The Master of Mathematics for Teachers program is administered through the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing. It is expected that students will normally take between two and five years to complete this part-time program.
Admission Requirements
Applications will be made to the CEMC, according to the usual procedures for the Faculty of Mathematics. The Admissions Committee of the MMT will review applications and make appropriate recommendations. The Admissions Committee of the MMT will determine the suitability of each applicant's background for success in this program.
The program is targeted to students teaching at the secondary school or college level with a 4-year bachelor's degree in mathematics, mathematics education, science, engineering, or a related discipline with a strong mathematical. Most applicants to MMT will have been away from formal schooling for several years.
The minimum requirements for admission to the MMT program normally include:
- 4 year Bachelors degree (or equivalent) in Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
- At least one year of prior work experience in education, with preference given to those actively teaching in mathematics, science or computer science at the time of application.
- Certification of English language proficiency through one of the accepted examinations if you have not completed three or more years of post-secondary work at a Canadian institution, or at an institution at which English was the primary language of instruction, or have not been employed for a similar period of time in a position in which English was the primary language of business.
Deadline for applications is June 1 for September entry.
Degree Requirements
The degree requirements for the Master of Mathematics for Teachers include the equivalent of nine one-term (0.50 unit weight) graduate level courses including the completion of a capstone project (MATH 699, 0.50 unit weight).
Course Requirements
Students are required to take the equivalent of eight 0.50 unit weight courses from the list below:
• MATH 600 Introduction to Mathematical Software for Teachers (0.25 unit weight)
• MATH 630 Foundations of Probability and Statistics (0.50 unit weight)
• MATH 640 Number Theory for Teachers (0.50 unit weight)
• MATH 647 Foundations of Calculus I (0.50 unit weight)
• MATH 648 Foundations of Calculus II (0.50 unit weight)
• MATH 650 Mathematical Modeling (0.50 unit weight)
• MATH 660 Explorations in Geometry (0.50 unit weight)
• MATH 670 Real World Problems in Mathematics I (0.25 unit weight)
• MATH 671 Real World Problems in Mathematics II (0.25 unit weight)
• MATH 672 Real World Problems in Mathematics III (0.25 unit weight)
• MATH 673 Real World Problems in Mathematics IV (0.25 unit weight)
• MATH 680 History of Mathematics (0.50 unit weight)
• MATH 681 Problem Solving and Mathematical Discovery (0.50 unit weight)
• MATH 690 Summer Workshop for Teachers of Mathematics (0.25 unit weight)
• MATH 692 Reading, Writing and Discovering Proofs (0.25 unit weight)
Each of these courses is offered online, with the exception of MATH 690, which is offered on-campus in Waterloo.
Part-Time Students
All students in the MMT program are part-time graduate students.
Capstone Project Requirements
The capstone project is designed to give students an opportunity to showcase the knowledge that they have gained and to provide a forum for bringing that knowledge into their own classroom. In most cases, with the guidance of a faculty member, students will be asked to choose a mathematical concept or area of study, perform all necessary background reading, and then design and complete a project consisting of a short three week mini-course on the chosen topic that would be accessible to their students and colleagues.
To be successfully completed, the capstone project must be approved by the student's capstone supervisor.
Students can begin the capstone requirement any time after they have completed the equivalent of eight 0.50 unit weight courses.
Students must maintain an overall average of 75% in the program, with individual course marks of at least 70 %. Student performance will be assessed annually for progress towards the MMT.