The list of required and recommended courses for your MS-MTCH degree program is included in the program description on our website. Additional information about graduate school and university degree requirements can be found in the PSU Bulletin. Please read sections on Admissions to Graduate Studies, Enrollment Policies and Credit Regulations, General Requirements for Master’s Degrees, and Summary of Procedures for Master’s Degrees, among others, in the Graduate Studies section of the Bulletin.
Despite all of this information, our experience has been that students can run into some problems during their MS-MTCH program. So please read the items listed above and take note of the following potential problems and the suggestions for making your MS-MTCH experience as smooth as possible. Questions? Contact the MS-MTCH Program Advisor.
Don’t wait until the bitter end to plan your 501 Project!
There is a SEVEN-YEAR LIMITATION ON COURSE WORK AT PSU, which means that no course in your graduate program can be more than seven years old at the time of your graduation. Some students enroll in the PSU MS-MTCH program, take most of their course work, and then for one (usually good) reason or another, drop out of sight. Then they show up, possibly after several years “off,” and want to develop their project and write their 501 paper, all in one term, before their courses expire. This is impossible! It generally takes at least three terms to narrow in on a topic, choose a 501 advisor, put a project committee together, do the background research, develop the materials and test them with students, evaluate the results, finish the entire paper, and make a public presentation of your work. Start thinking about your 501 project early in your program. Throughout your MS-MTCH program, be thinking of mathematics topics that you find particularly interesting. Focusing on a topic that is interesting to you will provide you the best launching pad for your 501 project. Read MS-MTCH Mathematics Curriculum Projects for more information.
Not every course is offered every year!
Many of our courses are offered on a two or three-year cycle, so plan ahead. Take as many of the required courses as you can prior to choosing elective courses. If you take only electives first, you may have no flexibility in your scheduling later on, and required courses may not be offered when you need to take them. The tentative schedule of courses for the next few years is in the MS-MTCH program description and in the Course Projections Guide.
You can transfer up to 15 credits of approved graduate coursework into the MS-MTCH program, but you cannot transfer in any coursework taken Pass/No Pass.
Graded courses taken prior to the term of admission to the MS-MTCH program may be transferred in with approval of the MS-MTCH Coordinator. Note that all courses taken at other universities and all PSU coursework taken prior to formal admission to the MS-MTCH program count as “transfer” courses.
The MS-MTCH will not lead to an initial teaching license!
This program is designed for secondary teachers who already hold an initial teaching license (or basic certificate). It is also designed for students interested in teaching dual-credit courses at the secondary level, community college teaching and/or interested in pursuing a doctorate in mathematics education. For information about obtaining an initial teaching license, contact the PSU College of Education about their Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP).
It IS possible to work towards two graduate degrees simultaneously.
For example, students in the GTEP program may want to be admitted to both the Master of Education and the Master in Mathematics for Teachers. Up to 15 credits (5 classes) can count towards both degrees. Consult the section on “dual degrees” in the PSU Bulletin. It takes careful planning, advising, and paperwork for this to happen! Discuss it with the MS-MTCH Coordinator.
Electives and substitutions
The selection of mathematics and university elective courses and substitutions to the requirements may depend on your career and licensure goals. Prior to registering for an elective or substitution course make sure you give a detailed description to the MS-MTCH coordinator in order to determine its acceptance as part of the MS-MTCH program. Check the MS-MTCH website for a list of required courses. Any substitutions or exceptions to the program must be made through the MS-MTCH Coordinator and approved by the Graduate School. Petitions and forms can be found at the Graduate School website.
Graduation application!! You must apply for graduation no later than the
first week of the term in which you plan to graduate.
You can apply to graduate via myPSU. If you subsequently change your term of graduation more than once, you have to reapply (and you will be charged another graduation application fee).
Updated September 2017