The Major programs in Mathematics are designed to give students a broad perspective on various fields of mathematics. Special emphasis is placed on areas closely associated with applications, such as mathematical modeling, differential equations, numerical algorithms and statistical analysis. The university's state-of-the-art computing facilities are available to all students and often are used in conjunction with instruction.
Students may graduate with departmental honors by completing all major requirements with a GPA of 3.6 or higher and by completing, in addition to other requirements for a major in mathematics, a senior thesis (MATH 497) with a grade of "A" or "B." Students wishing to graduate with departmental honors must notify the department by the beginning of their senior year.
The Bachelor of Science degree requires a minimum of 61 credits. The Bachelor of Arts degree requires a minimum of 50 credits. These are allocated below between core requirements, upper level mathematics/statistics elective requirements, and supplementary elective requirements.
For all mathematics majors and minors, a common core of courses is required. These core requirements are the same for candidates for the Bachelor of Arts and for mathematics minors. Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree must complete three additional courses for their core requirements.
In addition to the core requirements listed above, the Bachelor of Science degree requires the following:
After completion of the core requirements, each major or minor is required to take a certain number of additional three- or four-credit mathematics or statistics courses numbered 300 or higher. MATH 380, STAT 350 and STAT 351, designed for other majors, are not allowed to meet these requirements. MATH 432 may not be used as an upper level mathematics/statistics elective, but it may be used as a supplementary elective. Note: MATH 432 and MATH 481 are GEP writing intensive courses.
The B.A. in Mathematics requires five courses as upper level mathematics/statistics elective requirements. For the B.A., at least two of the mathematics/statistics electives must be at the 400 level.
The B.S. in Mathematics requires six courses as upper level mathematics/statistics elective requirements. For the B.S., at least three of the mathematics/statistics electives must be at the 400 level.
For one of the upper level mathematics/statistics electives, a major may bundle together three or more credits from courses carrying one or two credits. These courses include:
Mathematics and statistics have proven indispensable in many disciplines in the physical sciences, the social sciences and even in the humanities and arts. Much of mathematics and statistics has developed with a view toward its applications in other fields. To develop an appreciation of the connection, mathematics majors are required to take three courses for the B.A. and two courses for the B.S. additional to the core from other departments reflecting these interconnections. These are listed below. From time to time, special topics courses offered by other departments may be used to satisfy supplementary requirements, subject to departmental approval. Occasionally mathematics or statistics courses are cross-listed in other departments. Taken under the other department these count as supplementary electives. Mathematics minors are not subject to these supplementary requirements.
Mathematics majors who are considering courses to satisfy General Education Requirements will satisfy the biological/physical science requirements if they take PHYS 121 and PHYS 122 and a lab course. For the social science (SS) General Education Requirement, good choices would be ECON 101 and ECON 102, which are prerequisite to supplementary requirement courses ECON 311, ECON 374, ECON 417 and ECON 421. These are recommended in particular for those pursuing the concentration in actuarial science or, to a lesser extent, concentrations in statistics science or optimization and operations research. PHIL 146 and PHIL 248 are recommended as choices for AH General Education Requirement courses. The latter is also a supplementary requirement for the major. Note that those pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree need only take one culture course. Both MATH 432 and MATH 481 satisfy the GEP writing intensive requirements. Students may also wish to consider ENGL 393.
Note: Before registering in any mathematics course up to MATH 151 or MATH 155, students must have completed a placement test administered by the Learning Resources Center if they have not completed the prerequisite college-level course with a "C" or better. This is normally done prior to the first semester at UMBC.
Passage of AP Calculus exams with a suitable score is considered the equivalent of MATH 150, MATH 151 or MATH 152. The AP Statistics exam with a score of 4 or 5 is equal to STAT 121.
Otherwise students must complete MATH 106 with a "C" or better. Even higher algebra skills are recommended for MATH 150 or MATH 155.
The specific courses listed as prerequisites indicate the level of maturity necessary for the course. A student who does not have a formal prerequisite for a particular course must request the consent of the instructor to take that course. Prerequisites for all mathematics courses must be satisfied with a grade of "C" or better.
All courses for major or minor requirements must be passed with a grade of "C" or better.