[Degrees]   [Jobs]   [Links]  

Welcome to the students section of our web site. On this page you can found out all about the various degrees that we offer as well as information about the kinds of jobs that you can get with a mathematics degree.

Degrees

We currently offer three degrees here at Lamar University. They are Mathematics Minor, Mathematics Major, and Master of Science.

Below is a brief description of each of these degrees. If you would like more detailed information on a particular degree select the degree you are interested in from the list below.

Degree Plan :

Mathematics Minor

In order to obtain a mathematics minor you must complete 21 hours of mathematics courses in which at least nine hours come from 3000/4000 level courses (with a few exceptions). If you would like to have a mathematics minor all you need to do is download the Minor Application form, fill it out, then bring it by the math department for verification of the courses taken and the department chairs signature.

Students considering a Mathematics Minor are strongly advised to come over the Mathematics Department (Lucas 200) to dicuss the course that will be best suited for you to take to fulfill the requirements.



Mathematics Major

We offer a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics here at Lamar University. We also offer three specializations of these degrees. The specializations are : Bachelor of Arts with Teacher Certification for 8-12, Bachelor of Science (Industry Track), and Bachelor of Science (Graduate School Track).

The specializations are intended to help those students who what to teach grades 8-12, go into industry or prepare for graduate school.

Here is a table showing the main requirements for each degree and specialization. For detailed information on each degree choose the degree you are interested in from the above list and click on the Show Detailed Degree Information button.

Degree Total Hours Math Hours(1) Minor
Requirements		 Language
Required(2)
Bachelor of Arts
General		 122 Hours 37 Hours 21 Hours(3) Yes
Bachelor of Arts
Certification		 123 Hours 38 Hours 21 Hours(4) Yes
Bachelor of Science
General		 122 Hours 43 Hours 21 Hours(3) No
Bachelor of Science
Industry		 125 Hours 46 Hours 21 Hours(3) No
Bachelor of Science
Grad School		 125 Hours 46 Hours 21 Hours(3) No
(1)This is the minimum number of hours in Mathematics courses that must be taken.
(2) Must complete the course numbered 2312 in a foreign language.
(3)You may choose your minor with departmental approval.
(4) Minor courses taken from the Professional Pedagogy Department.


Master of Science Degree

Admission to the Program

In order to be admitted to the Graduate Degree Program, a student must

  1. Meet the general requirements for admission to the College of Graduate Studies. Click here to see these requirements.
  2. Successfully complete 27 semester hours of undergraduate mathematics including courses equivalent or comparable to the following : linear algebra, differential equations, advanced calculus, modern algebra, and statistics.
Final approval as to what course work is acceptable toward admission to the graduate degree program lies with the graduate advisor and department head. A student may be admitted conditionally to the graduate degree program, but is required to remove any deficiencies in undergraduate mathematics.

Completion of the Program

In order to complete the Master of Science program a student must

  1. Take the Advanced Mathematics section of the Graduate Record Examination and have the score reported to the Graduate Advisor.
  2. Complete one of the two following programs:
    1. Complete at least 24 hours of graduate course work, write a thesis acceptable to the students graduate committee, and satisfactorily defend the thesis orally before the graduate committee.
    2. Complete at least 36 hours of graduate course work and satisfactorily complete an examination over the course work before the student's graduate committee.
  3. Include at least three courses from among the following: MATH 5310 (Real Variables), MATH 5320 (Modern Algebra), MATH 5340 (Topology), MATH 5312 (or 5350) (Complex Variables).



Job Information

There are actually very few jobs with the title Mathematian. With that being said there are many opportunities for those with a degree in mathematics, or an extensive background in math. Job opportunities for math majors can be broken down into three broad areas : Education, Private Sector, and Government. Each of these is described in brief below.

Education

Many people with mathematics degrees find jobs in education. To become a teacher you must often have more that just a Bachelor degree in Mathematics. To teach in a primary or secondary school you must also meet State certification requirements. These vary state by state and always require that you also have some education classes as well as the math classes. To teach at a college or university a Masters or Ph.D. degree is required.

Private Sector

In the private sector jobs with the title Mathematian are mostly found in research and development labs and require a Ph.D. in mathematics. Those with Bachelor's or Master's degrees usually do not work as mathematian's in the private sector. Instead they tend to work in related fields that make heavy use of mathematics. Examples of these types of jobs are : Computer Programming, Engineering, Education Services, Aerospace, Drug Industry, Financial Institutions, and Insurance Companies.

Those with a double major in mathematics and a related field such as computer science, engineering, life science, physical science, or economics will find their job opportunities greatly enhanced as many employers find this combination of degrees to be highly desirable.

Government

Both State and Federal governments hire mathematicians. As with the private sector most of these government jobs for those the math degrees are in related fields. The Department of Defense hires about three-fourths of all the mathematian's hired by the Federal government.

Most of the information for the above descriptions comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics - Occupational Outlook Handbook. For a more detailed look at the types of jobs available to someone with a mathematics degree see the links below.

Links

General Job Information

Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook

Here are a series of links to pages the the Department of Labor's Occupation Outlook Handbook for a variety of jobs that make heavy use of mathematics.

General Links