The Mathematics Major

Mathematics is a science which combines the beauty of abstraction with the power of logical deduction to model phenomena and solve problems. As a mathematics major you will be inheriting a rich history of ideas which will change your view of the world in which we live, and provide you with problem-solving skills that will make you very attractive for Coop positions and career employment.

The Department of Mathematics has revised the requirements for majoring in mathematics. All students who arrive at Northeastern University in Fall 2003 or later should follow Program 2003 detailed below.

Students who will be graduating after Fall 2003 but arrived before Fall 2003 follow a transition version of Program 1999 if they arrived after Fall 1999 or a transition version of the old program. In order to determine the specific courses required please consult a math adviser (see the list in 567LA).

B.S. Degree in Mathematics	B.A. Degree in Mathematics
One Page Summary in pdf Math Core: Nine (9) Required Courses Math Electives: Five (5) Electives (3 Tracks) Experiential Education  Physics: Physics 1 and 2 for science majors CAS Core Curriculum 7 courses	One Page Summary in pdf Math Core: Nine (9) Required Courses   Math Electives Two (2) Electives   Experiential Education  Physics: Physics 1 and 2 for science majors   CAS Core Curriculum 13 courses
Sample 5-year B.S. program with Coop pdf

Note: The upper division mathematics electives will mostly be scheduled during the spring semester and the first half of the summer. Students who participate in the Coop program should plan to be on campus during these times in order to take the courses for their program.

A grade of C or higher is required in all mathematics courses at level 399 and lower.

Math Core: Nine (9) Required Mathematics Courses

B.S. Degree in Mathematics	B.A. Degree in Mathematics
MTH U165: Intro to Math. Reasoning MTH U241, U242: Calculus 1-2 MTH U341: Calculus 3 MTH U345: Ordinary Diff. Equations MTH U371: Linear Algebra MTH U481: Probability and Statistics MTH U550: Real Analysis MTH U575: Groups and Rings	MTH U170: Math. Discovery & Computers MTH U241, U242: Calculus 1-2 MTH U341: Calculus 3 MTH U201: History of Math. MTH U371: Linear Algebra MTH U560 or MTH U430: Geometry or Number Theory MTH U550 or MTH U565: Real Analysis or Topology MTH U575: Groups and Rings

Math Electives

The B.S. degree requires 5 and the B.A. requires 2 advanced courses. These courses should be chosen according to the student's vocational track: 1. Actuary Track: For students interested in working insurance and finance. Recommended courses are Statistics and Stochastic Processes, Introduction to Actuary, and the capstone course Actuary Practice. 2. Applied/industry Track: For students interested in employment in industry and high tech companies. Recommended courses are Applied Analysis, Fourier Series, Numerical Analysis and the capstone course Applied Mathematics. 3. Education Track: For students interested in secondary teaching of mathematics. Recommended courses are History of Mathematics, Number Theory, Geometry. Student Teaching is recommended. 4. Pure Math Track: For students interested in preparing for graduate school in mathematics. Recommended courses are Topology and the capstone course in Pure Mathematics.

Experiential Education Requirement

This is a College of Arts & Sciences requirement; for mathematics majors, it is satisfied in one of the following ways: MTH U725: Applied Math Capstone. This is particularly appropriate for students in the industrial/applied math track of the B.S. degree. MTH U790: Actuarial Practice. This is particularly appropriate for students interested in becoming actuaries. Seminar in Pure Mathematics: This is particularly appropriate for students in the pure math track of the B.S. degree. (Will be made available when student interest warrants.) Student Teaching. This is particularly appropriate for students in the secondary education track of the B.S. degree and doing a minor in education. MTH U951: Experiential Education Directed Study. This is for math majors for whom the other course options are not appropriate. (MTH courses taken to satisfy this requirement are also counted as math electives.)

College of Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum is designed to give the student a broad-based education beyond their expertise in mathematics. B.S. Degree in Mathematics B.A. Degree in Mathematics Category I: Freshman English Category II:  one arts/humanities one social world Category III: Diversity Category IV: Middler Writing Category V: History/Ethics/Aesthetics Category VI: Analysis Category I:  ENG 1110  ENG 1111 Foreign language through intermediate II Category II: Four (4) courses 2 arts/humanities 2 social science Category III: Two (2) courses Category IV: Two (2) courses Category V: Two (2) courses Category VI: Two (2) courses

Web page started by Robert McOwen on August 6, 1999; last modified by Alex Martsinkovsky on April 22, 2005.
Comments or corrections to:  alexmart [at] neu  (dot) edu

URL: http://www.math.neu.edu/undergrad/newmathmajor.html