Contact Information
- Dane Mayhook
- Director of Undergraduate Studies
- math.iastate.edu
- dmayhook@iastate.edu
- 515-294-5207
- Christina Brady
- Academic Advisor II
- math.iastate.edu
- ccbrady@iastate.edu
- 515-294-2274
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- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences >
- Mathematics
This is an archived copy of the 2024-2025 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.iastate.edu.
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
As majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Math students must meet College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and University-wide requirements for graduation in addition to those stated below for the major.
Mathematics Core
All Math majors are required to earn credit for the following core courses:
| MATH 1010 | Orientation in Mathematics | 1 |
| MATH 1650 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 1660 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 2010 | Introduction to Proofs | 3 |
| MATH 2650 | 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:
Standard 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 3010 | Abstract Algebra I | 3 |
| MATH 4140 | Analysis I | 3 |
| Additional MATH courses at the 3000, 4000, or 5000 level | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 24-25 | |
Additionally, the courses must include one of the following sequences:
| MATH 3010 & MATH 4030 | Abstract Algebra I and Intermediate Abstract Algebra | 6 |
| MATH 3040 & MATH 3140 | Combinatorics and Graph Theory | 6 |
| MATH 3730 & MATH 4810 | Introduction to Scientific Computing and Numerical Methods for Differential Equations | 6 |
| MATH 4140 & MATH 4150 | Analysis I and Analysis II | 6 |
| MATH 4350 & MATH 4360 | 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 2400 | Mathematics of Investment and Credit | 3 |
| MATH 3410 | Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics I | 4 |
| MATH 4140 | Analysis I | 3 |
| MATH 4410 | Life Contingencies I | 3 |
| MATH 4420 | Life Contingencies II | 3 |
| Total Credits | 16 | |
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 | ||
| Four of the following: | 12-13 | |
| 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 | ||
| Mathematical Modeling in Biology | ||
| Introduction to High Performance Computing | ||
| Introduction to Discrete Mathematics | ||
| Numerical Methods for Differential Equations | ||
| Courses at the 3000, 4000, or 5000 level from the following designations: AERE ABE, ASTRO, BBMB, BCB, BCBIO, BIOL, BME, BMS, CHE, CHEM, CE, CPRE, COMS, CONE, DS, ECON, EE, EM, ENSCI, FIN, GEN, GEOL, IE, MATE, ME, MIS,MTEOR, MICRO, NUCE, PHIL, PYSCH, PHYS, SE, SOC, STAT | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 27-29 | |
Mathematics Major for Teacher Preparation
This degree program prepares students for a career in secondary education.
All students preparing to become teachers need to complete the core Math classes required of all Math majors, the courses laid out below, and the requirements of the Secondary Major in Education including Student Teaching. Note: Teacher license requirements are established by the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and are subject to change. Recent changes may not be reflected in this catalog, but advisers and faculty will be aware.
| COMS 1070 | Windows Application Programming | 3-4 |
| or COMS 2070 | Fundamentals of Computer Programming | |
| or COMS 2270 | Object-oriented Programming | |
| STAT 2010 | Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods | 4 |
| MATH 2660 | Elementary Differential Equations | 3-4 |
| or MATH 2670 | Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms | |
| MATH 3010 | Abstract Algebra I | 3 |
| MATH 3410 | Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics I | 4 |
| MATH 4140 | Analysis I | 3 |
| MATH 4350 | Geometry I | 3 |
| MATH 4360 | Geometry II | 3 |
| MATH 3970 | Teaching Secondary Mathematics Using University Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 4970 | Teaching Secondary School Mathematics | 3 |
| Total Credits | 32-34 | |
Complementary Coursework for Teacher Preparation
In addition to the courses required for the Math Major and those required for the Secondary Major in Education, the complementary coursework below is required for those seeking licensure in mathematics. Some of these courses, and some of the required coursework for the Secondary Major in Education, can also apply to LAS general education requirements.
| PSYCH 2300 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| or HDFS 1020 | Human Development | |
| EDUC 2800J | Pre-Student Teaching Experience I: Mathematics Clinic | 1 |
| EDUC 4800C | Pre-Student Teaching Experience III: Mathematics | 0.5-2 |
| And one course in American History or Government | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 7.5-9 | |
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 | 9 | |
| LAS Career Proficiency Requirement (LAS 2030) | 1 | |
| Courses meeting the international perspectives requirement 2 | 3 | |
| Courses meeting the U.S. cultures and communities requirement 2 | 3 | |
| LIB 1600 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| ENGL 1500 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 2500 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition 3 | 3 |
| One of the following: 4 | 3 | |
| Business Communication | ||
| Free-Lance Writing for Popular Magazines | ||
| Creative Writing: Nonfiction | ||
| Proposal and Report Writing | ||
| Technical Communication | ||
| Undergraduate Thesis 5 | ||
- 1
Possible choices can be found here: https://las.iastate.edu/students/academics/general-education/
- 2
Courses used to meet the U.S. Cultures and Communities and International Perspectives requirements can also be used to fulfill general education requirements.
