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Admission Requirements

Admission to the program requires an undergraduate major in mathematics or related field (such as computer science) which includes the equivalent of the following four key courses with a grade of B or higher:

  • MATH 374 - Linear Algebra
  • MATH 430 - Foundations of Analysis
  • MATH 470 - Introduction to Abstract Algebra
  • and an additional senior-level proof-based mathematics course.

Admission also requires a 2.5 grade point average in the last sixty (60) units attempted at the undergraduate level, and a 3.0 grade point average in the last thirty (30) units of the undergraduate major. Students who have deficiencies in admission requirements that can be removed by specified additional preparation may be admitted with conditionally classified graduate status, but the units earned to remove these deficiencies may not be used toward the Cal State San Marcos Master of Science in Mathematics.

All applicants, regardless of citizenship, who do not possess a Bachelor's Degree from a post-secondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction must satisfy the English Language Proficiency Requirement for admission purposes by earning a score of 80 iBT on the TOEFL or earning an overall bandwidth score of 6.0 on the IELTS with a writing score no lower than 6.0 and all section scores no lower than 5.5.

  • Graduate Classified: Students who meet all admission requirements to enroll in a graduate degree program may be accepted as Graduate Classified. Classified graduate students will be required to fulfill all of the professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards, including qualifying examinations, as the campus may prescribe.
  • Graduate Conditionally Classified: Students who do not meet all requirements to enroll in a graduate degree program may, nevertheless, be accepted as Conditionally Classified. This classification will be granted if, in the opinion of appropriate campus authority, the student can remedy any deficiencies by additional preparation.

International applicants should visit Graduate International Admissions for deadlines and requirements.  Please note that international applicants must also submit a departmental application.