Major Requirements
Math has been called the “Queen of the Sciences,” and for good reason. We all use math every day, whether you know it or not. It’s not just about balancing checkbooks or calculating a tip; that’s just arithmetic. It’s not just about solving equations, although equations are important tools in math.
Math, at heart, is about finding patterns in the world around us, studying them by making conjectures, and then proving them. These patterns could be about numbers, but there is much more than that. When an airline company needs to plan its flight routes across the country, they need to find a mathematical pattern. When an artist wants to make a sculpture or painting that uses symmetry (say, of the human body, or a tree, or a cube), that symmetry will follow a mathematical pattern. When a chemist needs to understand how different molecules will fit together to form chemical bonds, a mathematical pattern will govern how this works. When a lawyer makes an argument to a jury or reads a legal document, a pattern of logic will be behind the scenes, making it work.
The Mathematics major at Merrimack College prepares students for a wide range of opportunities, including careers in government, industry, education, and further study in graduate school.
REQUIREMENTS
In addition to satisfying the institutional and distribution requirements, students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics must complete the following major and cognate courses or their equivalents:
- MTH 1314 Discrete Mathematics
- MTH 1217 Calculus I
- MTH 1218 Calculus II
- MTH 2219 Calculus III
- MTH 2220 Differential Equations
- MTH 3335 Linear Algebra
- MTH 4336 Abstract Algebra
- MTH 4343 Real Analysis
- CSC 1615 Computer Science I
12 additional credits of mathematics electives (2000 level or higher)
- MTH 2423 Topics in Geometry
- MTH 2527 Probability and Statistics I
- MTH 2528 Probability and Statistics II
- MTH 2644 Combinatorics
- MTH 2650 Knot Theory
- MTH 3400 Readings in Mathematics
- MTH 3623 Topics in Combinatorial Geometry
- MTH 3701 Modeling and Simulation
- MTH 3725 Numerical Analysis
- MTH 4600 Topics in Mathematics
- MTH 4623 Applied Analysis
- MTH 4645 Complex Analysis
- MTH 4800 Directed Study
All students are strongly urged to take additional mathematics electives, to begin an early study of a modern language, particularly those considering graduate study, and to take two semesters of a natural science.
Major GPA
The GPA for the mathematics major will be calculated by taking the average of the eight required mathematics courses and the best 12 credits of mathematics electives numbered 2000 or higher.
Mathematics With Teaching Option
In addition to the institutional and distribution requirements and the education courses offered by the Department of Education for the teacher preparation program, the student must complete all of the requirements for a major in mathematics listed above with MTH 2423 Topics in Geometry, MTH 2527 Probability and Statistics I, and MTH 3400 Readings in Mathematics required as the additional 12 credits of mathematics electives. The student must maintain a 3.00 quality point average.
Custom Designed Interdisciplinary Major Programs
The Department of Mathematics encourages students to design their own customized program of studies that combines an in-depth study of mathematics with extensive work in a related discipline. In addition to the institutional and distribution requirements, these programs generally require 24 credits in mathematics at the 1200 level or higher, 24 credits in the related department, and a 4-credit capstone course that integrates work in the two disciplines. In the past, students have pursued joint majors that combine mathematics with biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, electrical engineering, civil engineering, physics, and psychology. Other combinations are possible. Interested students should meet with the chair of the Mathematics Department to select faculty advisors from the two departments, to create a proposed set of courses from each department, and to obtain the necessary approvals from the two departments.