M.A., M.S., PhD Options in Math

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Poincare_, May 2, 2009.

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  1. Thorvald

    Thorvald New Member

    New program?

    I have not seen this program mentioned before. Also, I could not find the fees page to see if the program qualifies for the non-resident tuition waver like some of the distance programs are at UWF.
    See: http://uwf.edu/mathstat/graduate/

    Best wished----Jim
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I guess I don't know what this means. Your work won't support students...
    Does that mean they won't pay tuition reimbursement? So what? It's only hundreds of dollars per year. You'd pay more for books in some US programs. Maybe when you realize that there really are NO/NONE/ZERO/ZIP/ZILCH/NADA/NUNCA other programs you'll change your mind about UNISA.
     
  3. Thorvald

    Thorvald New Member

  4. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

  5. Poincare_

    Poincare_ New Member

    OK. So there hasn't been much action here lately. With the exception of the UWF and UWash programs, does any one know of any other or newer programs that might be available online or at least partially online?

    Thanks much!
     
  6. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Even though I’m from Texas …:cool:

    Universiti Sains Malaysia (School of Distance Education) offers the M.Sc. (Mathematics) by research http://pppjj.usm.my/page%20bachelor%20sc.html
    and
    Ph.D. in Mathematics http://pppjj.usm.my/page%20phd.html

    University Home page: http://www.usm.my/bi/

    P.S. Monetarily the current exchange rate is 3.38447 Malaysian Ringgit (RM) to $1 U.S. (e.g., RM 3720 - 4200/year Part-time = $1099 to $1240)
     
  7. Poincare_

    Poincare_ New Member

     
  8. major56

    major56 Active Member

    You exhibit that you may be somewhat unfamiliar with degree recognition; the U.S. makes use of the accreditation process; foreign schools are authorized /recognized by their government/s (excepting some with additional U.S. programmatic accreditation). This particular university is acknowledged by the Malaysian government and their awarded degrees should be evaluated by a legitimate foreign credential evaluation service as equivalent /comparable to a U.S. degree. BTW, this university also has a medical school. :cool:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 2, 2010
  9. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    It's fairly common to see mathematicians and scientists with foreign degrees in American schools. It seems like American universities often look to places like Russia and India with strong math traditions.

    Here's one example I just found after searching for about 10 seconds:

    http://people.math.gatech.edu/~hmzhou/
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 2, 2010
  10. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    Math, probably more than any other subject, is able to cross language barriers. Isn't math a sort of universal language? With that in mind it might not be as bad to get foreign math degrees before taking on an American PhD or fellowship. It should be fairly easy to rate an applicant's abilities through testing or a review of his/her papers. Since my last post I've found quite a few professors and high-class American schools who studies through their master's in places like Mexico and China. It seems like it may be a more mainstream to study math abroad, compared to humanities and social sciences, and then finish in the USA.
     
  11. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Tony,

    According to Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Distance Education, the postgraduate M.Sc. and Ph.D. in mathematics) are research degrees – not so uncommon with foreign institutions. The original poster (Poincare) asked for assistance regarding “legitimate” programs offering the masters and/or doctorate in mathematics at an “affordable” cost. However, Poincare vacillates, e.g., “Since my employer just cut tuition benefits for us, I would have to shell out my own $$$ for tuition” vs. “My work will not support students who pursue a degree at Uni South Africa, so that is not an option.” Seemingly contradictory statements; which is it (e.g., if the employer doesn’t provide tuition assistance, obviously that same employer isn’t going to support tuition assistance no matter the university … foreign or domestic)? Additionally, Poincare requests information on either the master-level or terminal degree level. And if poster Poincare is in fact considering going directly into a Ph.D. program as a baccalaureate degree holder, then the foreign degree route would most likely be the only option in that U.S. institutions in general require that the doctoral applicant first hold a masters.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 3, 2010
  12. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    The foreign undergraduate degrees offer much more math prep than USA schools. A UNISA student who completes the 4th year honors BA in math has had 4 solid years of math, compared to the American student who studies it solely in the last 2 years.
     
