Table of Contents

3300 Mathematics and Statistics

Programs Offered:

  • Master of Science in Mathematics
    • Concentration in Bioinformatics
    • Concentration in Biostatistics
    • Concentration in Discrete Mathematics
    • Concentration in Scientific Computing
    • Concentration in Statistics
    • Concentration in Statistics and Allied Field
  • Dual Degree Programs:
    • B.S. in Mathematics / M.S. in Mathematics
    • B.S. in Mathematics (Statistics concentration) / M.S. in Mathematics (Statistics concentration)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics and Statistics
    • Concentration in Bioinformatics
    • Concentration in Biostatistics
    • Concentration in Mathematics

Department of Mathematics and Statistics
750 College of Education Building
404-413-6464
mathstat.gsu.edu

Guantao Chen, Chair
Alexandra Smirnova, Associate Chair
Florian Enescu, Director of Graduate Studies in Mathematics
Gengsheng (Jeff) Qin, Director of Graduate Studies in Statistics

The Master of Science (M.S.) degree programs in mathematics provide education at the graduate level in algebra, analysis, applied mathematics, and statistics. Students completing these degrees are prepared for positions in industry, government, business, college teaching, and for advanced study in mathematics.

The M.S. degree in mathematics is offered with no concentration, or with one of six possible concentrations. Four of the concentrations are in statistics, one is in discrete mathematics, and one is in scientific computing. The concentrations in statistics are programs designed for persons who wish to prepare for careers as professional statisticians in industry, business, or government. These programs provide advanced training in applied statistics for those who are presently working in areas that use statistics, as well as for those who plan to enter these areas. The programs present an optimal balance among the broad range of statistical techniques, mathematical methods, and computation. The concentrations in discrete mathematics and scientific computing are designed for persons who wish to combine their study of mathematics with selected areas in discrete mathematics and computer science. Opportunities exist to apply this study to related areas outside the department.

The Ph.D. degree program in Mathematics and Statistics includes concentrations in bioinformatics, biostatistics, and mathematics. These concentrations address the critical need for mathematics faculty and the need for highly trained specialists in the areas of bioinformatics and biostatistics. The concentrations in bioinformatics and biostatistics will graduate strong bioinformaticians and biostatisticians with a broad background in applied areas for direct placement in business, industry, governmental institutions and research universities. The mathematics concentration will graduate mathematicians with broad knowledge of core areas of pure and applied mathematics.

Majors are encouraged to consider carefully the career objectives they wish to pursue after graduation. Early selection of these objectives may suggest the degree programs or concentrations that will prepare students for their chosen careers. Faculty who serve as advisers for graduate majors will discuss with majors the degree programs and concentrations available to them.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics accepts applications for all three semesters. However, in order to be considered for graduate assistantships for the fall semester, applicants must complete the application process in the Office of Graduate Services in sufficient time for the department to receive it by March 1. This process often takes several weeks. International applicants should allow at least two additional months for processing of applications for admission.

Applicants may obtain additional information about the Department of Mathematics and Statistics by contacting the Directors of Graduate Studies at the addresses above.

Master of Science in Mathematics (with thesis)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to the following:

Degree Requirements

  1. Twenty-four hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8820 and 8999 courses).
    1. The following courses are required:
    2. One additional three-hour 8000-level course in Mathematics.
    3. Nine additional hours of graduate-level coursework from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or in a related field selected in consultation with an adviser and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. These may include no more than six hours (e.g. two courses) in a related field. Any courses which are used in area 2 of the “Additional Admission Requirements” section of this catalog cannot be applied toward the degree.
  2. Six hours of Thesis Research (MATH 8999)
  3. Additional Requirements
    1. A thesis
    2. A thesis defense

Master of Science in Mathematics (non-thesis option)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to the following:

Degree Requirements

  1. Thirty hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of  MATH 8820).
    1. The following courses are required:
    2. One additional three-hour 8000-level course in Mathematics.
    3. Eighteen additional hours of graduate-level coursework from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or in a related field selected in consultation with an advisor and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. These may include no more than nine hours (or three courses) in a related field. Any courses which are used in area 2 of the “Additional Admission Requirements” above cannot be applied toward the degree.
  2. Three hours of Research (MATH 8820)
  3. A literature-based research paper completed under the direction of a graduate faculty advisor within the department.

