Main Content Area
Undergraduate
Overview
Mathematics majors may earn a bachelor's degree in the College of Science, the College of Education or the College of Liberal Arts. Besides specific College and University requirements, all these programs include calculus, linear algebra and computer programming. Beyond this core, majors consult with a mathematics advisor to plan a program suited to individual interests and goals.
A Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Science can provide the foundation for a career in education, industry, the actuarial profession, government, business or for graduate study followed by an academic career in mathematics research and college teaching.
The mathematics component of the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Liberal Arts is identical to the College of Science program. Majors also take a secondary concentration consisting of two or three approved courses in some field in which mathematics is applicable.
The Bachelor of Science program in the College of Education is designed to give a solid background for teaching high school mathematics. The choice of mathematics courses in this program can leave open the option of graduate study in mathematics or an alternate career in business or industry.
Faculty
As a student majoring in mathematics, you will be in close contact with outstanding mathematics professors who are committed to high standards of teaching. At SIUC you will not find graduate students teaching freshman-level calculus or advanced courses in mathematics.
The Department is proud of its committment to teaching excellence and of the recognition it has received. Professors Theodore Burton (1984), David Kammler (1995), William Patula (2003), and Mary Wright (1991) have won University-wide Outstanding Teacher Awards. Professors Andrew Earnest (1985, 1994) and George Parker (1983, 1989, 2009) have won Outstanding Teacher Awards in the College of Science and in the College of Liberal Arts. Professors Gregory Budzban (2007), Ronald Grimmer (1999), Edward Neuman (2001), and Kathleen Pericak-Spector (1997, 2011) have won the Outstanding Teaching Award in the College of Science.
Our permanent faculty members hold doctor's degrees from some 25 universities here and abroad. They carry on active research programs in abstract algebra, number theory, combinatorics, integral equations, numerical analysis, optimal control theory, ordinary and partial differential equations, probability, statistics, topology, and other fields. Our researchers keep in touch with other professors in their specialties all over the world. We frequently are host to visiting professors from universities in Europe and the Orient. Professors Scott Spector (2000) and Salah-Eldin Mohammed (2006) have won the Outstanding Scholar Award at the University level and Professor Walter Wallis (1988) has won the Oustanding Researcher Award in the College of Science.
Curriculum
As a student majoring in mathematics at SIUC, you have the opportunity to design a program specifically suited to your interests. Each program option in mathematics will include calculus, linear algebra, and computer programming. Beyond this core, you may choose from a broad variety of almost 40 mathematics courses. You will meet with a mathematics professor each semester to select courses appropriate to your goals.
College of Science
The bachelor of science program in the College of Science offers many options. One that might interest you is computational applied mathematics, which combines courses in applied mathematics with a minor in computer science. Or you might choose to emphasize statistics, actuarial science preparation, graduate school preparation, computer-related mathematics, business-related mathematics, or mathematics applied to the physical sciences. The important thing is that you and your faculty advisor will design your program with your particular interests and career goals in mind.
College of Science students will also select additional courses in the physical and biological sciences. One year of a foreign language is required, both as a way of broadening your understanding of the world and as a possible research tool if you eventually decide to pursue graduate study and mathematical research.
College of Liberal Arts
In place of the requirements in the bachelor of science program, the bachelor of arts program in the College of Liberal Arts requires a secondary concentration in engineering, computer science, physics, economics, or business and administration, or a minor from any department in the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Science; the mathematical components are the same. You will work closely with a faculty advisor to design your particular program, which will include a year of a foreign language and course work in English composition.
College of Education
The bachelor of science program in the College of Education can give you a solid background for a career in teaching high school mathematics and at the same time prepare you for graduate study in mathematics or for a career in business or industry. As a student in the College of Education you will complete the professional education sequence, which stresses early classroom observation and culminates in a semester of student teaching. On graduation you will have met the requirements for teacher certification in Illinois.
Diversity
As you work toward your degree in mathematics, there is ample opportunity to explore other fields of study. If you are interested in science, you can go beyond the basic science requirements to earn a minor in one of the physical or biological sciences. Elective courses in business and economics can be combined with mathematics courses applicable to those fields. Such a combination is excellent background for graduate study in a master of business administration program, for an operations research graduate program, or for actuarial work in the insurance industry. A concentration in statistics might be combined with an interest in agriculture, government and political science, economics, psychology, sociology, business, or science.
With careful planning, you can complete a double major. Computer science and mathematics, engineering and mathematics, physics or chemistry and mathematics, business administration and mathematics, philosophy and mathematics--one of these combinations may be well suited to your talents and interests. Special programs are available for some double majors.
Mathematics and Computer Science
The computer has made possible many new applications of mathematics and will continue to have a great impact on mathematics during the coming years. The Department of Mathematics and the Department of Computer Science are separate departments, as they are at most comprehensive universities, but they work in close cooperation. Some professors teach in both departments. All mathematics majors take at least one computer science course, and all computer science majors take several mathematics courses. Several courses can be used for credit in either department; this can help you earn a double major in mathematics and computer science. The programs that combine a major in mathematics with a major or minor in computer science provide excellent preparation for a mathematically oriented computer science career.
Mathematics and Statistics
Probability and statistics are fascinating mathematical fields with many useful applications. At SIUC the field of statistics is a concentration in the Department of Mathematics.
Individuals who can draw reliable information from the wealth of data available in business, industry, science, and government are in demand. Experiments that test the safety of food additives, the side effects of new medicines, the effectiveness of new agricultural methods, and the quality of manufactured products are all based on probability and statistics. Most practicing statisticians hold advanced degrees in statistics. A well-prepared student who decides to pursue such a program early in a career at SIUC can earn a bachelor's degree and a master's degree within five years of entering college.
Actuarial Science
Actuaries use probability and statistics to analyze risks and determine rate structures and policy provisions in the field of insurance and pensions. They are well paid and often go on to executive positions in the insurance industry. To prepare for this interesting and rewarding career, you will take courses in probability and statistics, operations research, and numerical analysis, together with related courses in business and finance. The first of the series of examinations given by the national actuarial societies covers general college mathematics and can be taken here at SIUC. You can prepare for actuarial science as a mathematics major in the College of Science or the College of Liberal Arts, or you can major in business and administration in the College of Business and Administration, which allows you to pursue mathematics as a second major.
Student Organizations, Contests, and Awards
All students interested in mathematics may participate in the Mathematics Club. Each Fall, mathematics majors with excellent records may participate in the national William Lowell Putnam competitive mathematics examination. Each year, the mathematics faculty selects the outstanding junior and senior mathematics major to receive the Carl Townsend Memorial Award.