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New Mexico State University
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Mathematical Sciences

Graduate Program

Welcome to the information page for the New Mexico State University Department of Mathematical Sciences Graduate Program. If you need further information, please contact us at gradcomm@nmsu.edu. Thank you for your visit.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences offers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. We currently have about 60 graduate students and 28 tenure track faculty. Most of our graduate students are supported by full assistantships valued at $16,600 - $17,000 for the 2008-2009 academic year. This includes health care provided by the university. The department is very active in research, with over 200 papers reviewed by the AMS in the past 5 years. The research groups in our department include:

New Mexico State University is located in Las Cruces NM, a city of about 100,000. We are 40 miles from El Paso, a large urban center, and one of the safest large cities in America. Las Cruces has been placed on several lists of the best small cities to live in the United States. The climate and surrounding nature are beautiful, and there are a wide variety of sporting options available, including hiking, swimming, golf, and tennis. Surprisingly, the city is still much more affordable than many others. There are a number of affordable housing options located within walking distance of the campus. For further information on the area click here.

Degree Requirements

How to Apply

Students need to (1) submit an application to the university, and (2) send several items directly to our department.

  1. Submitting an application to the university.

    In brief, this includes having formal transcripts sent, paying a fee, and submitting a TOEFL for international students. The GRE is not required.

    For complete details see the homepage of the Graduate School.

  2. Items to be sent to the department.

    Send us photocopies or scans of your transcripts, a one page description of yourself and your goals, and three letters of recommendations, preferably completed on the forms found here. These items can be sent either by mail to Graduate Studies, Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, or by e-mail to gradcomm@nmsu.edu.

We accept applications at any time, but if you are interested in starting next Fall, it is best if your application is complete before February 1. It is very helpful if you contact either Christina Mariani at mmariani@nmsu.edu or John Harding at jharding@nmsu.edu to let us know you have submitted an application. This way we are aware of your application even if there is a delay of some sort, such as some institution not sending a transcript in a timely way.

Normally, applicants with a completed Master's in Mathematics will apply for the Ph.D. program, others apply for the Master's program, even if their eventual aim is the Ph.D. The time to complete a Ph.D. is determined by your level of preparation at entry, not the degree program to which you are admitted.