Mathematics and Science Education

Graduate Information

Graduate Information

For further information regarding programs, consult the following:

Ph.D. Program
CRMSE
6475 Alvarado Rd., #236
619-594-4696
e-mail: mathsciphd@sdsu.edu
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/msed/
M.A. Program

Mathematics and Statistics
619-594-6191
Teacher Education
619-594-6131

Mathematics and Science Education Faculty

Joanne E. Lobato, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics, Coordinator for Ph.D. Program
Leland L. Beck, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus
Marva G. Cappello, Ph.D., Professor of Teacher Education
Alexander W. Chizhik, Ph.D., Professor of Teacher Education
Lisa L. Clement Lamb, Ph.D., Professor of Teacher Education
Fred M. Goldberg, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, Emeritus
Scott T. Kelley, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Richard A. Levine, Ph.D., Professor of Statistics
Stanley R. Maloy, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation of Graduate and Research Affairs
Walter C. Oechel, Ph.D., Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Biology
Michael E. O’Sullivan, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics
Randolph A. Philipp, Ph.D., Professor of Teacher Education
Chris L. Rasmussen, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics
Kathy S. Williams, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Emeritus
J. Luke Wood, Ph.D., Professor of Administration, Rehabilitation and Postsecondary Education, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Matthew E. Anderson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics [Senate Distinguished Professor]
Janet S. Bowers, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
Susan D. Nickerson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics (M.A.T.S. Graduate Adviser)
Donna L. Ross, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Teacher Education
Melissa M. Soto, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Teacher Education
Dustin B. Thoman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology
Meredith E. Vaughn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Teacher Education (Ph.D. Graduate Adviser)
William C. Zahner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
Daniel Reinholz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Committee for Mathematics Education

Lisa L. Clement Lamb, Ph.D., Professor of Teacher Education
Joanne E. Lobato, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics
Randolph A. Philipp, Ph.D., Professor of Teacher Education
Chris L. Rasmussen, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics
Janet S. Bowers, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
Melissa M. Soto, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Teacher Education
Susan D. Nickerson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
William C. Zahner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics
Daniel Reinholz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Admission to Graduate Study

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.

All applicants must submit admissions materials to SDSU Graduate Admissions.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended;

NOTE:
- Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
- Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
GRE scores (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682);
English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).

Mathematics and Science Education

The following admissions materials must be submitted electronically. For information regarding the admissions process, visit the program website at http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/msed/. The Cal State Apply application must be completed prior to the mathematics and science education admissions materials.

Mathematics and science education application;
Three letters of recommendation attesting to capability to do graduate work in mathematics and science education;
Personal statement;
One copy of unofficial transcript;
Curriculum vitae or resume.

Section I. Master’s Degree Programs

General Information

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers two specializations in its program of graduate study leading to a Master of Arts degree for teaching service. The specialization for community college teaching offers candidates a program designed to provide them with the mathematical breadth necessary to teach a wide variety of lower-division collegiate mathematics courses, while also providing them with a better understanding of the issues involved in teaching and learning mathematics. The specialization for secondary teaching offers coursework designed to strengthen the mathematical background of secondary teachers, to provide teachers with a deeper understanding of learning and teaching mathematics in grades 7-12, and to allow teachers the opportunity to analyze curriculum and evaluation efforts in a manner that can lead them to make reasoned judgments about curricular, testing, and instructional issues in grades 7-12 mathematics.

Courses described in this section may also be of interest to students seeking the Master of Arts degree in education with concentrations in elementary curriculum and instruction or secondary curriculum and instruction, offered by the School of Teacher Education.

Associateships

Graduate teaching associateships in mathematical sciences are available to qualified students. Support for qualified candidates may also be available through the School of Teacher Education, through the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education or through employment on faculty research grants. Applications are available from the appropriate campus offices.

All students must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Admission and Registration .

