The program in mathematics offers training for students planning to work in mathematics and computation for industry, to continue their studies in graduate school, or to enter secondary education teaching. Students may satisfy the major requirements in several ways, which are designed to meet these various career objectives.
Student Learning Outcomes
Our graduates will
- understand the fundamentals of a broad range of areas of mathematics, including algebra, analysis, discrete mathematics, geometry, and numerical analysis.
- demonstrate problem solving skills, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning as applied to mathematical problems and modeling.
- construct and effectively communicate rigorous arguments to demonstrate mathematical facts in oral, written, and electronic formats.
- participate in meaningful learning experiences, recognize the central role of mathematics in our society, and develop an appreciation for mathematics as a fundamental intellectual pursuit.
Curriculum
All students are required to earn credit for the following core courses:
| MATH 101 | Orientation in Mathematics | 1 |
| MATH 165 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 166 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 201 | Introduction to Proofs | 3 |
| MATH 265 | Calculus III | 4 |
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Theory of Linear Algebra | ||
| Applied Linear Algebra | ||
| Total Credits | 19-20 | |
To complete the major, leading to a Bachelor of Science degree, students must choose from one of the following four pathways:
Mathematics Major
This degree program is designed for students planning to work in industry or those who plan to continue their studies mathematics at the graduate level. Students are required to earn credit for the following courses:
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Elementary Differential Equations | ||
| Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms | ||
| MATH 301 | Abstract Algebra I | 3 |
| MATH 414 | Analysis I | 3 |
| MATH 492 | Undergraduate Seminar | 2 |
| Additional MATH courses at the 300, 400, or 500 level | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 26-27 | |
Additionally, the courses must include one of the following sequences:
| MATH 301 & MATH 403 | Abstract Algebra I and Intermediate Abstract Algebra | 6 |
| MATH 304 & MATH 314 | Combinatorics and Graph Theory | 6 |
| MATH 373 & MATH 481 | Introduction to Scientific Computing and Numerical Methods for Differential Equations | 6 |
| MATH 414 & MATH 415 | Analysis I and Analysis II | 6 |
| MATH 435 & MATH 436 | Geometry I and Geometry II | 6 |
Mathematics Major with Actuarial Science Certificate
This degree program is designed for students pursuing a career as an actuary or in the financial sector. Students are required to earn credit for the following courses:
| MATH 240 | Mathematics of Investment and Credit | 3 |
| MATH 341 | Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics I | 4 |
| MATH 414 | Analysis I | 3 |
| MATH 441 | Life Contingencies I | 3 |
| MATH 442 | Life Contingencies II | 3 |
| MATH 492 | Undergraduate Seminar | 2 |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Additionally, students must meet the requirements for the Actuarial Science Certificate (see www.catalog.iastate.edu/collegeofbusiness/actuarialscience/#certificatetext).
Mathematics Major with Applications
This degree program is for students who want to specialize in the application of mathematics to an area of study. It is recommended for those who plan to work in industry or those who plan to continue studying their specialization area at the graduate level. Students are required to earn credit for the following courses:
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Elementary Differential Equations | ||
| Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms | ||
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Combinatorics | ||
| Graph Theory | ||
| Three of the following: | 9-10 | |
| Abstract Algebra I | ||
| Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics I | ||
| Number Theory | ||
| Complex Variables with Applications | ||
| Introduction to Scientific Computing | ||
| Introduction to Partial Differential Equations | ||
| Analysis I | ||
| Introduction to High Performance Computing | ||
| Numerical Methods for Differential Equations | ||
| Courses at the 300, 400, or 500 level from the following designations: AER E, A B E, ASTRO, BBMB, BCB, BCBIO, BIOL, B M E, B M S, CH E, CHEM, C E, CPR E, COM S, CON E, DS, ECON, E E, E M, ENSCI, GEN, GEOL, I E, MAT E, M E, MTEOR, MICRO, NUC E, PHIL, PYSCH, PHYS, S E, SOC, STAT | 12 | |
| MATH 492 | Undergraduate Seminar | 2 |
| Total Credits | 29-31 | |
Mathematics Major for Teacher Preparation
This degree program prepares students for a career in secondary education. Students are required to earn credit for the following courses:
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Windows Application Programming | ||
| Fundamentals of Computer Programming | ||
| Object-oriented Programming | ||
| EDUC 203 | A Connected World: Technology for Learning, Creating, and Collaborating | 1 |
| EDUC 204 | Social Foundations of Education in the United States: Secondary | 3 |