Concentration in Bioinformatics (with thesis)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, statistics, or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to:

Degree Requirements

  1. A minimum of 27 hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8820 and 8999 courses)selected from the list below are required.
  2. Six hours of Thesis Research (MATH 8999/STAT 8999)
  3. Additional requirements:
    • thesis
    • thesis defense

Concentration in Bioinformatics (non-thesis option)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, statistics, or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to:

Degree Requirements

  1. A minimum of 30 hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of MATH 8820) selected from the list below are required.
  2. Three hours of Research (MATH 8820 or STAT 8820)
  3. A lab or literature-based research paper completed under the direction of a graduate faculty advisor within the department.

Concentration in Biostatistics (with thesis)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, statistics, or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to:

Degree Requirements

  1. Twenty-four hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8820 and 8999 courses).
    1. The following courses are required:
    2. Nine additional hours of Statistics courses at the 8000-level, from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
    3. Six additional hours of graduate-level coursework from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or in a related field selected in consultation with an adviser and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The courses listed as Additional Admission Requirements in section 2 above and other 6000-level Statistics courses are excluded.
  2. Six hours of  STAT 8999 Thesis Research.
  3. Additional Requirements
    1. A thesis
    2. A thesis defense

Concentration in Discrete Mathematics (with thesis)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general examinations of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to at least two of the following:

Degree Requirements

  1. Twenty-four hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8820 and 8999 courses).
    1. The following courses are required:
    2. One additional 8000-level course in mathematics
    3. Nine additional hours of graduate-level coursework from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or in a “related field” selected in consultation with an adviser, and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. These may include no more than six hours (e.g., two courses) in a related field. At most one of the courses listed in section 2 of “Additional Admission Requirements” above can be applied toward the degree.
  2. Six hours of Thesis Research (MATH 8999)
  3. Additional requirements
    1. thesis
    2. thesis defense

Concentration in Discrete Mathematics (non-thesis option)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to at least two of the following:
  3. Thirty hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8820).
    1. The following courses are required:
    2. One additional 8000-level course in mathematics
    3. Fifteen additional hours of graduate-level coursework from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or in a “related field” selected in consultation with an advisor, and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. These may include no more than six hours (e.g., two courses) in a related field. At most one of the courses listed in section 2 of “Additional Admission Requirements” above can be applied toward the degree.
  4. Three hours of Research (MATH 8820)
  5. A literature-based research paper completed under the direction of a graduate faculty advisor within the department.

Concentration in Scientific Computing (with thesis)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, computer science, or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics and computer science equivalent to the following:

Degree Requirements

  1. Twenty-four hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8820 and 8999 courses).
    1. The following courses are required:
      • MATH 8200 Advanced Matrix Analysis (3)
      • MATH 8610 Advanced Numerical Analysis (3)
      • MATH 8620 Numerical Linear Algebra (3)
      • If an equivalent course has not already been taken as part of another program:
    2. Six additional hours of 8000-level coursework selected in consultation with an adviser and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
    3. Additional graduate-level courses in mathematics, computer science, or a related field to total 24 hours selected in consultation with an adviser and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. There are many options for coursework in this area, including:
  2. Six hours of Thesis Research (MATH 8999)
  3. Additional Requirements
    1. A thesis
    2. A thesis defense

Concentration in Scientific Computing (non-thesis option)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, computer science, or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics and computer science equivalent to the following:

Degree Requirements

  1. Thirty hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8820).
    1. The following courses are required:
      • MATH 8200 Advanced Matrix Analysis (3)
      • MATH 8610 Advanced Numerical Analysis (3)
      • MATH 8620 Numerical Linear Algebra (3)
      • If an equivalent course has not already been taken as part of another program:
      • MATH 6265 Partial Differential Equations (3)
      • MATH 6620 Numerical Analysis II (3)
    2. Six additional hours of 8000-level coursework selected in consultation with an advisor and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
    3. Additional graduate-level courses in mathematics, computer science, or a related field to total 30 hours selected in consultation with an advisor and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. There are many options for coursework in this area, including:
  2. Three hours of Research (MATH 8820)
  3. A literature-based research paper completed under the direction of a graduate faculty advisor within the department.

