Graduate

General Information

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Mississippi State University is housed in the College of Arts and Sciences. It offers programs leading to

  • Master of Science (M.S.) in Mathematics
  • Master of Science (M.S.) in Statistics
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mathematical Sciences

These programs are flexible and permit specialization in many areas of mathematics and statistics.

Mississippi State University is a Land-Grant Institution with a Carnegie classification of Doctoral/Research University-Extensive and an enrollment of over 21,600, of which approximately 3,000 are graduate students. Founded in 1878 as "The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi," the university has since diversified to become a comprehensive research institution offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in eight colleges and professional schools. Mississippi State University consistently ranks among the 'top 100' universities in the United States in obtaining research funds from external sources.

The university campus is adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi, a city of approximately 23,387 in the state's northeastern part. The campus area offers excellent opportunities for fishing, hunting, hiking, and other outdoor activities.

Facilities

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics is located on the fourth floor of Allen Hall, a six-story administration-classroom building in the central part of the MSU campus. The department's computing facilities are provided through the campus Unix and Novell networks, accessed locally using both X terminals and PCs.

Students and faculty have access to Mathematica, Maple, MATLAB, SAS, S-Plus or R, LaTeX, and numerous other packages such as word processors and spreadsheets. Mitchell Memorial Library, located near Allen Hall, has extensive holdings in the mathematical sciences and maintains a subscription list of more than 150 mathematical and statistical journals.

Financial Assistance

See the Financial Assistance page at https://www.math.msstate.edu/graduate/grad-financial.

The Graduate Coordinating Committee

At the beginning of the fall semester each year, the Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics will appoint a departmental Graduate Coordinating Committee (GCC). The committee will consist of at least four graduate faculty members of the department, in addition to the department's Graduate Coordinator, who serves as its chairperson. Committee responsibilities will include the following:

  • Approving the major professor and graduate committee;
  • Approving programs of study;
  • Approving the scheduling of all oral/written examinations;
  • Assigning a member of the Graduate Coordinating Committee or another graduate faculty member, who is not a member of the student's graduate committee, to be present at each oral examination;
  • Overseeing, coordinating, and approving all written examinations, including comprehensive examinations, oral examinations, preliminary examinations, and defense examinations;
  • Determining pass or fail on comprehensive examinations by a majority vote of the GCC members.

Time Limit Regulation for Degree Completion

Admitted students to a graduate program in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics as "Regular Admission" who choose to abandon the coursework/GTA responsibilities without proper justification must fulfill the program of study requirements within the time limit for degree completion:

  • For completing a Ph.D. program, the time limit is up to 5 years since admission, with some exceptions approved by the GCC and the Department Head.
  • For completing a Master's degree, the time limit is up to 2 years since admission, with some exceptions approved by the GCC and the Department Head.  

Note: A student admitted to a graduate program in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics as "Regular Admission" who chooses to abandon the coursework/GTA responsibilities without proper justification may be subject to dismissal.

Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) Duration

To allocate the GTA's budget more efficiently and to support more Ph.D. and Master's students, the GTA Duration Rule applies to all graduate students admitted as Regular Admission and is defined as follows:

Time Limit:

  1. The duration of holding a GTA position for a Ph.D. student shall be up to five academic years, renewable one semester at a time after the fourth year, upon the recommendation of the GCC and the Head's approval.
  2. The duration of holding a GTA position for a Master's degree shall be up to two academic years, renewable one semester at a time after the second year, upon the recommendation of the GCC and the Head's approval.

Apply for an Extension:

  1. A graduate student with a GTA position may submit a request for a one-semester extension of their GTA appointment under well-justified, extenuating circumstances, and with the advisor's approval.
  2. To apply for a GTA extension, a graduate student shall submit the following documents to the GCC before the time limit passes:
    1. A signed Request for Extension of Time: Request_for_Extension_of_Time.pdf
    2. A letter of support from the Chair of the dissertation/thesis committee, which states a justification for the request and the specific steps necessary for the completion of the dissertation/thesis within the one-semester extension.
  3. In rare circumstances, the graduate student may request an extension for a second time.
  4. The request must be approved by the GCC and the Head of the Department.

Note

  • A Request for Extension is considered for one academic semester past the time limit.
  • In case a student needs more than five years of financial support, the Head of the Department will make the decision.
  • The GTA Duration Rule is an internal rule and is subject to change.
  • The Graduate Coordinator will notify newly admitted students about the GTA Duration Rule on an orientation day.
  • The termination of GTA status does not mean the student cannot complete the program. It means they will not have GTA status.
  • The Chair of the Ph.D. committee shall submit the progress report on the status of the graduate student to the GCC by the end of the fourth year.

Various e-forms can be found at https://www.grad.msstate.edu/students/forms.