| EDUC 219 | Orientation to Teacher Education: FCS, History, Math, Science and World Language and Cultures Majors | 1 |
| EDUC 280A | Pre-Student Teaching Experience | 1-2 |
| EDUC 280J | Pre-Student Teaching Experience I: Mathematics Clinic | 1 |
| EDUC 303 | Introduction to Educational Technology | 1 |
| EDUC 395 | Teaching Disciplinary Literacy | 3 |
| EDUC 403 | Intermediate Educational Technology | 1 |
| EDUC 406 | Social Justice Education and Teaching: Secondary | 3 |
| EDUC 417C | Student Teaching: Mathematics | arr † |
| EDUC 480C | Pre-Student Teaching Experience III: Mathematics | 0.5-2 |
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Elementary Differential Equations | ||
| Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms | ||
| MATH 301 | Abstract Algebra I | 3 |
| MATH 341 | Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics I | 4 |
| MATH 397 | Teaching Secondary Mathematics Using University Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 414 | Analysis I | 3 |
| MATH 435 | Geometry I | 3 |
| MATH 436 | Geometry II | 3 |
| MATH 497 | Teaching Secondary School Mathematics | 3 |
| STAT 201 | Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods | 4 |
| SP ED 401 | Teaching Secondary Students with Exceptionalities in General Education | 3 |
| Total Credits | 50.5-55 † | |
| † Arranged with instructor. | ||
Additionally, students must meet the professional teaching education requirements established by the University Teacher Education Program (see http://education.iastate.edu/undergraduate-studies/secondary-education/)
University and College Requirements
In addition to the core and pathway courses, students are also required to earn credit for the following courses:
| Courses from General Education Area I - Arts and Humanities 1 | 12 | |
| Courses from General Education Area IIB - Natural Sciences 1 | 8 | |
| Courses from General Education Area III - Social Sciences 1,2 | 9 | |
| Courses meeting the international perspectives requirement 3 | 3 | |
| Courses meeting the U.S. diversity requirement 3 | 3 | |
| LIB 160 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| ENGL 150 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition 4 | 3 |
| One of the following: 5 | 3 | |
| Business Communication | ||
| Free-Lance Writing for Popular Magazines | ||
| Creative Writing: Nonfiction | ||
| Proposal and Report Writing | ||
| Technical Communication | ||
| Undergraduate Thesis 6 | ||
| 1 | Possible choices can be found here: https://las.iastate.edu/students/academics/general-education/ |
| 2 | Students pursuing the Mathematics Major for Teacher Preparation are required to take PSYCH 230 or HD FS 102, PYSCH 333, and earn a grade of C or better in each course. |
| 3 | Courses used to meet the U.S. Diversity and International Perspectives requirements can also be used to fulfill general education requirements. |
| 4 | Students must earn a grade of C or better. |
| 5 | Students must earn a grade of C- or better. |
| 6 | With departmental approval. |
Furthermore, students must earn a minimum of 120 credits, including a minimum of 45 credits at the 300 or 400 level, and including at least 8 credits in the major at the 300/400 level with a grade of C or better. At least 55 of these credits must be earned at a four-year institution, and the last 32 credits must be earned at Iowa State University. A maximum of 16 technical credits are allowed, and a maximum of 9 P-NP credits of free electives may apply. Students must also meet the LAS World Language requirement and have a minimum 2.00 ISU cumulative Grade Point Average.
Four Year Plans
Mathematics Major
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 101 | 1 | MATH 166 | 4 |
| MATH 165 | 4 | Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | Natural Science Choice | 4 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Natural Science Choice | 4 | ||
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 201 | 3 | MATH 266 or 267 | 3-4 |
| MATH 265 | 4 | MATH 317 | 4 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | ENGL 250 | 3 |
| Social Science Choice | 3 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 16 | 13-14 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH Sequence Course I | 3 | MATH Sequence Course II | 3 |
| MATH 301 or 414 | 3 | MATH 414 or 301 | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Communication Choice | 3 |
| Electives/World Language | 6 | Electives/World Language | 6 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 300+ | 3 | MATH 300+ | 6 |
| MATH 492 | 2 | Electives | 9 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | ||
| Electives | 6 | ||
| 14 | 15 | ||
Mathematics Major with Actuarial Science Certificate
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 101 | 1 | MATH 166 | 4 |
| MATH 165 | 4 | ECON 102 | 3 |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | STAT 226 | 3 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | ACCT 284 | 3 |
| ECON 101 | 3 | Electives | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 201 | 3 | MATH 240 | 3 |
| MATH 265 | 4 | MATH 317 | 4 |
| FIN 301 | 3 | ENGL 250 | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | FIN 320 | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| STAT 341 | 4 | FIN 424 | 3 |
