Students graduating with an M.A. or M.S. degree are expected to:

Have a broad understanding of several branches of mathematics and how they are related. Be able to read and/or listen to documents and discussions having mathematical content, with an appropriate level of understanding, and exhibit a high level of mathematical literacy.

Be able to clearly articulate mathematical information accurately and effectively, using a form, structure and style that suits the purpose, including written and face-to-face presentation.

Be able to independently acquire further mathematical knowledge without guidance.

Be prepared for entry into professional schools, doctoral programs, or the job market.

The master's program gives the student broad training in basic higher-level mathematics or statistics. A concentration is available in either mathematics or statistics.

At least 30 credit hours of approved coursework in the department are required. At least 18 credit hours (of the 30 minimum total credits) must be at the 5500 level in the department. Courses numbered below 400 do not carry graduate credit for mathematics and statistics graduate students. Courses numbered at the 400 level will NOT be credited to the master's degree if they were previously taken from UMKC or are equivalent (content wise) to courses previously taken from any other accredited colleges/universities for the undergraduate degree. Independent Reading courses (490 or 5590) are not counted toward the degree unless approved by the department Graduate Program Coordinator  prior to taking the course. (Normally, more than 3 credit hours of Independent Reading will not count toward the master's degree, but in any case the department Graduate Program Committee will make the decision based on the student's petition, which should clearly explain the need of counting such a course toward the master's degree.)

In addition to the minimum 30 credit hours of course work, master's degree seeking students are required to attend five Departmental Graduate Seminars per semester.

Master's degree candidates are required to submit a Master Plan of Study Form prior to the completion of 15 credit hours of course work.

In the last semester before graduation, the student will make a presentation on a Master's research project (based on either small scale original research or a research paper chosen from those published in relevant research journals). The presentation will be given in one of the department series of talks to an audience of faculty, students, and outside guests. This talk will be assessed by the Project Advisory Committee.

All master's degree candidates must take six core courses (all at the 5500 level) in the selected concentration area. For concentration in Mathematics, those courses are MATH 5509, MATH 5513, MATH 5532, MATH 5510, MATH 5521, and MATH 5545. For concentration in Statistics, those courses are STAT 5501, STAT 5537, STAT 5551, STAT 5547, STAT 5565, and STAT 5572. Students can choose the other four courses from the 400 or 5500 level courses offered by the department. For more details about the courses offered please refer to the departmental Web site (http://cas.umkc.edu/math).