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Texas A&M University
Mathematics

Bachelors of Science in Mathematics

Below are the requirements for the B.S. degree in mathematics as listed in the 2013-2014 Undergraduate Catalog (#136). This listing is for informational use only.

FRESHMAN YEAR

First Semester

Cr



Second Semester

Cr

MATH 171

4



MATH 172

4

MATH 170 (free elective)

1



MATH 170 (free elective)

1

Science elective

4



CSCE 110, 111, 121, or 206

4

HIST/POLS

3



Science elective

4

CORE elective

3



HIST/POLS

3

TOTAL

15



TOTAL

16

SOPHOMORE YEAR

Third Semester

Cr



Fourth Semester

Cr

MATH 221

4



MATH 323

3

MATH 220

3



MATH 308

3

HIST/POLS

3



HIST/POLS

3

Science elective

4



CORE elective

3

KINE 198

1



PHYS 218

4

TOTAL

15



TOTAL

16

JUNIOR YEAR

Fifth Semester

Cr



Sixth Semester

Cr

MATH 409

3



MATH 410 (spring only) or 446 (fall only)

3

MATH 415

3



Math 416

3

Science elective

3



PHYS 208, 219, or OCNG 451

4

CORE elective

3



CORE elective

3

Free elective

3



KINE 198

1

TOTAL

15



TOTAL

14

SENIOR YEAR

Seventh Semester

Cr



Eighth Semester

Cr

STAT 414 or MATH 411

3



MATH elective

3

MATH elective

3



MATH elective

3

Science elective

3



MATH elective

3

CORE elective

3



CORE elective

3

Free elective

2



CORE elective

3

TOTAL

14



TOTAL

15




















Description of Electives



  1. Math Electives: (12 hours required) 3 THRU 12 hours to be selected from MATH 427, 431, 436, 439. Up to 9 hours may be selected from MATH 325, 407-489, 6xx. Students are encouraged to take one of MATH 412, 414, 442, 470, or 471. Departmental permission is required to include MATH 485, or to enroll in a MATH 6xx course. Students who plan to attend graduate school are encouraged to take MATH 447 and at least one 6xx course as electives and 416 and 446 from the required choices.

  2. Science Electives: (18 hours) Of these 18 hours, 8 must be selected from CHEM 101/111 (or 107), CHEM 102/112, BIOL 111, BIOL 112 or ASTR 111 and 6 hours must be selected from BICH 401-489, BIOL 201-470, CHEM 222-474, GENE 301-452, OCNG 251, 252, 400-489, PHYS 221, 302-305, 307-314, 324-428, ZOOL 318-405. The remaining 4 hours may be selected from any course listed above.

  3. Core Electives: (21 hours) Take ENGL 104 (3 hours), ENGL lit. (3 hours), ENGL 241 or 301 or 2311 at jr. coll. (3 hours), a Social Science CORE course (3 hours) and 3 hours of a Visual and Performing Arts CORE course. For a list of the acceptable ENGL literature, Social Science, and Visual/Performing Arts courses, please see your catalogue at Undergraduate Catalog Listings. The English Literature elective must be chosen from the list of Humanities electives. In addition, 6 hours of International and Cultural Diversity are required. Some of these courses may be used to satisfy other degree requirements. For a list of these courses, please see your catalog or the Mathematics Department's webpage at International and Cultural Diversity Requirement.

  4. HIST/POLS: (12 hours) POLS 206 and 207 are required. For the HIST requirement, 6 hours of American History are required. Most students satisfy this requirement by taking HIST 105 and 106. For other options, see your catalogue.

  5. Free electives: (7 hours) Almost every course offered at TAMU will count as a free elective. However, there are some exceptions. Please see an advisor or the Mathematics Department's Undergraduate Web page at List of ineligible free electives for a list of unacceptable courses. Math 289 counts as free elective hours.

Career Options with a BS in Mathematics

The BS in Mathematics is the "pure mathematics" degree. The mathematics courses required by this degree prepare students for graduate school in mathematics. Because this option requires a total of 26 hours of science courses, 10 hours more than the APMS degree, it is also a good degree for students who are intersted in science as well as mathematics and pre-med students. If you are planning on attending a medical school, the BS and BA in Mathematics are the best degree plans.

For students not planning on pursuing an advanced degree, the jobs open to graduates with a BS in Mathematics are similar to the job opportunities of APMS/MATH graduates. Technical companies that have hired recent graduates include Texas Systems and Tivoli Systems. These firms hire people to be software engineers and to design web pages. Software development firms can pay very well, but they expect prospective employees to be able to program. This option only requires 4 hours of computer science, so it would be wise to take one or two more CSCE courses if you want a job with a high tech firm.

In summary, there are many job opportunities available with this degree, but this degree will not train you for a specific profession. It would be best to start attending job fairs in your junior year to get an idea of what sort of jobs interest you and what courses besides math courses will strengthen your resume.