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

Hi,

After much searching, I am only successful in locating distance programs in mathematics education. I am looking for information on applied, computational, industrial mathematics and/or statistics programs at either the M.A., M.S., PhD, MPhil, or D.Sc. level *but* these programs must be distance and hopefully regionally accredited for US students. The forums contain information about many math ed programs, but that is not what I am looking for. Does anyone have any info? Thanks!

 

To the best of my knowledge, {doctorate distance programs} INTERSECT {{applied, computational, industrial} UNION {mathematics}} INTERSECT {regionally accredited} = {}. There are a few ideas for an RA math Master's here, and several foreign institutions might be able to help you at the doctorate level (and those degrees could then be evaluated by NACES or AACRAO).

Best of luck with your program; please let the rest of us know if you uncover a suitable program.

 

What foreign university/ies would you be talking about? I am not familiar with NACES or AACRAO. Basically, would the foreign degree be recognized by US employers?

 

Central Queensland University www.cqu.edu.au, the University of Melbourne www.unimelb.edu.au, the University of New England www.une.edu.au, and the University of South Africa www.unisa.ac.za all offer dissertation-only PhD degrees in Mathematics.

 

I see. Would these types of degrees be useful for employment in the US? Also, since my employer just cut tuition benefits I would have to fork out my own $$$ for tuition. Does anyone know the relative/approximate cost(s) for these types of degrees?

Thanks!

 

Hi, would these types of degrees be recognized and acknowledged for 4-year college lecturers here in the US? Since my employer just cut tuition benefits for us, I would have to shell out my own $$$ for tuition. What are the approximate costs for such a degree? Does anyone know of any individuals who have taken a course at any of these universities??

Thanks!

 

The Australian universities will cost much the same as US universities. UNISA will cost SUBSTANTIALLY less.

 

For the University of Melbourne and Central Queensland Uni, where are you finding information about external/distance degrees as a possible option? I have visited the websites and thoroughly searched for such information. All of what I have found only states that PhD programs in mathematics/statistics are available on-campus only..... Are you sure these universities do distance education for a PhD?

 

For example, if you click on the word "external" you will get some of the information you're looking for.

http://handbook.cqu.edu.au/Handbook/programs_2.jsp?s=2&code=CD62

http://handbook.cqu.edu.au/Handbook/programs_2.jsp?s=2&code=CD61

 

Then this

http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=222

 

So, it seems there are not any US or Canadian schools which have such options? That is, as I mentioned earlier, it seems the only option when searching for an online graduate degree in industrial math, computational math, applied or pure math the only results are math education (which I'm not interested in). I did find some schools from grad schools.com (such as American Global U) but those schools looked kinda skanky, like used drug paraphernalia found at a gas station just off the free-way. And, it seems the forums are strong advocates that they are not regionally accredited (which I am looking for). So, there seem to be options in Australia (CQU, UMelbourne, etc) and UNISA in South Africa... but I just can't believe there is nothing in the US or Canada for students looking at such degrees from a truly accredited university via distance....?

 

Unisa

Registration at UNISA can be a bit of a nightmare.

There is an Indian Univeristy that has a branch in the USA, MKU, which may be rigorous but it's not regionally accredited. It's not in applied math though.

http://mkudeusa.org/Home_Page.html

I contacted them and they're under the annual examination system.

 

Henri

There are good (and expensive) masters in applied math at the University of Washington and Columbia (about $23,000 and $42,000 respectively). Colorado State and Texas A&M have masters in statistics. RIT has a masters in applied stats. I believe that the University of Houston also just started a masters in applied math. Almost everything else out there is math-teaching. None of those is good prep for a PhD program.

I will go out on a limb here as far as US-based PhD programs and say that it will be nearly impossible to do one at a distance. As far as non-US, I think it depends. My feeling is that you would be expected to have PhD coursework pretty much done and have a promising research path mapped out. Then you'd have to shop around for an advisor who would take you on. I think a math PhD is one of those areas that is better tackled in the traditional way. That's just my 2-cents.

I think UW is a very good option for an applied math masters. The price is reasonable, and they have one of the best applied math departments in the country. It is truly at a graduate level. The one drawback is that the curriculum is very narrow. It's almost all numeric methods, and courses in pde's, scientific computing etc. I realize that IS applied math for a lot of people, but I would like to see some options in probability and stats, quantitative finance etc.

