<p>I'm interested in getting a Master's degree in Mathematics. I'm planning on taking an academia route career-wise.
I'm currently still in school but will soon graduate with a BS in Mathematics and minor in Applied Statistics from U of M-Dearborn (my GPA is 3.57). I live in Michigan and was wondering which school would provide the best education/opportunities for me. I'm currently looking into Oakland University and Wayne State University.
I know that U of M Ann Arbor has a great program but I feel like my chances of getting in are relatively low- especially since I've never done undergraduate research.
I was told about MSU but I'm not very interested.
I'm open to other schools within Michigan, even Western or Eastern (although don't know much about them).
I just wanted to know which is the best school among these?</p>
<p>Why are you limiting yourself to Michigan? If you want an academic career, you need degrees from the “best” schools you can possibly attend, no matter what state they’re in. Neither Oakland nor Wayne State are likely to provide the level of education and academic connections you really want.</p>
<p>Also, undergraduate research isn’t particularly important for math majors - what is important is taking graduate-level courses as an undergraduate.</p>
<p>I don’t know what your financial situation is, but Master’s degrees are not funded ( with research and teaching grants) as often as pHd’s are, so being in state may be financially better for you.
If this is the case, why are you excluding MSU from your application list?</p>
<p>polarscribe- It’s difficult to consider out of state. The problem is I didn’t take graduate level courses as an undergrad, I didn’t really have grad school in mind back then. I’m trying to get into an REU though. </p>
<p>Pennylane2011- Do you know if MSU has a notable Mathematics program? I haven’t heard much about it.</p>
<p>Then, frankly, in my opinion your plan is not a good one. Academic jobs are extraordinarily competitive right now, even down to the community college level. If you want a career in academia, you have to be willing to go to the best schools you can get into, no matter where they are.</p>
<p>You wouldn’t be able to limit your job search to one medium-sized state, so I don’t know why you want to limit your graduate school search to that state.</p>
<p>I don’t know about math at MSU, but if you are only considering Michigan, then not considering MSU is further limiting yourself. Why not look into it before eliminating it?</p>
<p>Polarscribe has a point about getting into the best program you can- but can also afford. If you are considering academia - is a master’s sufficient? I thought most positions required a doctorate.</p>