Mathematics, Minor

A minor in mathematics requires six Mathematics courses, each of at least three credits, distributed as follows: All of the courses must be numbered MATH 109 Linear Algebra or above, and two of the courses must be numbered above 300. Neither MATH 110 Topics in Math I nor MATH 150 First-Year Seminar may be counted toward a minor. A well-prepared student may elect to skip MATH 111 Calculus I-MATH 112 Calculus II, or MATH 131 Calculus I for Life Sciences-MATH 132 Calculus II for Life Sciences. No skipped course can count toward the requirement unless Advanced Placement credit, International Baccalaureate credit, or credit by examination has been received for that course.

Mathematics Core Requirements

Credits: 23-24

Major Writing Requirement

3-6 Credits

A student in any Mathematics major concentration satisfies the upper-division mathematics writing requirement in one of the following ways:

• Completion of the course MATH 400 Mathematical Connections Credits: (3) or a MATH course with COLL 400 attribute and writing requirement
• Completion of an Honors Thesis in MATH 495 Honors/MATH 496 Honors Credits: (6)
• Completion of MATH 300 Mathematical Sciences Writing Credits: (1) with a grade of C- or better, through the completion of a supervised expository individual writing project.

Options 1 and 2 above will also count as the student’s COLL 400 requirement.  A student should only choose option 3 in MATH 300 Mathematical Sciences Writing if that student is taking the COLL 400 requirement in another department (through an honors thesis or otherwise).  For option 1 in MATH 400 Mathematical Connections, the student just needs to register for this course.  For options 2 and 3, the student should first communicate with a faculty member about supervising the honors thesis or writing project.  The student can then register for the course in a section corresponding to the faculty member who has agreed to supervise the student.  Note that the MATH 400 Mathematical Connections option above is a standard course which meets regularly, while the other two options are individually supervised and do not have a lecture component.  For students In the Pre-College Mathematics Teaching Concentration, the writing requirement must incorporate some element of the history of mathematics.

Major Computing Requirement

A student in any Mathematics major concentration must show proficiency in some high-level computer programming language at the level of CSCI 141 Modern Programming Fundamentals. This is normally done by receiving a grade of at least C- in CSCI 141 Modern Programming Fundamentals. Exceptions require the department chair’s permission.

Core Courses