Admission Requirements

Required Documents

GPA

Students are generally expected to have a Bachelor's degree in mathematics or a related discipline, with a grade point average of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. Students with a grade point average of 2.75 will be considered for Conditional Admission (see below). For Doctoral admission, you must submit proof of your Master's degree with your transcripts.

GRE

Scores for the GRE are not required for admission, but if available, they are used in the decision-making process.

TOEFL

International applicants must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and receive a score of 525 or higher. The following scores, or higher, are also acceptable: TOEFL(iBT) 71, IELTS 6.0, MELAB 75, and PTE 48.

Resume

Your resume should include previous degrees in math, or related areas, as well as other educational interests. We are also interested in your work experiences and any relevant research, publications, or conference participation. Please do not forget to include all of your contact information, including your email. 

Personal Statement

Our program requires that a written personal statement accompany the admission application. This is your chance to add any information that you feel may be missing from the forms that will help us to understand why you chose the field of mathematics. If you have a specific field of mathematics you would like to study, or have experience in, your personal statement is a good way to tell us about your interests. It will help us to guide your studies as well as make informed decisions about your advisor and goals.

Recommendation Letters

To evaluate your application for admission, we require 3 recommendation letters to support your admission. These should be letters from people who know your academic potential for graduate school. For example, your advisor, a previous professor, someone you have done research with, etc. Work related letters are acceptable, but 2 of the letters should be academic recommendations. The recommendation letters should be mailed directly to Kent State University, sealed and signed by the recommenders across the envelope flap to ensure confidentiality.

Prerequisite Courses

Most MATH programs include the courses required for admission, while students in a related discipline may need to take one or two of these courses on their own before applying to our program. If you are unsure of the coursework that you have taken, you can compare it to our undergraduate math programs. The admissions office requires an official copy of your transcripts from other universities.

Proof of Financial Support

The Kent State University Financial Information Worksheet is a form for international students (only) required by the Office of Global Education and must be completed before your admission application can be sent to the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

All paperwork can be sent directly to the addresses below:

Masters

We offer Masters degrees in Pure Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. We also offer a Masters for Secondary Teachers. In general, an applicant to our Masters programs should have a Bachelors degree in mathematics or a closely related discipline such as computational science. Your degree certificate should accompany your transcripts to the Admissions office.

Conditional Admission

Students who have met all but one or two of these requirements, and who have a strong academic background, are sometimes granted a Conditional Admission after applying to our Master's program. A Conditional Admission admits them into the Master's program, subject to their completing the missing coursework (which does not count toward their Master's degree). However, students with a Conditional Admission can not receive a graduate appointment.

Post Graduate Admission

Students who have not met most of these requirements might want to apply to Kent State University as a Post-undergraduate Student, take these courses (and possibly their prerequisite courses as well), and then apply for admission to the Master's program at a later date. A post-undergraduate application form can be obtained through the Office of Admissions or you can apply online through the main Kent State webpage.

Guest Graduate Admission

Information regarding application for graduate guest admission can be found at the Admissions website.

Combined Bachelor's Master's Program

Persons with outstanding undergraduate records or exemplary professional credentials may be eligible for a Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s admission early in their undergraduate studies. This allows them to count part of their undergraduate credits towards their Master's program.

Application Form 

Doctoral

We offer Doctoral degrees in Pure Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. In general, an applicant to our Ph.D. program should have a Master's degree in mathematics or a closely related discipline such as computational science. Your degree certificate should accompany your transcripts to the Admissions Office. Students with a Master's degree in computational science, physics or some other discipline should start in our Master's program and then switch to the Ph.D. program at a later date. Master's Degree Students have an opportunity to join the Ph.D. program directly after passing the Qualifying Exams at the Ph.D. level. Advanced Master's Degree Students enroll in the same level classes and level assistantship opportunities as the first year Ph.D. students.