| STAT 301 or 326 | 3-4 | STAT 342 | 4 |
| Natural Science Choice | 4 | Communication Choice | 3 |
| Electives/World Language | 3 | Natural Science Choice | 4 |
| Electives/World Language | 3 | ||
| 14-15 | 17 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 414 | 3 | MATH 442 | 3 |
| MATH 441 | 3 | MATH 492 | 2 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Electives | 6 | Electives | 6 |
| 15 | 14 | ||
Mathematics Major with Applications
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 101 | 1 | MATH 166 | 4 |
| MATH 165 | 4 | Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | Natural Science Choice | 4 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Natural Science Choice | 4 | Specialization Area Prereq. | 3 |
| Specialization Area Prereq. | 3 | ||
| 16 | 17 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 201 | 3 | MATH 266 or 267 | 3-4 |
| MATH 265 | 4 | MATH 317 | 4 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | ENGL 250 | 3 |
| Social Science Choice | 3 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Specialization Area Prereq. | 3 | ||
| 16 | 13-14 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 300+ or MATH 304 | 3 | MATH 300+ or MATH 314 | 3 |
| Specialization Area 300+ | 3 | Specialization Area 300+ | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Communication Choice | 3 |
| Electives/World Language | 6 | Electives/World Language | 6 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 300+ | 3 | MATH 300+ | 3 |
| Specialization Area 300+ | 3 | MATH 492 | 2 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Specialization Area 300+ | 3 |
| Electives | 6 | Electives | 6 |
| 15 | 14 | ||
Mathematics Major for Teacher Preparation
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 101 | 1 | MATH 166 | 4 |
| MATH 165 | 4 | STAT 201 | 4 |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | EDUC 203 | 1 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | EDUC 219 | 1 |
| PSYCH 230 or HD FS 102 | 3 | EDUC 280J | 1 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Arts & Humanities Choice | 6 |
| 15 | 17 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 201 | 3 | MATH 266 or 267 | 3-4 |
| MATH 265 | 4 | MATH 317 | 4 |
| ENGL 250 | 3 | PSYCH 333 | 3 |
| EDUC 204 | 3 | COM S 107, 207, or 227 | 3-4 |
| EDUC 303 | 1 | Natural Science Choice | 4 |
| Natural Science Choice | 4 | ||
| 18 | 17-19 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 301 | 3 | MATH 397 | 3 |
| MATH 341 | 4 | MATH 436 | 3 |
| MATH 435 | 3 | EDUC 280A | 1-2 |
| EDUC 406 | 3 | EDUC 403 | 1 |
| Communication Choice | 3 | SP ED 401 | 3 |
| Social Sciences Choice | 3 | ||
| 16 | 14-15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 414 | 3 | EDUC 417C | 0 |
| MATH 497 | 3 | ||
| EDUC 395 | 3 | ||
| EDUC 480C | 0.5-2 | ||
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | ||
| 12.5-14 | 0 | ||
Undergraduate Minor
The department offers a minor in mathematics. The minor requires at least 16 credits, including at least 6 credits in courses numbered 300 or above taken at Iowa State University. At least 9 credits must apply exclusively towards the minor and cannot be used to meet any other department, college, or university requirement. Students are required to earn credit for the following courses:
| MATH 201 | Introduction to Proofs | 3 |
| MATH 265 | Calculus III | 4 |
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Elementary Differential Equations | ||
| Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms | ||
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Theory of Linear Algebra | ||
| Applied Linear Algebra | ||
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Abstract Algebra I | ||
| Combinatorics | ||
| Graph Theory | ||
| Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics I | ||
| Number Theory | ||
| Complex Variables with Applications | ||
| Introduction to Scientific Computing | ||
| Introduction to Partial Differential Equations | ||
| Analysis I | ||
| Logic for Mathematics and Computer Science | ||
| Geometry I | ||
| Geometry II | ||
| Total Credits | 16-19 | |
Graduate Study
The department offers programs leading to a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree in mathematics or applied mathematics, as well as minor work for students whose major is in another department.
Students desiring to undertake graduate work leading to the M.S. or Ph.D. degree should prepare themselves by taking several upper division mathematics courses.
The M.S. degree requires a student to take at least 30 credit hours and to write a creative component or thesis. Additionally, students must pass a comprehensive oral examination over their coursework and their creative component or thesis. See the online Mathematics Graduate Handbook for specific requirements.
The Ph.D. degree requires a student to take 42 credit hours of coursework in addition to research hours, pass written qualifying examinations, pass an oral preliminary exam, and perform an original research project culminating in a dissertation which is defended by an oral exam. Ph.D. candidates must have at least one year of supervised teaching experience. See the on-line Mathematics Graduate Handbook for specific requirements.