Mathematics

Louise Amick, Chair
Dunning/Decker Hall 101A, ext. 7866

Major Requirements and Recommendations

Normally a student with good preparation in mathematics who intends to major in mathematics or one of the natural sciences will start with MAT 201, but a student who has had some work in calculus may wish to start with a more advanced course, and is encouraged to consult with the department to make such arrangements. Students planning to major in the sciences using applied mathematics should complete MAT 203 in their sophomore year, even at the cost of delaying completion of their distribution requirements. They should then consult with their major advisers to determine which other courses in mathematics are essential to their programs.

Mathematics majors are eligible for the teacher education program. In order to assure proper scheduling, students wishing to become certified to teach mathematics should inform the chairs of both the Mathematics and Education Departments as soon as possible.

The major in mathematics consists of a minimum of eleven courses. In addition to the entire calculus sequence of MAT 201, MAT 202, and MAT 203, each major must take at least two of the four theory courses: MAT 311, MAT 312, MAT 322, and MAT 325. (Students intending to pursue graduate work should take all four theory courses.) The remaining six courses must be selected from the theory courses above or from the following list:

• MAT 120.
• MAT 240.
• MAT 316.
• MAT 318.
• MAT 327.
• MAT 330.
• MAT 340.
• MAT 345.
• MAT 394.
• MAT 494.
• CSI 201.
• CSI 202.
• CSI 350.
• CSI 370.
• CSI 380.

Minor Requirements: The minor in mathematics consists of MAT 201, MAT 202, MAT 203, and any four other courses that count for the major. However, at least one of these must be from the following: MAT 311, MAT 312, MAT 322, MAT 325.

Senior Capstone Experience: The Senior Capstone Experience in mathematics consists of two components: a senior thesis and oral presentation, and the solution and oral presentation of six approved problems. Each major will research and write a senior thesis with the supervision of a faculty member and will make an oral presentation on the thesis at a departmental seminar. Each major should have a thesis topic selected and approved by the end of his/her junior year.

Capstone problems may be selected from a departmental list of approved problems or from current issues of the following journals: Mathematics Magazine, The American Mathematical Monthly, The College Mathematics Journal, Math Horizons, The AMATYC Review, SIAM Review, Journal of Recreational Mathematics, and School Science and Mathematics. Students may also earn credit for problems solved while participating in teams in the annual ACM Programming Contest or the COMAP Mathematical Contest in Modeling. A maximum of three such problems may be credited toward the six required Capstone problems. The department strongly recommends that each major complete at least two Capstone problems by the end of his or her junior year.

Weekly seminars of the majors and faculty in the department are scheduled to provide information about careers, graduate school, thesis topics, and research areas, as well as to enable each major to make presentations of problem solutions and to make the required presentation on the thesis.

The Senior Capstone Experience is graded as Pass, Fail, or Honors.