Concentration in Statistics (with thesis)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, statistics, or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to:

Degree Requirements

  1. Twenty-four hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8999 courses).
    1. The following courses are required:
    2. Twelve additional hours of Statistics courses at the 8000-level, from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
    3. Six additional hours of graduate-level coursework from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or in a related field selected in consultation with an adviser, and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The courses listed as Additional Admission Requirements in section 2 above and other 6000-level Statistics courses are excluded.
  2. Six hours of STAT 8999 Thesis Research.
  3. Additional Requirements
    1. A thesis
    2. A thesis defense

Concentration in Statistics (non-thesis option)

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics have the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, statistics or its equivalent
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to:

Degree Requirements

  1. Thirty-six hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8999 courses).
    1. The following courses are required
    2. Eighteen additional hours of Statistics courses at the 8000-level from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
    3. Twelve additional hours of graduate-level coursework. At least six of these from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and at most six hours in a related field selected in consultation with an adviser and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The courses listed as Additional Admission Requirements in section 2 above and other 6000-level statistics courses are excluded.
    4. At most three hours of the 36 can be in STAT 8820.
  2. Additional Requirements: A research paper or written report of a laboratory experience. This requirement can be satisfied by taking STAT 8820 Research.

Concentration in Statistics and Allied Field

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics have the following requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, statistics, or its equivalent.
  2. Courses in mathematics equivalent to:

Degree Requirements

  1. Thirty-six hours of graduate-level courses (exclusive of 8999 courses).
    1. The following courses are required:
    2. Twelve additional hours of graduate Statistics courses, at least six hours of which must be taken at the 8000-level from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The courses listed as Additional Admission Requirements in section 2 above and other 6000-level Statistics courses are excluded.
    3. Twelve hours of graduate courses in an allied field a single area of application selected in consultation with an adviser and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
    4. At most three hours of the 36 can be in STAT 8820.
  2. Additional Requirements: A research paper or a written report of a laboratory experience. This requirement can be satisfied by taking STAT 8820 Research.

Dual Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs

The department offers the following dual degree programs:

  • B.S. in Mathematics / M.S. in Mathematics
  • B.S. in Mathematics (Statistics concentration) / M.S. in Mathematics (Statistics concentration)

These dual degree opportunities enable qualified students to enroll in graduate courses late in their undergraduate program and apply the coursework toward both the bachelor’s and master’s programs.

Students must be formally accepted into the dual degree program by participating departments and colleges to be able to take graduate courses as an undergraduate. Additionally, acceptance into the dual program does not constitute admission to the master’s program. Students must fulfill regular graduate admissions requirements and apply for the master’s program following college processes.

Information about the dual program, including application instructions and program requirements, can be found at cas.gsu.edu/dual-degrees/.

Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics and Statistics

Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics have the following requirements for students who wish to enter into the Ph.D. program, regardless of concentration:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in mathematics, statistics, or a related field with a grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0. Students with a grade point average of 2.75 will be considered for conditional admission.
  2. Three letters of reference,
  3. Recent GRE scores,
  4. A statement describing study plans.
  5. Applicants from non-English speaking countries must achieve a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Students must have completed courses in mathematics equivalent to the following with a grade of B or higher:

Degree Requirements

Each of the concentrations requires 54 hours of coursework and 30 hours of dissertation research.

