A complete description of the major and minor requirements are here. So are some typical plans for four years. A hardcopy that you may find useful is available for downloading in the Mathematics Department Handbook (in postscript).
Also here is a departmental statement on secondary education.
In addition to the College's other requirements, Mathematics majors complete these courses.
These are some programs that would suit mathematics majors with typical goals. They are here to give you a feel for which courses are usually taken when, but there is a great deal of latitude in our program, and they are not meant to be proscribed in any way. Please consult with an advisor to sketch out a four years that suits what you'd like.
In particular, note that all these programs are essentially the same for the first two years, so you need not have a fixed idea of what you would like to do in mathematics when you are starting out.
The first program is for a future high school teacher. Practice teaching is in spring of the senior year.
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| First | MA 109, CS 111 | MA 111, MA 216, ED 231 |
| Second | MA 211, MA 251, PY 210, ED 271 | MA 213, MA 303, ED 343 |
| Third | MA 406, MA 308, ED 360 | MA 305, MA 451, MA 410 |
| Fourth | MA 401, MA 304, ED 361 | ED 417, ED 424, ED 430 |
The next program fits someone considering a career as an actuary. This person could take the first actuarial exam in fall of the junior year and the second exam in fall of the senior year.
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| First | MA 109, CS 111 | MA 111, MA 216, CS 113 |
| Second | MA 211, MA 207, PY 210 | MA 213, CS 211, MA 303 |
| Third | MA 406, MA 251 | MA 451, MA 303 |
| Fourth | MA 401, MA 417 | MA 410 |
The third plan fits someone considering graduate school.
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| First | MA 109, CS 111 | MA 111, MA 216, CS 113 |
| Second | MA 211, PY 210 | MA 213, PY 212, MA 303 |
| Third | MA 406, MA 251, MA 207 | MA 407, MA 214 |
| Fourth | MA 401, MA 405 | MA 410 |
In addition to the College's other requirements, and the requirements of the major, Mathematics minors must complete these.
This person is minoring in math with a major in chemistry.
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| First | MA 109, CH 105 | MA 111, CH 109 |
| First | MA 211, PY 210, CH 204 | MA 213, PY 212, CH 206 |
| First | CH 302, CH 305 | MA 303, CH 304, CH 307 |
| First | CH 410 | MA 417, CH 413, CH 415 |
This is an economics major with a minor in math.
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| First | MA 109 | MA 111 |
| First | MA 211, EC 101 | MA 213, MA 303, EC 103 |
| First | EC 205, EC 311 | MA 451, EC 312, EC 317 |
| First | EC 315, EC 391, EC 410 | EC 410, EC 335 |
A major in computer science to go with the minor in math.
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| First | MA 109, CS 111 | MA 111, CS 113 |
| First | MA 211, MA 207, CS 211 | MA 213, MA 208, CS 213 |
| First | MA 251, CS 303, CS 311 | CS 313, CS 307 |
| First | MA 305, CS 407, CS 417 | CS 415 |
All graduates of the Mathematics program at Saint Michael's College must master a core sequence of courses that establish a fundamental basis of mathematical knowledge, and must also succeed at elective courses that ensure grounding in a variety of investigational areas.
All graduates master Calculus, both two-dimensional and n-dimensional, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Real Analysis, Probability and Statistics, and Abstract Algebra. Each of these are four-hour courses. In addition to these core mathematics courses, all graduates must succeed at four more three-hour courses, with the subject area selected by the graduate, in areas of mathematics such as Foundations, Geometries, Number Theory, or History of Mathematics. This combination in the Mathematics program of depth and breath gives all graduates the ability to go on to work well within a wide variety of educational, industrial, or instructional settings.
In the Saint Michael's Mathematics program, a special emphasis is put by all instructors on eliciting active participation from all students. Technology, from the routine use of calculators, to the use of sophisticated Computer Algebra systems, is integrated into courses wherever appropriate, to develop the material, to expand computational experience, and to encourage independent exploration. Students are at all times considered partners in the educational process.
The Mathematics Department is especially proud of the record of the graduates who have obtained certification in Secondary Education. The very important work of educating for the future is one that is taken as a key consideration in the construction, both of the overall program of instruction, and of the content of individual courses. The program required of graduates of Saint Michael's College guarantees both the technical ability at mathematics needed to convey the day-to-day material, as well as the appreciation for the larger issues in the subject, and of its role in science and our society, that are needed to teach towards a balanced understanding of the field as a whole.