Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
See “Educational Mathematics Ph.D.”
Master’s Degree en route to the Ph.D.
Students may apply for admission to the Ph.D. in Educational Mathematics and complete the M.A. in Mathematics - Liberal Arts Concentration on the way to completion of the doctoral program. Once admitted, the student will work closely with their academic advisor to develop a Plan of Study that meets both M.A. and Ph.D. program requirements. Students must complete all program requirements for the M.A. in addition to the hours required for the Ph.D. However, for students enrolled in the doctoral program prior to Fall 2023, up to 18 hours of MATH, MED or SRM courses at the 500 level or above from their degree program for the M.A. in Mathematics - Liberal Arts Concentration can be applied toward their Educational Mathematics Ph.D. plan of study. These credit hours will be counted toward both degrees.
Students must be conferred with the M.A. degree prior to admission to doctoral candidacy.
Degree Requirements — 64 Credits
Mathematics Content Core — 21 semester hours
A. Required Courses — 6 hours
B. Elective Courses — 15 hours chosen from the following courses:
At most, two courses may be included from the following: (The two courses may both come from Category I but at most one course can be from Category II.)
Category I
Category II
Mathematics Education Research Core — 18 hours
A. Required Courses — 12 hours
| MED 610 | Survey of Research in Mathematics Education | 3 |
| MED 700 | Cognitive Processes in Mathematics | 3 |
| MED 701 | Quantitative Research in Mathematics Education | 3 |
| MED 702 | Qualitative Research in Mathematics Education | 3 |
B. Elective Courses — 6 hours chosen from the following courses:
(Advisor must approve courses)
| MED 622 | Directed Studies | 1- 3 |
| MED 674 | Teaching and Learning Mathematics on the Secondary Level | 3 |
| MED 675 | Teaching and Learning Mathematics on the Post-Secondary Level | 3 |
| MED 678 | Special Topics | 2- 3 |
| MED 703 | Teaching and Learning K-12 Mathematics | 3 |
| MED 750 | History and Philosophy of Mathematics Education | 3 |
Required Research Content Core — 9 hours
A. Required Courses — 6 hours
| SRM 502 | Applied Statistics | 3 |
| SRM 680 | Introduction to Qualitative Research | 3 |
B. Electives — 3 hours
Take any SRM or MED course at the 600 level or higher, or, with advisor's approval, any university-wide course at the 600 level or higher.
Research Proposal/Dissertation — 16 hours
MATH 797: Must take 4 credits but they can be split between different semesters.
MATH 799: Must take 12 credits but they can be split between different semesters.
Research Tools
This program includes the following required research tools: (A) Applied Statistics, which is fulfilled by successful completion of SRM 502 (3 hours); (B) Qualitative Research Methods, which is fulfilled by successful completion of SRM 680 and MED 702 (6 hours total). These requirements will be satisfied by successfully completing the courses already required above.
Program Notes
Students in this program must pass written comprehensive exams in mathematics and mathematics education followed by an oral comprehensive exam over their entire program. A document describing examination procedures may be obtained from the program office or the program website.
A student in this program is required to write a scholarly dissertation. Dissertation topics may range from mathematics with pedagogical applications to topics in educational mathematics such as cognitive processes, educational reform and instructional issues.