About our department

		Mathematics at the UNIVERSITY of SCRANTON

B. S. in Mathematics The program begins with Calculus, Discrete Mathematics, and Linear Algebra. More advanced studies are in pure (e.g., Vector Calculus, Complex Variables) or applied mathematics (Chaos and Fractals, Statistics.) Click here to read more about other upper division courses that math majors can choose. Some, such as Topology, are offered by very few undergraduate schools. Students with special interests, not covered by our regular course offering, are encouraged to take reader courses. In reader courses the student learns the material from the book and meets 2 - 3 times a week to discuss it with the teacher. Last year reader courses were given in Coding Theory, Set Theory, Applications of Linear Algebra and other areas. Although many course titles may sound foreign to you, the courses themselves are not difficult. All of them are taught by experienced (full time) faculty consistently ranked very highly by students. We pay close attention to the quality of our teaching and pride ourselves in working individually with all math majors.		B. S. in Biomathematics The Biomathematics program is a new option for students who want to study both applied mathematics and biology. You may be familiar with the use of statistics in experimental science but Biomathematics goes beyond this. The study of epidemics (the spread of diseases) uses very sophisticated mathematical techniques. Scientists routinely use advanced mathematics to describe how the heart works, how blood flows, how nerve impulses are transmitted, how tumors grow, and how entire organisms grow. The rapid advancement of this discipline and the health industry led us to introduce an unusual major in Biomathematics. The program requires seven mathematics, six biology, four chemistry, and two physics courses plus a computer literacy course. The biology courses must fit in one of four tracks: epidemiology, molecular biology, physiology, or population biology. While Biomathematics is a new major, offered in the Fall of 1999 for the first time, we are confident that the job opportunities are vast and include public health, genetics and environmental industry. The program can also prepare students for medical school and other graduate schools. Employment Nearly all math majors complete a minor in computer science, chemistry, physics, or economics. Some double major in education. Approximately 60% of our graduates find employment in insurance agencies, research labs, schools, and financial institutions. They start as actuaries, programmers, teachers, and statisticians. Among their employers are: AT&T, Prudential Insurance, Hewitt Associates, Towers Perrin, and Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Their salaries are similar to science students (e.g., Chemistry, Computers) and business students (Accounting, Finance). The remaining 40% of math majors continue their education in graduate schools. Explore the cool 3d VRML gallery of mathematical shapes at the Maple web site by clicking on this knot! Have Fun!
Graduate Schools Our students have an excellent record of acceptances into graduate schools. We prepare our students by frequently offering advanced math classes with less than ten students. Teachers have an opportunity to raise students' math skills to new levels. Many students discover that they enjoy definitions, theorems and proofs of higher mathematics and choose to continue their studies in a graduate school. Those who express an early interest in higher math have an opportunity to enroll in the Faculty - Student Research Program. After two to four semesters of joint research with faculty members, students write papers that are sent to refereed journals. Not only have all of our students' papers been accepted but they have won regional Mathematical Association of America Awards in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 (click here and here for details). This kind of accomplishment opens the doors to many graduate schools with full scholarships. Recent graduates have attended Lehigh University, Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, and other schools.
Facilities With a $40,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Board of Education and a $127,000 grant from the Arthur Vining- Davis Foundation the mathematics department has developed a "state of the art" computational laboratory. Known as the Math Work Room, it is primarily intended for math students use. Sixteen Pentium II machines are equipped with the latest versions of Maple, Cabri Geometry, and Scientific Workplace. The Work Room is located only a few steps from faculty offices so that students may easily ask for assistance with their homework. Our faculty expertise covers all major areas of mathematics.