Advancement to Candidacy

All students must satisfy the general requirements for advancement to candidacy as described in Requirements for Master’s Degrees . In addition, students seeking the Master of Arts degree for teaching service must have passed a qualifying examination in mathematics education.

Section II. Doctoral Program

WEBSITE: http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/msed

General Information

San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego, offer jointly a doctoral program in mathematics and science education. The program faculty at SDSU are members of the College of Sciences and the College of Education and are affiliated with the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE). They represent a number of different disciplines, including biology, mathematics, physics, psychology, statistics, and teacher education. The program faculty at UCSD, also an interdisciplinary group, are members of the Division of Physical Sciences (chemistry, mathematics, and physics) the Division of Biological Sciences, or the Division of Social Sciences (cognitive science, communication, education studies, psychology, and sociology). The program is administered under the College of Sciences at SDSU and under the Division of Physical Sciences at UCSD.

The research interests of the participating faculty members cover a wide range of issues in the learning and teaching of mathematics and the sciences. Graduates of the program will be qualified to take a variety of professional positions, including faculty appointments in universities, colleges, and community colleges; specialist positions in public school districts; and out-of-school employment in settings that require expertise in mathematics and science education.

Doctoral Faculty

The following faculty members of the cooperating institutions participate in the joint doctoral program, being available for direction of research and as departmental members of joint doctoral committees.

San Diego State University:
Coordinator: Joanne E. Lobato
Graduate Adviser: Meredith E. Vaughn
Staff Adviser: Deb Escamilla
Doctoral Program Members: Biology: Kelley, Maloy, Oechel, Williams (Emeritus); Computer Science: Beck (Emeritus); Education: Wood; Mathematics: Bowers, Lobato, Nickerson, O’Sullivan, Rasmussen, Reinholz, Zahner; Physics: Anderson, Goldberg (Emeritus); Psychology: Thoman; Statistics: Levine; Teacher Education: Cappello, Chizhik, Lamb, Philipp, Ross, Soto, Vaughn

University of California, San Diego:
Coordinator: Jeff Rabin
Graduate Adviser: Chris Halter
Staff Adviser: Sherry Seethaler
Doctoral Program Members: Alač, Barner, Brydges, Burgasser, Bussey, Clarke, Daly, Datnow, Eggers, Geller, Halter, Heyman, Lo, McDonnell, Minnes, Núñez, Owens, Quarfoot, Rabin, Simon, Stevens, Walker, Weizman, Wienhausen (Emeritus)

Admission to Doctoral Study

Applicants for admission to the doctoral program in mathematics and science education must meet the general requirements for admission to both universities with classified graduate standing as outlined in the respective current catalogs. Applicants must also meet the special requirements of this program. These include: (a) an acceptable baccalaureate degree in mathematics or science (or a related discipline); b) a master’s degree, or its equivalent, in biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics; (c) a GPA of at least 3.25 in the last 30 semester (or 45 quarter) units of upper division work and at least a 3.5 in the graduate work attempted; (d) good standing in the last institution attended; (e) suitable scores in quantitative, verbal, and analytic sections of the Graduate Record Examinations.

Students with a master’s degree in mathematics education can also be considered for admission if they meet the following requirements: (a) a bachelor’s degree in mathematics; (b) a master’s degree in mathematics education that includes graduate level mathematics courses in analysis and algebra; and (c) coursework in geometry at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level. The GPA, GRE, and graduate standing requirements specified in the previous paragraph must also be met. Students entering the program with a master’s degree in mathematics education are required to take additional mathematics courses as specified in “Specific Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree.” Students with a master’s degree in physics education, chemistry education, or biology education should contact the MSED program coordinators.

Students applying for admission to the doctoral program should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.

All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the Mathematics and Science Education Ph.D. Program.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended;

NOTE:
- Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
- Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
GRE scores (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682);
English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).

Mathematics and Science Education

For information regarding the admissions process, visit the program website at http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/msed/.

Financial Support

San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego have a number of research and teaching associateships available to support students admitted to the Joint Doctoral Program. All students applying to the program will be considered for financial support.