Bachelors of Science in Mathematics

Below are the requirements for the B.S. degree in mathematics as listed in the 2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog (#140). This listing is for informational use only.

FRESHMAN YEAR

SOPHOMORE YEAR

JUNIOR YEAR

SENIOR YEAR

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. Note: Maximum of 3 hours of MATH 411 or STAT 414 may be used in this degree program.

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), COMM 203, 205, or 243 (3 hours), a 200-400 level Language, Philosophy and Culture CORE course (3 hours), a Social and Behavioral Science CORE course (3 hours) and 3 hours of a Creative Arts CORE course. For a list of the acceptable Language, Philosophy and Culture, Social and Behavioral Science, and Creative Arts courses, please see your catalog at Undergraduate Catalog Listings. 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'sList of International and Cultural Diversity Requirements.

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 catalog.

5. Free electives: (9 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 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.