- 3
Students must earn a grade of C or better.
- 4
Students must earn a grade of C- or better.
- 5
With departmental approval.
Furthermore, students must earn a minimum of 120 credits, including a minimum of 45 credits at the 3000 or 4000 level, and including at least 8 credits in the major at the 3000/4000 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 1010 | 1 | MATH 1660 | 4 |
| MATH 1650 | 4 | Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 |
| ENGL 1500 | 3 | Natural Science Choice | 4 |
| LIB 1600 | 1 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Natural Science Choice | 4 | ||
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 2010 | 3 | MATH 2660 or 2670 | 3-4 |
| MATH 2650 | 4 | MATH 3170 | 4 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | ENGL 2500 | 3 |
| Social Science Choice | 3 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | LAS 2030 | 1 |
| 16 | 14-15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH Sequence Course I | 3 | MATH Sequence Course II | 3 |
| MATH 3010 or 4140 | 3 | MATH 4140 or 3010 | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Communication Choice | 3 |
| Electives/World Language | 6 | Electives/World Language | 6 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 3000+ | 3 | MATH 3000+ | 6 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Electives | 9 |
| Electives | 9 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120-121 | |||
Mathematics Major with Actuarial Science Certificate
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 1010 | 1 | MATH 1660 | 4 |
| MATH 1650 | 4 | ECON 1020 | 3 |
| ENGL 1500 | 3 | STAT 2260 | 3 |
| LIB 1600 | 1 | ACCT 2840 | 3 |
| ECON 1010 | 3 | Electives | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 2010 | 3 | MATH 2400 | 3 |
| MATH 2650 | 4 | MATH 3170 | 4 |
| FIN 3010 | 3 | ENGL 2500 | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | FIN 3200 | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 |
| LAS 2030 | 1 | ||
| 17 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| STAT 3410 | 4 | FIN 4240 | 3 |
| STAT 3010 or 3260 | 3-4 | STAT 3420 | 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 4140 | 3 | MATH 4420 | 3 |
| MATH 4410 | 3 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Electives | 9 |
| Electives | 6 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 125-126 | |||
Mathematics Major with Applications
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 1010 | 1 | MATH 1660 | 4 |
| MATH 1650 | 4 | Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 |
| ENGL 1500 | 3 | Natural Science Choice | 4 |
| LIB 1600 | 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 2010 | 3 | MATH 2660 or 2670 | 3-4 |
| MATH 2650 | 4 | MATH 3170 | 4 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | ENGL 2500 | 3 |
| Social Science Choice | 3 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Specialization Area Prereq. | 3 | LAS 2030 | 1 |
| 16 | 14-15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 3000+ or MATH 3040 | 3 | MATH 3000+ or MATH 3140 | 3 |
| Specialization Area 3000+ | 3 | Specialization Area 3000+ | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Communication Choice | 3 |
| Electives/World Language | 6 | Electives/World Language | 6 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 3000+ | 3 | MATH 3000+ | 3 |
| Specialization Area 3000+ | 3 | Specialization Area 3000+ | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Electives | 9 |
| Electives | 6 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 123-124 | |||
Mathematics Major for Teacher Preparation
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 1010 | 1 | MATH 1660 | 4 |
| MATH 1650 | 4 | STAT 2010 | 4 |
| ENGL 1500 | 3 | EDUC 2190 | 1 |
| LIB 1600 | 1 | EDUC 2800J | 1 |
| PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020 | 3 | EDUC 2020 | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 2010 | 3 | MATH 2660 or 2670 | 3-4 |
| MATH 2650 | 4 | MATH 3170 | 4 |
| ENGL 2500 | 3 | PSYCH 3330 | 3 |
| EDUC 2040 | 3 | COMS 1070, 2070, or 2270 | 3-4 |
| Natural Science Choice | 4 | Natural Science Choice | 4 |
| LAS 2030 | 1 | ||
| 18 | 17-19 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 3010 | 3 | MATH 3970 | 3 |
| MATH 3410 | 4 | MATH 4360 | 3 |
| MATH 4350 | 3 | EDUC 2800A | 1-2 |
| EDUC 4060 | 3 | SPED 4010 | 3 |
| Communication Choice | 3 | Social Sciences Choice | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | ||
| 16 | 16-17 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 4140 | 3 | EDUC 4170C | 16 |
| MATH 4970 | 3 | ||
| EDUC 3950 | 3 | ||
| EDUC 4800C | 0.5-2 | ||
| Arts & Humanities Choice | 3 | ||
| 12.5-14 | 16 | ||
| Total Credits: 126.5-131 | |||
Undergraduate Minor
The department offers a minor in mathematics. The minor requires at least 16 credits, including at least 6 credits in courses numbered 3000 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 2010 | Introduction to Proofs | 3 |
| MATH 2650 | 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 | ||
| Mathematical Modeling in Biology | ||
| Geometry I | ||
| Geometry II | ||
| Introduction to Discrete Mathematics | ||
| 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 online Mathematics Graduate Handbook for specific requirements.