Master of School Mathematics FAQ
I would like to teach mathematics. Does this program certify me to teach mathematics?
No, the Master of School Mathematics program does not enable someone to meet the requirements for someone to teach mathematics in grades 7-12. To be admitted to the program, in most cases, one must already have a bachelor's degree in mathematics, must be certified to teach at the secondary level, and must have taught for at least two years. A few exceptions are made but are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. To gain certification to teach mathematics in grades 7-12 in Iowa, one must meet the requirements set by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners for the mathematics endorsement. If you already have a bachelor's degree and have previously taken several undergraduate mathematics courses or you have received a bachelor's degree in mathematics, Iowa State offers the Graduate Licensure Program in Mathematics Education in which you can fulfill the remaining requirements needed to teach grades 7-12.
The website describes the MSM Program as being a distance learning program. Is the MSM program available online? Can I complete this degree entirely off campus? How will I know where I can take these courses?
At this time, the MSM program is not available online. The distance learning component of this program occurs through the Iowa Communications Network, a fiber-optics system owned and operated by the state of Iowa. The network connects schools, libraries, hospitals, and government facilities in the state of Iowa in order to facilitate communication via high quality, full-motion video. The ICN is interactive television. To take classes in the MSM program, you attend a class on the Iowa State University campus or have access to an ICN classroom in your area in Iowa. You see and hear the instructor and the ISU class live. They see and hear you live. It's cutting edge technology and easy to learn. Many class activities are cooperative group based. It's beneficial to have at least two MSM students at each ICN site.
In many cases, one is able to complete the MSM degree off campus. The core mathematics courses are offered on a three-year cycle on campus and via the ICN. You may need to take electives on campus or from another institution. To complete your creative component, your major professor may require that you come to the ISU campus a few times to provide you with additional resources for your creative component. The comprehensive oral exam is held on campus at the conclusion of your degree.
Scheduling on the ICN is competitive, but courses that fit in a degree program have priority. Sites are determined by student registrations. If you want to take courses off-campus, request an ICN site on a registration form from ISU Extended and Continuing Education, 800/262-0015. If you wish to attend classes on campus, touch tone register with the registrar's office, 515/268-7180.
How do I register for classes?
There are different ways to register for classes. Once you have been accepted into the program you may register for classes. One option is to use AccessPlus. You may login using your ISU ID number or social security number and your password for your ISU account. Your first password should be your birthmonth and date in two digit numbers (April 1 would be 0401). If you are a new student, you may need to phone 515.294.0004 and ask to have your password reset over the phone. If you have forgotten your password, you will find a link that can help. To register using AccessPlus, you need your start date. Your registration start dates can be found in your AccessPlus. If you haven't registered for one semester (i.e. you did not take classes in the fall or spring and you now want to register for summer classes), you need to contact 515.294.1889 and ask to have your information activated for the semester you want. This only takes a minute.
The course numbers needed to register are given at http://classes.iastate.edu/.
If you plan to take the courses on the ICN, you will need to register using one of the methods found at the Continuing Education website. The form for Continuing Education Registration needs to be completed and returned by mail or fax to the location on the form.
It's very important that you register early for the classes you want. If we don't have a large enough enrollment, the class will be cancelled. Please try to register for the MSM summer courses by April 10.
Graduate students need to register for credits during the semester they plan to defend and have their final oral examination. If you have finished all your courses, and just need to finish your creative component and take the final examination, you can register for Math 599, Creative Component, for your last semester. You can register using AccessPlus but registration for Math 599 requires a registration number unique to each professor. Please contact the graduate secretary for this number. If you don't have AccessPlus, you will need to complete an Add/Drop Slip which is taken to Student Scheduling.
How much does it cost to take classes? Are teaching assistantships available?
The cost of taking a course depends on the course and where you take the course. The base fee for 1 credit of a graduate level course is provided on the ISU Registrar's Tuition and Fees Page. Costs change if you are not a resident of Iowa. If you take a course on campus, you are required to pay other fees including an activity and service fee, health facility fee, health fee, and computer fee. If you take the course via the ICN, you are responsible to pay the tuition costs as well as an additional delivery fee. This delivery fee is typically set by the department offering the course and varies with the course. For example, Stat 401 may have a different delivery fee than Math 540 since the courses are housed in different departments.
When you enroll in Math 599 to complete work for your creative component, the Graduate College considers that you are an on-campus student, whether you actually are on campus the semester you take the course or not. As a result, at the time you register for Math 599, realize that additional fees associated with being an on-campus student (activity and service fee, health facility fee, health fee, and computer fee) apply.
The semester you graduate, there will be a graduation fee. Please see the Registrar's Additional Fee Information page for the current rates.
During the summer, some teaching assistantships in the Department of Mathematics may be available for MSM students. Typically, these assignments require one to teach, grade, or tutor. Should you request and receive an assistantship, you are required to fulfill all the responsibilities of the 8-week assistantship which includes being on campus for most of the 8-week Summer II session. The Summer II session begins at the same time as the MSM courses with grades due 10 days after the MSM courses end (usually, by August 10).
What courses should I take for my electives?
Depending on your creative component and your goals, you and your committee will decide what electives you should take. If you are interested in teaching at a community college, you may consider taking Higher Education 561 (College Teaching, 3 credits), Higher Education 562 (Curriculum Development in Colleges, 3 credits), and Higher Education 581 (Comprehensive Community College, 3 credits). Other courses that may be of interest include Mathematics 533 (Cryptography, 3 credits), Curriculum and Instruction 505 (Instructional Technology in Teaching, 2 credits), Curriculum and Instruction 570 (Toying with Technology for Practicing Teachers, 2 credits), and courses in Professional Studies (Research and Evaluation), Statistics, Computer Science, or Physics.
