Graduate

Graduate Program

Beginning Fall 2026, we are offering a Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics!

For questions about this certificate, please contact Dr. Grace Chen at scchen@isu.edu.

NOTE:

We are no longer offering a Master of Science or Doctor of Arts degree in Mathematics.
Our department participates in the Subsurface Science emphasis of the PhD in Engineering and Applied Science degree. Applications are now open and are being considered on an ongoing basis. More information about this degree is provided in the 'Degree Requirements' tab, below.

For questions, please contact Dr. Maryam Bagherian, maryambagherian@isu.edu.

Contact us:

Department representative for the PhD EAS Program: Dr. Maryam Bagherian, maryambagherian@isu.edu
Department Liaison to the ISU Graduate School: Dr. Yury Gryazin, gryazin@isu.edu
To facilitate an individualized reply, please describe any math degree(s) completed and/or additional math courses taken, but be advised that admission prospects cannot be fully evaluated until a complete official application is received. Please do not send scanned copies of transcripts or other large attachments.

Note: See bottom of page for additional information/procedure required by international students

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Engineering and Applied Science

Applicants must:

meet the Idaho State University (ISU) Graduate School admission requirements for the doctoral programs;
have attained a Master's degree in engineering, physics, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, or a closely related field;
submit a one-page statement of research interests, a one-page statement of career interests and a resume along with their application; and
arrange for 3 confidential letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the ISU Graduate School, by the recommender. The recommender may send the letters directly to the Graduate School, or they may upload their letter via link that is provided to them by the applicant.

The approval of the Chairperson of the department is required for admission. In some special cases, a student with an exceptional undergraduate academic record and aptitude for research, but without an MS degree, may be directly admitted to the PhD program with the approval of the Department Chair of the student's parent department.

*International Students Requirements

In addition to the department program requirements and the ISU Graduate School admissions requirements, international graduate students have additional requirements for admission to the Graduate School.

Financial Verification

International students must submit a financial statement, to the Graduate School, verifying that they will be able to support themselves financially for one year while attending ISU.

This document must consist of a statement or letter, from a bank, indicating that funds are available and accessible. The amount of money available to the student must be listed on the financial statement.

A Graduate Assistantship or Fellowship awarded by a department or college may be used as part, or all, of this amount.

Language Requirements

International students who have not graduated from an accredited college or university in the United States and whose native language is not English, normally must achieve satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System test (IELTS).

Options for Satisfactory TOEFL requirements for Classified admission are:

Internet-based test (IBT): a total score of 80 or above with a minimum score of 20 on each section on the IBT. (Graduate Assistants who teach courses must score 23 or above on the speaking section of the IBT.)
Computer-based test: a total score of 213 or above, with a score of at least 21 on section 1 (Listening Comprehension) on the computer test.
Paper-based test: a total score of 550 or above, with a minimum score of 55 on Section 1 (listening Comprehension) on the paper test.
Successful completion of Level 112 from the ELS Language Centers.

Information about the TOEFL, including test dates and locations in international countries, can be obtained from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Satisfactory IELTS performance is a score of 6.5 or above.

Photocopies of TOEFL and/or IELTS scores will not be accepted.

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering and Applied Science

The PhD degree requires completion of at least 84 credits consisting of 30 credits for the MS degree, 18 credits of additional course work (at least 50% of the credits should be at the 6000 level), 1-4 credits of graduate seminar and 32-35 credits of dissertation research. Additional dissertation research credits may be required by the student's dissertation committee.

An advisory committee consisting of Idaho State University graduate faculty (a minimum of two from the student's parent department and one from another relevant department) will be formed for each student upon entry into the program. The committee will guide the student in establishing his or her program of course work and laboratory study based upon the student's background and research interest. The advisory committee has the responsibility of ensuring that the student has adequate knowledge to support research in his or her chosen area of interest.

After completing 18 credits of course work, the student will take an 8-hour written, comprehensive qualifying examination covering relevant information within the scope of the chosen research area. A student taking the comprehensive qualifying exam must be prepared to take an oral examination conducted by the student's Advisory Committee. The oral exam will focus primarily on material in the written exam that was not adequately answered. However, the Advisory Committee, at its discretion, may excuse a student from taking the oral examination if the student excels in the written examination. The student will be allowed two attempts to pass the comprehensive qualifying examination, and the second attempt must be within one-half year after the first attempt. The student will be admitted to candidacy only upon passing the comprehensive qualifying examination.

A Dissertation committee is formed with a minimum of 5 members consisting of a thesis advisor, 2 members from the student's parent department, a member from another relevant department, and a Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR). The student's thesis advisor chairs the dissertation committee. Within six months of passing the comprehensive qualifying examination, the candidate, with guidance from the thesis advisor, will satisfactorily complete an oral presentation and defense of a proposal for dissertation research to the Dissertation Committee. The research and dissertation preparation must be conducted under the close supervision of the committee and must include at least one full year of work performed under Idaho State University graduate faculty. The candidate can submit the final dissertation any time after six months from the date of acceptance of the research proposal, if the candidate meets the requirement of one full year of work.

Dissertation approval requires a public presentation of the dissertation and a satisfactory oral defense to the Dissertation Committee. Doctoral oral examinations are open to all regular members of the faculty as observers. Further, oral presentations are open to the public until questioning by the Dissertation Committee begins.

For more details, refer to: Steps from Admission to Graduation

Certificate in Applied Statistics

Students must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university, and must have completed MATH 2240 and 3350 to be eligible. Students then must then complete 6 credits of required coursework and 6 credits of the student's choice from the elective coursework options.

For information on the types of financial support that are available for eligible students, please visit: Graduate School/Funding and Support .

Such awards include a waiver of non-resident tuition and are routinely accompanied by scholarships waiving in-state fees.

*Students who wish to apply for financial support should apply by April 1st for full consideration.

Applying for Admission:

Graduate School Admissions & Deadlines

Admissions Application Deadlines

For Spring semester admission: November 1st
For Summer admission: N/A (No summer admission in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics)
For Fall semester admission: April 1st

*Students who wish to apply for financial support should apply by April 1st for full consideration.