This degree, offered by SJSU’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics  is recommended for future community college teachers and for students who plan to continue toward the PhD in mathematics.

University Admission Requirements

Applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply system and must meet all the university admission requirements . Applicants from countries in which the native language is not English must achieve a minimum English-language proficiency test score as indicated on the Graduate Program Test Requirements webpage.

Students can be admitted in either classified or conditionally classified standing. 

Admission to Graduate Standing - Classified 

To enter this program with classified standing, a student must meet the minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Division, have completed 18 semester units of upper-division undergraduate mathematics with a GPA of at least 3.0, and have one to three letters of recommendation submitted on his or her behalf. The coursework must be acceptable toward a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and may not be counted toward the MA degree.

Admission to Graduate Standing - Conditionally Classified 

A student who meets the minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Division but does not satisfy the mathematics coursework requirements stated above may be admitted as a conditionally classified student. Eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis. The individual admission letter will explain the required terms and conditions for attaining classified standing. After arrival at SJSU, a conditionally admitted student must complete additional coursework to make up for the unit deficiency in order to achieve classified status. These make-up units will not be included in the MA degree unit requirement total.

Advancement to Candidacy

The university requirements for advancement to candidacy   for the master’s degree are outlined in the Graduate Policies and Procedures  section. Students should seek advancement to candidacy as soon as possible for their given program and on the advice of their graduate program coordinator. Graduate students may submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form to the Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after satisfying the following: achieved classified status; completed a minimum of nine letter-graded units with all grades “C” or higher; fulfilled the Campus Graduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) requirement; achieved a minimum cumulative and program 3.0 GPA, and, graduate within the seven-year time limit for degree completion. Graduate students must submit their petition no later than one semester prior to graduating. Courses that satisfy the CGGWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program.

The student must complete the Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form. This form lists, among other things, all the coursework to be counted toward the master’s degree. After the form has been signed by the student’s thesis or writing project advisor (if applicable) and the Graduate Coordinator, it is forwarded to GAPE for final approval. Any subsequent changes to the student’s program require approval from GAPE.

Program of Study Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements  section of the Graduate Policies and Procedures . Students must comply with all other graduate requirements contained in this catalog.

Culminating Experience

Students must choose one of three options: The Plan A (Thesis), Plan B (Project), or Plan B (Comprehensive Examination).

Plan A (Thesis)

A student who selects the Thesis option must find a willing tenured or tenure-track faculty member to serve as the thesis advisor, and complete a thesis under that advisor’s supervision. The thesis must be reviewed and approved by a committee composed of the advisor and two other faculty members chosen by the student in consultation with the advisor. The student must give a public presentation on the thesis, which is followed by an oral examination (defense) conducted by the committee. The thesis must be filed with the College of Graduate Studies, subject to the SJSU Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines and deadlines established by that office.

Thesis students must enroll in MATH 299  (3 units). Students receive credit when the thesis is completed, successfully defended, and all committee members have signed off on it. Students who do not complete their theses during the semester in which they are enrolled in MATH 299  will receive a grade of “RP” for that course. If all other degree requirements have been completed, students must subsequently enroll in MATH 1290R  in compliance with university regulations until the thesis is completed, defended, and approved by Graduate Studies.

Plan B (Project)

A student who selects the Project option must find a willing tenured or tenure-track faculty member to serve as the project advisor, and complete a written project under that advisor’s supervision. The project must be reviewed and approved by a committee composed of the advisor and two other faculty members chosen by the student in consultation with the advisor. The student must give a public presentation on the project, which is followed by an oral examination (defense) conducted by the committee.

Students choosing the Plan B (Project) option must enroll in MATH 298  (3 units). Students receive credit when the writing project is completed, successfully defended, and all committee members have signed off on it. Students who do not complete their projects during the semester in which they are enrolled in MATH 298  will receive a grade of “RP” for that course. If all other degree requirements have been completed, students must subsequently sign up for MATH 1290R  in compliance with university regulations until the writing project is completed and defended.

Plan B (Comprehensive Examination)

Students who select this option must pass two written comprehensive examinations. One examination will be in Higher Algebra (MATH 221A  and MATH 221B ). The second exam will be in Analysis (MATH 231A  and MATH 231B ).

Students choosing the Plan B (Comprehensive Exam) option must enroll in an additional elective (3 units) selected in consultation with the program graduate advisor. Students complete the program Culminating Experience when they pass both exams. Students who successfully complete all other program requirements but not one or both exams must subsequently enroll in MATH 1290R  for the following semester or semesters in compliance with the university requirement for continuous enrollment until both exams have been passed in one sitting.