Applied Mathematics and Statistics, BS

Admission Requirements

Acceptance into the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Major

Qualified freshman and transfer students who have indicated their interest in the major on their applications may be admitted directly as a degree major or as a pre-major. Pre-majors are placed into the Area of Interest (AOI) program and to be eligible for the degree, they must be admitted to and declare the major. The requirements and application process for matriculation are detailed below. 

Intellectual honesty and academic integrity are cornerstones of academic and scholarly work. The department may table any applications for major/minor admission until academic judiciary matters are resolved. An academic judiciary matter will be identified by a grade of “Q” in the instance of a first offense.

Applications for major admission are reviewed twice per year and must be received by January 5 for Spring admission and June 5 for Fall admission. Students must meet the following requirements:

• Grades of B-minus or better in linear algebra (AMS 210  or MAT 211 ) and multivariable calculus (AMS 261  or MAT 203 ),
• An overall GPA of 2.8 or better in all attempts of calculus (calculus I, II, III, A, B, C) and linear algebra,
• At most one of the courses in calculus (calculus I, II, III, A, B, C) and linear algebra may be repeated, and
• Completion of course evaluations for all transferred courses that are to be used to meet requirements of the major.

AOI in Applied Mathematics and Statistics (GAM) students must complete these requirements no later than one year after they enroll in the first course that applies towards major entry, and apply for admission by the application deadline immediately following completion of the above requirements, but not later than the one year limit. These AOI students who meet the above criteria within the stated time limit are guaranteed admission. All other students fulfilling the requirements are not guaranteed acceptance. Admission is competitive and contingent upon program capacity.

Degree Requirements

The major in Applied Mathematics and Statistics leads to the Bachelor of Science degree. Completion of the major requires approximately 46 credits.

Double Majors

The Department urges students in other majors who are considering a double major with AMS first to select individual AMS courses on the basis of their academic interests or career plans. Only after a student has taken several AMS courses should he or she decide on this as a second major.

On the other hand, AMS students are strongly encouraged to double major (or to minor) in another discipline. Popular choices for AMS double majors include computer science and economics.

Actuarial Science

The AMS major covers the mathematical sciences topics tested in the first actuarial examination and part of the second actuarial examination. For more information about actuarial science as well as study materials to help prepare for actuarial examinations, students should see the Department’s actuarial advisor. Also see the Web site http://www.soa.org for details.

The Accelerated BS/MS Program in AMS

The accelerated B.S./M.S. program in applied mathematics and statistics allows students with superior academic records to use up to six graduate credits toward both the B.S. and M.S. degree requirements, thus reducing the normal time required to complete both programs to five years (ten semesters). For detailed program requirements, please refer to the Graduate Catalog.

The advantage of the accelerated program is that the M.S. degree can be earned in less time than that required by the traditional course of study. The M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics normally requires three to four semesters of study after completion of a bachelor’s degree. The in-depth training of a master’s degree is required by many employers for professional positions in applied mathematics and statistics (beyond beginning programmer analyst jobs).

For more details about the B.S./M.S. program, see the undergraduate program director or graduate studies director in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics.

The Combined BS/MPH Program in AMS

The combined B.S./M.P.H. program allows students with superior academic records to use up to 12 graduate credits toward both the B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and the M.A. in Public Health degree requirements, thus reducing the normal time required to complete both programs to five years (ten semesters). For detailed program requirements, please refer to the Grad­uate Catalog or contact the undergrad­uate program director in Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics or graduate studies director in the Department of Public Health.

SBC Courses

This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2)

Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation.

Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. 

Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences.

Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods.

Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements:

• Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
• Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
• Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later

Sample Course Sequence