  13. major56

    major56 Active Member

    As I mention earlier Tony, the original poster is ostensibly unfamiliar with foreign credentials and their recognition, and as you mention … such degrees can even be advanced in academic requirement /thoroughness. And with narrow U.S. options toward postgraduate mathematics degrees via entirely DL and at a lower tuition rate – why not consider the non-U.S. option, since in this case according to Poincare, tuition is entirely the student’s responsibility?
     
  14. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    I agree. That's the route I would take. I recently contacted UNISA's North American liason about an undergraduate degree in math and was impressed with the curriculum sheets. They offer three routes that allow you to choose between science and social sciences.

    As a side note, back in 96 I was on my way to a math degree but wussed out, and thought UNISA would be a cheap way to hit reset. Undergraduate math gives you so many options across fields. You will often see admissions or employment requirements of this or that or math.
     
  15. Tom57

    Tom57 Member

    As I mentioned before, I don't think you will find a distance learning PhD option in math. There just isn't enough demand to warrant such a degree. People desiring a math PhD aren't usually trying to do one while juggling full-time work, family etc. Thus there aren't many people clamoring for such a degree. I would venture that most math departments that can qualify a PhD candidate have no desire to sponsor a student outside their walls. Getting a math PhD isn't like working on an MBA, where employers might be encouraging, and the requirements largely consist of the completion of fairly standard coursework.

    A math dissertation is quite a different matter than, say, a DBA, where you can satisfy the research component by finding a previously unanswered question, researching it, and then writing up your findings. It usually requires solving a previously unsolved problem, or at least punching a hole in it - something that isn't always possible. I can't even imagine such an undertaking working in isolation at a distance.

    If you have an established reputation with a university (probably foreign), you might be able to wrangle an arrangement to start work toward a doctorate - perhaps with scheduled visits with an advisor/professor. I would think that the absolute minimum requirement for such an arrangement would be a research masters degree, and a very good start on a research problem. I would recommend Washington's program again, though strictly speaking it is fully coursework. Washington has a top-15 math department, and is very highly rated in applied math. I'm not sure why you disparage Texas A&M merely for being based in Texas(?). They also have a highly regarded math and stats department.

    If I were in your shoes, I would sign on to one of the masters programs, and upon completion make a decision about a PhD. The coursework required at Columbia or Washington for the masters would be required for PhD work anyway, so it would not be wasted effort.

    You might want to take a look at this link to the preliminary exams in math at Berkeley (arguably the best math department in the world). They expect new graduate students to pass these exams in their first year, and they are far from easy. In theory, you would have to be able to do work at this level at the start of your distance learning adventure, even if you could find a distance learning option. I just don't think there is such an option out there, at least not one that will have a defined path set-up and waiting for a Google hit to reveal it.

    http://math.berkeley.edu/index.php?module=documents&JAS_DocumentManager_op=viewDocument&JAS_Document_id=6
     
  16. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    Pretty Good Deals $$

    Good points! Sains Malaysia looks like a nice place. I think Australians often use their DL programs, so it's probably not difficult to accommodate Americans. Even if you had to travel there once or twice you could really make a nice vacation of it. Madarai Kamaraj has both the BSc and MA in math through the annual examination system. Probably, you can complete your entire math education through a master's for less than you'd spend on a year or so of undergraduate work in the USA. Madarai Kamaraj, like UNISA, has an office and testing sites across the USA. Basically, for a year of undergraduate work, including materials, you pay $600 down and three payments of $200.

    All three schools use English as their primary language, so it wouldn't likely be hard to get the transcripts evaluated for USA purposes.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 3, 2010
  17. major56

    major56 Active Member

    This statement could single-handedly offer reason to be suspect of this poster’s thread...
     
  18. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    Yeah...I can't see a reason for dismissing all of Texas!
     
  19. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Tony,

    I’m really not too familiar with Universiti Sains Malaysia, but it’s a legitimate Malaysian university; and with current exchange rates (better than 3:1) with the U.S. Dollar … a darn economical tuition rate.
     
  20. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Nor all of Australia … :D
     

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