M'A' in Mathematics at Fresno State

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M.A. in Mathematics at Fresno State

• Doreen De Leon, Graduate Coordinator
• doreendl_at_csufresno.edu
• 559-278-4009

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Why Fresno State?

• Relatively small program gives more opportunity
  for one-on-one work.
• Faculty commitment to high standards.
• Faculty commitment to students.
• Variety of courses to prepare students for broad
  range of career opportunities.
• Courses given late afternoon/early evening.
• Financial aid available.

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The Program in Brief

• Two options
• Traditional track
• Best satisfies the needs of students who wish to
  work in industry, teach at community college, or
  go on to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics.
• Teaching Option
• Designed especially for students who wish to
  enhance their high school mathematics teaching
  and/or assume a leadership role in high school
  mathematics education and beyond.
• Also appropriate for those wishing to teach at
  the community college level.

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Admission Requirements

• A Bachelors degree, preferably in Mathematics.
• To be fully classified, need
• Undergraduate preparation in mathematics
  comparable to that of a typical math major at
  Fresno State and
• A 3.0 grade point average in the last 60 units
  taken.

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Admission Information (cont.)

• Students lacking required preparation may be
  admitted conditionally.
• These students will become fully classified after
  meeting additional requirements as set by the
  graduate coordinator.
• Example the student may be required to take
  certain upper division courses (e.g., abstract
  algebra, linear algebra, analysis, geometry).

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The Traditional Option

• Requires 30 units of coursework, including
  project.
• Core curriculum Math 251, Math 271.
• Electives grad level (200) courses and/or up to
  3 approved upper division courses.
• Course plan should be approved by grad.
  coordinator as early as possible.

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Some Graduate Courses

• Core courses
• MATH 251. Abstract Algebra I Groups, rings,
  integral domains, and fields.
• MATH 271. Real Variables Theory of sets
  cardinals ordinals function spaces, linear
  spaces measure theory modern theory of
  integration and differentiation.
• Some other courses
• MATH 216T. Topics in Number Theory
• MATH 232. Mathematical Models with Technology
• MATH 291T. Seminar

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Traditional Option More Info.

• Two qualifying exams
• One in Analysis and one in Algebra
• Must be taken the first semester in which student
  becomes classified.
• Must be passed to advance to candidacy.
• Masters project
• Should represent independent investigation of a
  topic in advanced mathematics.
• Requires written report and oral presentation.
• Completed in the last semester of study.

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The Teaching Option

• Requires 30 units of coursework, including
  project.
• Core curriculum
• Math 250, 260, 270
• CI 250 and CI 275
• Electives grad level (200) courses and/or up to
  3 approved upper division courses.
• Course plan should be approved by grad.
  coordinator as early as possible.

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The Core Math Courses Teaching Option

• MATH 250. Perspectives in Algebra Study of
  advanced topics in algebra, providing a higher
  perspective to concepts in the high school
  curriculum. Topics selected from, but not limited
  to, groups, rings, fields, and vector spaces.
• MATH 260. Perspectives in Geometry Geometry from
  a transformations point of view. Euclidean and
  noneuclidean geometries in two and three
  dimensions. Problem solving and proofs using
  transformations. Topics chosen to be relevant to
  geometrical concepts in the high school
  curriculum.
• MATH 270. Perspectives in Analysis An overview
  of the development of mathematical analysis, both
  real and complex. Emphasizes interrelation of the
  various areas of study , the use of technology,
  and relevance to the high school mathematics
  curriculum.

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Teaching Option More Info.

• Passing score on the three Mathematics Subtests
  of the CSET required to advance to candidacy.
• Masters project
• Should represent independent investigation into
  either mathematics education or a topic in
  advanced mathematics that is not covered in a
  standard course.
• Requires written report and oral presentation.
• Completed in the last semester of study.

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Graduate Faculty

• Rajee Amarasinghe Interdisciplinary mathematics,
  technology in learning mathematics,
  ethno-mathematics.
• Comlan de Souza Fourier analysis, digital
  signal processing, phase recovery.
• Lance Burger Teacher education, advanced
  mathematical thinking, philosophy of mathematics
  education.

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Graduate Faculty (cont.)

• Carmen Caprau Quantum topology, knot theory,
  categorifications of knot invariants.
• Larry Cusick Geometry.
• Stefaan Delcroix Finite groups, abstract
  algebra, coding theory, number theory.
• Doreen De Leon Numerical analysis, applied
  mathematics.

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Graduate Faculty (cont.)

• Della C. Duncan Manifold theory, differential
  geometry.
• Ernesto Franco Dynamical systems.
• Tamas Forgacs Several complex variables,
  differential geometry, health economics,
  mathematical economics.

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Graduate Faculty (cont.)

• Katherine Kelm Algebraic topology,
  low-dimensional homotopy, CW complexes.
• Maria Nogin Algebraic topology, cohomology of
  groups, group extensions, cohomology ring of a
  group extension, maps of free groups, dynamical
  topological logics, topological semantics of
  modal logics.
• Adnan Sabuwala Numerical analysis, numerical
  finite difference techniques, spectrally matched
  grids.

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Graduate Faculty (cont.)

• Peter Tannenbaum Combinatorics, error
  correcting codes, probability theory.
• Agnes Tuska Use of technology in mathematics
  education, concept formation, secondary
  mathematics teacher education.
• Oscar Vega Algebra translation planes, finite
  geometries, combinatorics.
• Ke Wu Applied statistics, statistical and
  mathematical computing.

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Why Get a Masters Now?

• Better employment opportunities
• Industry Companies prefer hiring students with
  advanced degrees.
• Ability to teach at a city college.
• Higher pay teaching at secondary school.
• Opportunity to re-connect or connect more deeply
  with mathematics.