The requirements for admission for graduate work in mathematics are 21 semester hours of work beyond the calculus level and a B average or better in courses taken in mathematics. Also, one should have a B average in all work taken during one's last two years of university study.
All incoming students must take a Basic Examination administered by the Department of Mathematics before enrolling in graduate study at Kansas State University. One purpose of the examination is to determine the student's level of mathematical background and maturity and to enable the Graduate Advisory Committee to advise the student accordingly. The examination tests for a basic knowledge of undergraduate mathematics (especially in the areas of modern algebra and elementary analysis) and for the ability to construct and elucidate a proof. Passing the Basic Exam is a requirement for both the Master's and Ph.D. degrees.
Some departmental support is available in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships
All foreign students whose primary language is not English are required to take an English language test and achieve a certain minimum sccore (550 for the written version of TOEFL, 79 for the internet based version of TOEFL or 6.5 for the IELTS); those who wish to apply for a teaching assistantship must also pass the Speaking section of the TOEFL Ibt with a minimum score of 22 or the university provided SPEAK test with a minimum score of 50. The TOEFL test is administered world-wide by the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, New Jersey 08541. These test scores cannot be more than 2 years old to be considered valid. Although we frequently award teaching assistantships to students from non-English speaking countries, it should be mentioned that the speaking requirements are mandated by the Kansas Board of Regents, and therefore cannot be waived. If you wish to apply for a teaching assistantship, you must also submit a copy of the Speaking section of the iBT TOEFL score.
If you will come only under the condition that you obtain a teaching assistantship, (that is, if you list your only source of support to be by the Mathematics Department), then we cannot recommend your admission to the Graduate School unless we also offer you support in the form of a teaching assistantship. If you are awarded a teaching assistantship, the stipend provided by the KSU Mathematics Department along with the in-state residency fees, full tuition waivers in the Fall and Spring Semesters, and affordable health insurance programs available to graduate students will provide sufficient funds to meet the requirements of the Affidavit of Financial Support. If you plan to provide your own support, that is, if you will come regardless of whether or not we provide you with a teaching assistantship, you should name the provider of the full $29,850 per year for themselves, and an additional in the appropriate section of the Affidavit of Financial Support.
