All positions have been filled for the 2024-25 academic year. However, students who
do not require financial aid are free to submit applications.
Applications may be submitted at any time using the button on this page.
Spring applications have a formal deadline of October 1.
Fall applications have a formal deadline of January 1.
In both cases, we will continue to look at applications after the deadline until all
positions are filled.
Is financial aid available?
PhD students: Yes. Students admitted to the PhD program receive free tuition, a stipend (currently
$27,000 per year), and 80% of their student health insurance cost paid. PhD applicants
desiring financial aid must normally submit by the Fall application deadline (January 1).
Students who receive financial aid work either in the Mathematics Clinic (10 hours
per week) or teach one class (training and additional guidance from a faculty mentor
are provided).
MS and MAT students: Students admitted to the Master's program do not receive financial aid from TCU.
Can students with only a Bachelors Degree apply to the PhD program?
Yes. This is very common.
Can students get a MS degree while being part of the PhD program?
Yes. Normally all Ph.D. students obtain an MS degree after two years in the program,
before getting the Ph.D.
all transcripts (unofficial, electronic ones are preferred) from all colleges and
universities attended [it is recommended that international applicants obtain a transcript
evaluation from an evaluation service, but it is not required],
GRE General Test scores (highly recommended but not required),
personal statement (about your interests and plans and why you are interested in the
program),
3 recommendation letters from professors sent directly by them.
You should also submit any thesis or research papers if you have done any work like
that.
I am not able to pay the application fee or pay for taking the GRE. What do I do?
The General GRE is highly recommended. If every other item in your admissions materials
are superior, then we can consider the application without the GRE score.
The Department of Mathematics may be able to pay application fees for outstanding
applicants. To apply for the waiver of the fee, you should submit all of your application
materials to Dr. Ken Richardson, graduate director, at k.richardson@tcu.edu. Also, the recommendation letters should be sent directly to Dr. Richardson. After
these materials are evaluated by the committee, we will let you know if you are eligible
for a fee waiver.
What additional materials are needed for international students?
You will also need to submit language test scores if you are an international student.
The minimum scores are officially 80 for the TOEFL or 6.5 for the IELTS; it is also
possible to get these language requirements waived through an interview process. These
can be addressed later in the process of admission; the mathematical parts of the
application are the most important parts.
On the application, International students will also be asked to submit forms related
to getting visas, but those can be submitted blank. Really, those are only needed
later if you are admitted into the program.
It is recommended that international applicants obtain a transcript evaluation from
an evaluation service, but it is not required.
Should prospective students contact faculty members with whom they might work?
No. It is not necessary for students to select an advisor in the mathematics faculty
before being admitted.
It is not likely that a professor will agree to be a student's mentor until after
they have already been part of the program and have passed the required exams.
However, it is fine for students to email professors and ask them questions.
What are the hallmarks of a strong application?
It is important that advanced mathematics courses such as Real Analysis and Abstract
Algebra are on the transcript, with very good grades.
Your recommenders should be professors who can attest to your ability to work independently
and to your aptitude for excelling in theoretical mathematics research.
Examples of mathematical work written by the student are often helpful.
The Quantitative portion of the GRE General Test should be 160 or higher.
What is unique about our PhD program?
We are a small, pure mathematics program.
Our faculty give students lots of individual attention.
We prepare our students for working afterward, incorporating professional development
and training in coding, data science, pedagogy, all through weekly graduate student
seminars.
Students interested in doing research in statistics or applied mathematics or mathematics
education should choose a different Ph.D. program.
Our students have secured good academic and nonacademic jobs after graduating with
Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Mathematics from TCU.