Mathematics Education, PhD

Contact

Joanna Masingila, 203 Carnegie, 315-443-1483, jomasing@syr.edu

The School of Education, in cooperation with the Department of Mathematics, in the College of Arts and Sciences, offers a Ph.D. degree in Mathematics Education. The program is designed for students who have demonstrated a high level of mathematical capability and are committed to full-time graduate study. It emphasizes preparation for academic positions in three areas:

Research on the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Teacher preparation and professional development.
Teaching mathematics education at the college level.

Ph.D. in Mathematics Education

Successful completion of the doctoral program typically requires three to four years of study beyond the master’s degree. Each student’s program of study is tailored to fit the individual’s background, professional experience, and career goals and to satisfy degree requirements.

Most doctoral students earn the majority of their mathematics education credits by working closely with the mathematics education faculty in courses, independent study projects, and internships. Students are encouraged to develop strong backgrounds in mathematics, research design and methods, and learning theories.

Research Areas

The department’s Colloquium series features weekly lectures by mathematicians from all over the United States and abroad in many of the areas of mathematical research represented in the department. Furthermore several of the research groups organize regular research seminars. Colloquia and seminar schedules, along with other information about our programs, courses, and events, can be found at math.syr.edu.

The following research groups are currently represented in the department.

Algebra

Algebraic geometry (moduli spaces of curves, equations defining finite sets of points), commutative algebra (homological algebra, Cohen-Macaulay modules, characteristic p), non-commutative algebra (representations of finite-dimensional algebras, homological algebra, group actions on non-commutative rings, Hopf algebras, enveloping algebras, non-commutative algebraic geometry). Faculty: Diaz, Kleiner, Leuschke, Miller, Quinn, Zacharia.

Analysis

Complex analysis (several complex variables, pluripotential theory, complex dynamics, invariant metrics, holomorphic currents, Kähler geometry, rigidity problems), geometric analysis (PDE on manifolds, geometric flows), harmonic analysis, partial differential equations (linear and nonlinear elliptic PDE, boundary value problems on nonsmooth domains), geometric function theory (quasiconformal mappings, analysis on metric spaces). Faculty: Coman, Iwaniec, Kovalev, Lanzani, Onninen, Poletsky, Verchota, Vogel, Wylie, Yuan.

Applied Mathematics

Numerical analysis (approximate solutions of elliptic PDE, generalized finite element methods and meshless methods), nonlinear variational problems (microstructure in nonlinear elasticity), applied and computational harmonic analysis (wavelets, digital image processing), numerical linear algebra, computational fluid dynamics. Faculty: Banerjee, Lutoborski, Shen, Wang.

Combinatorics

Combinatorics, graph theory, rigidity theory, symmetries of planar graphs, automorphism groups of graphs. Faculty: Graver.

Geometry/Topology

Low-dimensional topology and knot theory (knot concordance, Heegaard Floer homology, homology theories for knots and links), K-theory (topological K-theory of Eilenberg-Mac Lane spaces, equivariant homotopy theory), Riemannian/Kähler geometry (Ricci curvature and topology, special metrics, geometric flows, rigidity problems). Faculty: Ucci, Wehrli, Wylie, Yuan.

Mathematics Education

Secondary mathematics education, teacher learning, mathematical modeling, out-of-school mathematics practice, teacher development. Faculty: Doerr, Masingila.

Probability

Interacting particle systems, Brownian motion, random walks, probabilistic methods in mathematical finance, martingales. Faculty: Cox, Griffin, McConnell.

Statistics

Ranking and selection theory (applications in radar signal processing and two-stage procedures for multinomial problems), change-point problems, sequential analysis, longitudinal analysis, neural networks. Faculty: Chen, Kim, Volterman.

Graduate Awards

Figures for graduate appointments represent 2016-2017 stipends.

Graduate Scholarships:

Support graduate study for students with superior qualifications; provide, in most cases, full tuition for the academic year.

Graduate Assistantships:

Offered to most Graduate Scholarship recipients; no more than an average of 15 hours of work per week; nine months; stipend ranging from $17,589 to $21,494 in addition to tuition scholarship for 24 credits per year. Additional summer support is generally available.

Syracuse University Graduate Fellowships:

Tax-free stipends are $24,795 for nine months of full-time study; tuition scholarship for 15 credits per semester for a total of 30 credits during the academic year.

Facilities

The mathematics collection is held within the Carnegie Library and currently includes over 34,000 books. Many of the resources are online and include MathSciNet, Current Index to Statistics, Jahrbuch Database, MathEduc, ERIC, Scopus, and Web of Science, and over 350 mathematics journal subscriptions.

In addition to covering a broad range of pure and applied mathematics, the collection contains print and electronic resources in the history of mathematics, mathematics education, and statistics. The following resources are available for student borrowing from the Carnegie Library service desk: TI graphing calculators, geometry kits, and course reserve books.

The computer lab in Carnegie Library, Room 208, has 16 computers, and a color printer with copying and scanning capability. The lab computers provide extensive software for statistical or data analysis, data base management, programming, and graphics. More information on computing services and the software available for students may be found on the ITS website: https://its.syr.edu/computer-labs/index.html.

The Carnegie Library contains over 210,000 volumes in the sciences, including biology, chemistry, engineering and computer science, library and information science, nutrition science and dietetics, public health, physics & astronomy, photography, technical arts, pure and applied mathematics, probability and statistics, mathematics education, and military and naval sciences. The historic Reading Room provides a quiet place for students to study and use library resources.