Minor in Mathematics with Honors
What is an Honors Mathematics Program?
The Mathematics Department offers a variety of honors courses. Mathematics minors who fulfill specific requirements, basically to take four
mathematics honors courses and two science or engineering honors courses,
can graduate with an Honors Minor in Mathematics designation on their transcripts. All honors classes taken at A&M for the honors minor in math will count towards Honors Fellows. (An Honors Major in Mathematics is also available.)
What is an honors course?
“Honors courses are intended to be more complex, not necessarily more difficult,” and
“are expected to provide increased intellectual challenge through more sophisticated material, a higher level of intellectual
engagement, and more responsibility for the learning process than would typically be expected in an undergraduate course,”
says the university.
The philosophy of the Mathematics Department is that honors students should be more intellectually curious, more motivated, and more independent than the average undergraduate.
Perks of being an Honors Mathematics Minor
- Smaller classes with an enriched learning experience.
- Looks great on a résumé.
Becoming an Honors Mathematics Minor
- Declare a mathematics minor through your department.
- Complete the requirements for the honors minor below.
- In the beginning of the semester in which you will graduate, notify the Director of Honors Programs in Mathematics
that you are graduating with an Honors Minor in Mathematics.
NOTE: Any student with at least a 3.5 GPA may take an honors class if there are seats available, but doing so does not, by itself, earn the student the Honors distinctions. Any honors
classes taken before declaring a mathematics minor may used to fulfill the program requirements.
Requirements to earn the transcript distinction of Honors Minor in Mathematics
In order to receive an Honors Minor in Mathematics, a mathematics minor must complete
all of the requirements for a major in some field with a minor in mathematics
of which 18 hours must be completed as follows:
- at least 3 hours in an honors mathematics course 100 level or above, (honors Calculus I does not count towards the honors minor in mathematics distinction but is does count towards the earning a math minor)
- additionally at least 6 hours in honors mathematics courses 300 level
or above or 220H,
- additionally at least 3 hours in an honors mathematics course 400 level
or above.
NOTES:
- The other 6 hours of honors courses must be taken in the College of Science, including in mathematics but only 3 of which may be Calculus III, or in the College of Engineering.
- A maximum of 6 honors credits total by AP credit may be used in
the completion of the requirements for an honors minor in mathematics by earning a 5 on the requisite exam non-math exam. As part of those 6, a maximum of 4 hours of AP credit may be used for honors Calculus II by earning a 5 on the Calculus BC exam, taking the credit for Calculus II and not retaking it. Calculus I honors does not count towards earning honors in mathematics whether by AP credit or taking it here as an honors class, but does count towards the minor itself.
- All math honors courses must be taken at Texas A&M except for AP credit as noted right above.
- No more than 6 hours combined of 491H and 485H may be counted towards an Honors Minor in Mathematics.
Eligible Mathematics Courses when offered; no guarantee that they will be:
- 152H, 172H (151H, 171H do not count towards the honors minor distinction!)
- 220H, 221H,, 251H, 253H
- 302H, 304H, 308H, 309H, 311H, 323H, 325H
- all 400-level honors math courses except 401, 403, 433, 490; &nbs 485H
and 491H credit REU require the prior approval of the
Director of the Honors Programs in Mathematics.
- all 600-level courses except 601, 695, 696.
- Three sample programs to fulfill the honors requirements are:
- Math 152H, Math 220H, Math 251H, Math 308H, Math 323H, Math 412H
- Chem 101H, Chem 102H, Math 251H, Math 308H, Math 323H, Math 412H
- Phys 218H, Phys 208H, Math 221H, Math 308H, Math 414H, Math 460H
Grade requirements at the time of graduation:
- a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5;
- a grade point average of at least 3.25 and no grade lower than a B
in the 18 required honors hours;
- no grade of F* on the transcript.