Of these elective courses, at least three hours must be from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and at least three must be from the Department of Applied Statistics and Operations Research. The remaining three hours should be from the offerings of either the Department of Applied Statistics and Operations Research or the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Any of these courses may be waived at the graduate level for students who can document equivalent undergraduate or graduate training; however, the credit hour requirement will not be reduced in this case. The student will be expected to substitute appropriate electives. Cognate courses are selected by the student, subject to the approval of the graduate coordinator, to conform to the individual needs of the student. Cognate courses may not include courses whose primary content is statistics.
Plan I: Candidates must complete a minimum of 33 semester hours of graduate course work and three hours of thesis credit. Candidates must submit a thesis on a topic approved by the Statistics Program Committee and must pass an oral examination over the thesis and MATH 641 and 642, and STAT 502, 506, and 508.
Plan II: Candidates must complete a minimum of 33 hours of graduate course work including STAT 675. Students must pass a written and oral comprehensive examination over MATH 641 and 642, and STAT 502, 506, and 508. However, the oral examination will be waived for students with sufficient written examination scores.
Doctor of Philosophy
At about 30 semester hours of course work beyond the master’s degree, students must take a written and/or oral preliminary exam in two areas of study. After passing this exam, students are admitted as candidates for the Ph.D. degree.
Students must then write an original dissertation, which is, in the judgment of the dissertation committee, of publishable quality. Students are granted the degree after the dissertation is approved by the dissertation committee and they have passed the final oral examination in defense of the dissertation.
Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online at http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php. Graduate courses offered by the Department of Math and Statistics use the prefix: MATH.
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