May I take courses from another institution?
The core courses for the program (Math 540, 545, 546, 547, 549, and Stat 401 or ResEv 552) must be taken at ISU. Some of the electives may be taken at other institutions if taught by a member of the graduate faculty member at that institution and a grade of B or better is achieved. Any transfer credits must meet the approval of the POS Committee and Graduate College.
How long should the MSM program take to finish?
The MSM may be completed through full-time or summer-only study. We have attempted to structure the program so that all or most course work can be completed in three summers. Some full-time students have completed the program in less than two years. Please see the answer to the next question for a possible scenario to complete the degree.
If you skip a summer, realize that those core courses will not be offered again for another 3 years.
The university states in the Graduate College Handbook (chapter 4) that those seeking a master's degree are expected to complete the degree within 5 years. Any courses in your program of study that were taken more than 5 years to the completion of the degree cannot be counted towards the degree. If warranted, a letter may be written to the Dean of the Graduate College to accompany your Program of Study asking that the time limits be extended for you. This requires the approval of your committee and the DOGE of the MSM program.
What is the general timeline I should follow in the program?
First you must apply to the program. Once accepted, during the first summer, take courses that count toward the MSM degree. You may also want to consider taking an elective such as one of the courses for those who plan to teach at a community college. During the fall and spring of the school year, take elective courses as desired. Begin considering topics for a creative component.
During the second summer, take the summer courses and choose a major professor and select a topic for your creative component. Complete the Committee Appointment Form. You must select 2 MSM faculty members, one of whom is your major professor, and one member who is outside the MSM program. Complete the Program of Study Form.
Throughout the school year take elective courses and complete a draft of your creative component. Be aware of the Deadline Schedule for Graduate Students. Download, sign, and submit the Application for Graduation (Diploma Slip) by the end of the first week in May.
During the third summer, take the remaining courses and recheck the deadlines (as well as the final oral exam FAQ) and be sure all necessary forms have been submitted. Schedule your final oral exam by first contacting all members of your Program of Study Committee early in the spring. Some faculty members are gone for weeks at a time during the summer, so it is important to schedule a time well in advance. Once a day and time has been established, contact the graduate secretary to complete a Request for Final Oral Examination. This form is not available online but must be filed with the Graduate College at least three weeks prior to your final oral examination. Each member of your committee should receive the final copy of your creative component at least two weeks before the final oral examination.
Take the oral examination. Make sure all necessary paperwork has been signed and submitted, and you have checked out of the Mathematics Department.
You must complete all requirements of the MSM program within 5 years of acceptance into the program.
Who should serve on my committee?
You must have at least 3 graduate faculty members on your committee. Of the 3, two of them must be MSM faculty, with one of the two serving as your major professor. The third committee member must be outside the MSM faculty. The Committee Appointment Form must be completed and submitted to the Graduate College prior to submitting your Program of Study (POS). You should have some ideas of topics that interest you for your creative component before selecting your major professor and other committee members.
How do I select a topic for my creative component?
The goal of a creative component is provide you with an opportunity to learn and investigate something new mathematically. You can then relate this topic, content, or problem, to instruction in a secondary classroom. Selecting a topic for your creative component can be a process. To determine a topic, consider your answers to the following questions. What is a mathematical topic or problem in which you have always been interested? Is there a topic that was covered in one of your courses or in a class you currently teach in which you would like to delve deeper? Is there a problem or topic that has, frankly, always irritated or frustrated you, and you would like to get to the root of the problem? Is there a question one of your students asked of you that you didn't know how to answer, and you would like to know more about it? Reading various mathematical books and articles may also help to spark some ideas.
As early in the program as possible (begin the first summer), begin communicating with the faculty about their interests and the topics they research. Since this is a distance education program, you will be required to take greater initiative to make contact and communicate with the faculty. Identify a match between your interests and a faculty member's interests. Ask if they have time to work and advise you or if they recommend another faculty member that might be better suited to advising you. He or she may recommend that you read a particular paper or book regarding the topic. Communication is key throughout this whole process. The more conversations you can have (email, phone, or face-to-face), the greater the opportunity to unearth a topic fit for you.
The creative components of the recent graduates of the MSM program may be found on the Current and Past Students Page.
What should I expect for the Final Oral Examination and how should I prepare?
Except possibly for your Creative Component, no other MSM requirement induces you to look over your prior work across all course boundaries. We think that preparing for your oral exam can be among the most valuable work you do for us. For many students the prospect of the oral exam is unsettling. We have prepared these remarks to help you prepare and to let you know what to expect.
A) What to Prepare
You should review the content of the six required MSM courses (see Program of Study). For all these courses recall what kinds of problems they attempted to solve and what were the techniques they developed to solve them. Try to see the big picture and synthesize material across courses. Consult your major professor for advice.
B) What Not to Prepare
Don't let your preparation get bogged down with too much detail. Total recall of formulas and algorithms surely isn't expected.
C) The Role of the Creative Component
We want you to prepare to talk for about 30 minutes on your Creative Component project. You might describe the project, what mathematics you needed, how you developed in doing it, and what more you would do to further the work.
Your remarks might cause us to ask questions because we are interested or because we are reminded of related material from your courses. Expect to be brief and coherent about what you have done.
D) The Oral Exam
Usually we will start with your talk about the Creative Component. Then each committee member will take a turn asking you questions, and maybe we will return for second questions. We would like the atmosphere to be relaxed and friendly. Remember that we have spent a lot of time with you and we have all had oral exams too.
Allow two hours for the exam. We aren't likely to use more time than this, but we may use less. When we are finished asking questions, we'll ask you to leave and wait outside while we talk about you. Don't presume that the longer we talk the worse the news will be.
We are counting on your preparation for the oral exam to make this requirement worthwhile for us and you.
