Mathematics Education (PhD)

Texas State offers opportunities to work with outstanding faculty in a collegial atmosphere where mathematicians and math educators work closely together. The multi-faceted program offers a strong mathematics foundation and research opportunities through Mathworks, grant activities and local school partnerships that prepare students to become leaders in mathematics education research.

Course Work

Mathematics education doctoral students will complete core courses in mathematics and mathematics education. The program also requires elective courses from areas such as teaching specialized content, teaching K-12 students, mathematics technology, problem solving for secondary students, reasoning and proof. The culminating research activity is a dissertation. Graduates develop a well-balanced foundation in mathematics content, the ability to link mathematics content to pedagogy and the background needed to conduct original research in mathematics education. A rich research environment supports each doctoral student's research interests with a variety of weekly seminars, including colloquia by national leaders in mathematics and mathematics education.

Program Details

Mathworks, an on-campus center for mathematics education, provides a laboratory for developing and testing new ideas, with special programs for middle and high school students, teacher training and curriculum R&D.

Program Mission

The doctoral program’s strength lies in the depth and breadth of the mathematics core courses that complement core courses in mathematics education. The mission is to develop graduates who can contribute to research as future leaders in mathematics education, with a vision of enhancing our programs nationally for research and innovation in mathematics education.

The goals are to:

• develop a well-balanced foundation in mathematics content
• link mathematics content to pedagogy that addresses the educational needs throughout the P-20 continuum
• contribute to advancing knowledge in mathematics education through original research
• produce high-quality mathematics teachers at all levels

Career Options

Graduates of the program are well prepared for positions such as:

• faculty members of colleges and universities
• decision-makers in state or local education agencies
• researchers in think tanks, corporations, or nonprofit agencies
• high-ranking members of foundations or organizations

Program Faculty

The Department of Mathematics has over 75 full-time faculty members with diverse areas of interest and training, including about 20 faculty members with research interests in mathematics education, one of the largest and most active groups in the country. Faculty research areas include mathematics instruction for English Language Learners, international comparative education, complex instruction, mathematics modeling, research in mathematics education, teacher professional development, curriculum design and implementation, Mathworks outreach programs and summer math camps, classroom discourse, assessment, teacher noticing, statistics education and productive struggle.