Students must take four of the six following common core courses (12 credit hours):

Concentration in Bioinformatics

  1. The bioinformatics concentration requires that a student takes three qualifying exams. At least two of the qualifying exams must be chosen from the required courses for the bioinformatics concentration. One of the qualifying exams can be the required (core) course either from concentration in mathematics or from concentration in statistics.
  2. Students must take five of the following six required courses   (15 credit hours):
    • MATH 8500 Systems Biology (3)
    • MATH 8505 Advanced Mathematical Biology (3) (if not taken as a required course)
    • MATH 8515 Mathematical Neuroscience (3)
    • MATH 8520 Applied Combinatorics and Graph Theory (3)
    • MATH 8525 Applied Stochastic Processes (3)
    • MATH 8560 Informatics of Biological Systems (3)
  3. Students must take at least 9 credit hours selected from the list below (9 credit hours).
  4. Students must take at least 18 credit hours that should be selected from other graduate level courses in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and courses from other departments listed below. The total number of required hours of coursework is 54; if STAT 8561 is taken as part of the core and used to also satisfy the 9 required hours above, a student must take additional coursework in Mathematics and Statistics or from the list below.
  5. Dissertation Research (30 hours of MATH 9999 or STAT 9999)

Concentration in Biostatistics

  1. The following two courses should be included if they are not selected in the core courses:
  2. The following courses (27 credit hours) are required:
  3. At least 15 credit hours should be selected from other graduate-level courses in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and courses from other departments listed as follows:
  4. Dissertation Research (30 hours of MATH 9999 or STAT 9999)

Concentration in Mathematics

  1. The mathematics concentration requires that a student chooses three of the following six areas as subjects for the qualifying exam and take the two required courses for the topic if they were not taken as part of the common core. The qualifying exam is comprised of three separate written exams on each of the three chosen areas. The exam is administered by the department.
    • Analysis:Take both of the following:
    • Matrix Theory: MATH 8200 Advanced Matrix Analysis (3) and one of following:
    • Algebra: Take both of the following:
    • Discrete Mathematics: Take both of the following:
    • Applied Mathematics: Select two courses from the following:
    • Collegiate Mathematics Education: Take both of the following:
      • MATH 9126 Epistemology of Advanced Mathematical Concepts (3)
      • MATH 9136 Learning Theories Relevant to Collegiate Mathematics Education (3)
  2. For breadth and specialization a student following the concentration in mathematics will take at least 8 additional courses (24 hours) chosen from the following. At least three but no more than six should be 8000 and/or 9000-level courses within the student’s chosen area of specialization. Students are not permitted to take 6000 or 7000-level courses in an area in which they have taken a qualifying exam. Topics courses can be taken more than once if the topic is different. The total number of hours of coursework should not be less than 54 hours. If there is overlap between courses taken for the qualifying exam and the common core, then additional courses from the following list should be taken to meet the requirement for 54 hours. Two of the 8000-level courses within the student’s specialty will be chosen by the student as the basis for the candidacy exam. No student will be permitted to take a candidacy exam based on a course that was used for a qualifying exam.
  3. Dissertation Research (30 hours of MATH 9999 or STAT 9999)

Transfer credit hours: Students can transfer at most 24 semester credit hours to the program with the approval of the appropriate Graduate Director of the Department. Petition documents include the transcript, the course syllabi, exams and course notes or the textbook.

Qualifying exam: Students must pass a qualifying exam set by the appropriate graduate committee in accordance with any further requirements specified in the previously described concentrations. Students who fail the exam on the first attempt may take it only one more time. Students must pass the qualifying exam within two calendar years of admission.

Candidacy exam: Students must pass an oral candidacy exam before a committee that includes at least two final members of the student’s dissertation committee. The candidacy exam is set by the committee and covers course material within the student’s area of specialization or a proposed topic of thesis research. The details are determined by the committee in a manner consistent with any guidelines stated above for the student’s concentration. A student must advance to candidacy by the fourth year. The candidacy exam can be taken only twice.

Dissertation Committee: The student and his/her dissertation adviser shall form a dissertation committee. The committee should consist of at least four faculty members. For students in the bioinformatics and biostatistics concentrations, one committee member should be from another department such as the School of Public Health, the Department of Biology or another institution.

Final dissertation defense: Upon completion of the research, the student must defend his/her dissertation publicly.