Tom

 

Colorado State University

HAVE a look at CSU - Colorado State University.

http://www.stat.colostate.edu/distance_degree.html

ME in Statistics by distance ed.

"We offer a wide variety of graduate level statistics courses and limited number of undergraduate courses. A master's degree, MS in statistics, as well as two certificates may be earned by distance.

"Colorado State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Our MS in Statistics program was recently recognized as a Best Buy Online Degree by GetEducated.com, a well recognized resource for online education. GetEducated.com’s program review is based on quality and cost of regionally accredited institutions."

I have enjoyed my study at Colorado State University in subjects like history and western literature in the English Department. And I am considering the grad certificate in Applied Stats and Data Analysis - fun and very useful!

 

MS in Math, entirely online!

THIS looks promising:

Mathematics -- MS
Offered Online [Select Courses Require On-Site Test Proctor]

The Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Economics at Emporia State University offers a Master of Science in Mathematics degree that is available online. The program may require on-site test proctoring for select courses.

The MS in Mathematics program is designed for professionals teaching in secondary schools and community colleges. Flexible course offerings allow students the opportunity to create individualized programs by taking classes that meet their mathematical interests in applied mathematics, statistics, computer science, or mathematics education. Program courses have been formatted to give students the flexibility of an online program.

Total credit hours required for degree program: 32-34 credit hours

Program Web Site:www.emporia.edu/mathcsecon/masters.html
Program Description: www.emporia.edu/grad/docs/math.pdf
Program Contact: Dr. Joe Yanik ([email protected] or 1-877-332-4249 ext. 5281)

SOURCE
http://www.emporia.edu/lifelong/programs/grad.htm

 

Is this a REAL school (as in accredited and all that)? There web site actually looks kind of flaky, which is why I am saying this...

So, so far, it really only looks like possible, and affordable, options are Washington (applied math), colorado State (stats), TAMU or Houston (I have no interest in anything from Texas!), or Australian universities....

Looking at web pages of these programs I can't really say I'm impressed with any of them. The Washington program comes close but it is almost prohibitively expensive as my employer dropped tuition coverage last year. Anyone know of any other options? And, thanks for the input so far!!

 

Emporia is a real university located in Kansas. It is also regionally accredited. I suppose it's not the flashiest website I've ever seen but it could be a good choice for a Math Masters. There aren't all that many choices. Good find Orson.

 

So there are a few options at CSU, Kansas, and Washington. These programs look OK and are at the masters level. But, I am still hoping to find information about a PhD in math, hopefully that is affordable. Yes, I looked at the Australian programs but they would cost about $90k and I'm not able to afford that kind of cash for a degree. My work will not support students who pursue a degree at Uni South Africa, so that is not an option. And, while I aprpeciate the info on the masters programs, I'm still wondering if anyone might have more information about a PhD program which is affordable...???

 

To go along with what Orson already posted, CSU also offers a distance PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.

http://www.learn.colostate.edu/degrees/industrial-engineering.dot

 

I am relatively certain there is no such animal. I would bet the only possibility would be to complete a masters in math first, and then see if you could get a foreign university to sponsor you for the phd work at a distance. That's a tough sell. I don't know that there's any way around the high cost. A masters is going to be 3-5 years part time. A residential PhD would normally be 2-3 years beyond that, so figure another 3-5 years for part-time, at a distance. You're looking at 6-10 years, if it's even possible. So $90,000 sounds about right (in fact, cheap).

I'm in the math field and have spent time in math grad school. I don't know of anyone who has completed a PhD in math part time. With few exceptions, it's a full-time, completely consuming endeavor. Students at the top uni's have 4-5 years of full support while working on one, and still a high percentage don't finish it. I admire the goal, but it makes me shake my head and say "whew."

Perhaps another possibility would be to do a masters at say, Washington, and in the process, see if you can develop a relationship with a prof who would take you on for phd work. Honestly, if you're coming from a BA in math, it's almost easier to think about getting into a traditional PhD program, quitting work, moving, and doing it the old fashioned way. I say this, of course, without the slightest idea whether that's even feasible. However, given that there's no well-defined road to do it at a distance, it's something to consider.