Dear Prospective Graduate Student:
First of all, let me express my appreciation for your interest in graduate studies in the Department of Mathematics at Kansas State University. If you look forward to serious mathematical pursuits, carried out in a friendly atmosphere with dedicated faculty and highly-motivated fellow graduate students, I encourage you to apply. What follows is an outline of the basic requirements into our Program.
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.
Please go to our application webpage ( U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents or International ) for for step-by-step instructions on how to apply to the Graduate Program in Mathematics.
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 and these are awarded on a competitive basis. Support during the summer session is usually available. The duties of a teaching assistant include teaching three to four credit hours of elementary collegiate mathematics per semester, together with two hours per week staffing the Mathematics Department Help Sessions. Additional duties entail keeping office hours and class preparation.
All foreign students whose primary language is not English are required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and achieve a score of at least 100 (TOEFL Ibt), 250 (computer version) or 600 (written version); those who wish to apply for a teaching assistantship must also pass the Speaking section of the TOEFL Ibt with a minimum score of 26 or the TSE (Test of Spoken English) with a minimum score of 50. The TOEFL and TSE are 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, I should mention that the TSE requirement is 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 your TSE score.
International applicants: 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.
Graduate Teaching Assistants must take at least 9 hours and no more than 12 semester hours of math classes in both the Fall and Spring semesters. Under these conditions, it normally takes a person with a good background two years to complete the requirements for a Master's degree and additional three to four years to complete the Ph.D. Correspondingly, assistantships are renewed provided the scholastic work and teaching of the individual are satisfactory. Summer support for Graduate Teaching Assistants is usually available; to be eligible for Summer support, GTAs must enroll in 6 credit hours of math classes during the Summer semester.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to write me or our Director of Graduate Studies .
Sincerely,
Louis Pigno
Professor and Department Head