Math

If you see yourself as a middle or high school mathematics teacher, the dual degree 4+1 program is the way to get there. Major in mathematics and minor in education to reach your teaching goals.

Mathematics is the language of science, providing a framework for analyzing the world by abstracting from our observations that which is essential to the question at hand. An understanding of mathematics gives its owner a powerful approach to solving problems through organization, simplification and abstraction. This approach often leads to solutions and techniques of great beauty, independent of their application, and it is the aim of the Department of Mathematics to furnish its majors with some of this understanding and an appreciation of this beauty. These learned skills will serve students interested in careers in academia, as well as those pursuing careers in fields ranging from medicine to national security to actuarial studies.

The mathematics minor is designed to allow students to build on their interest in mathematics while focusing on a major area of study in another field. Students in fields such as computer science, chemistry, biology and economics, will complete some of the minor requirements as support courses for their major, making this additional credential that much easier to attain. The mathematics minor sends a strong signal of technical sophistication and greatly enhances the technical skills that will be particularly advantageous to those looking towards advanced degrees in such areas as medicine, business and law.

Develop the knowledge and skills needed to confidently teach mathematics with a deep focus on the underpinnings of algebra, calculus, geometry, statistics and number systems so students learn to think like mathematicians.

Our master of arts in teaching middle school mathematics is a unique program that serves practicing middle school mathematics teachers who already hold an initial license in middle school mathematics and are seeking to further their education in both mathematics and pedagogy. This track includes advanced pedagogy coursework along with middle school mathematics content courses, and will help teachers satisfy DESE requirements for professional license.

The master of science in mathematics degree can serve many needs. It is intended to provide a sound foundation for further graduate study at the doctoral level and to provide additional education for teachers at the secondary school level or beyond. It can also serve those who have or who are looking for careers in industry, research and commerce (including insurance, financial planning, software development and as statisticians working on studies by companies such as pharmaceutical companies). The program is designed to be especially convenient for students wanting to pursue a graduate degree in mathematics on a part-time basis. Courses are generally offered in the evening in the fall, spring and summer semesters.

Our mathematics licensure program is a certificate program leading to initial licensure in either middle school mathematics (math 5 – 8) or high school mathematics (math 8 -12). The program is intended for students with a background in mathematics who are already teaching with a provisional license and now need pedagogy and methods coursework along with a practicum to earn Initial license.