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Texas A&M University
Mathematics

Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics (Non-Certification)

Below are the requirements for the B.A. degree in mathematics as listed in the 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog (#139). 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 course

4



CSCE 110, 111, 206, or 121

4

HIST/POLS

3



Science course

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

STAT 211


3



Minor elective

3

CORE elective


3



CORE elective

3

TOTAL


16



TOTAL

15

JUNIOR YEAR

Fifth Semester

Cr



Sixth Semester

Cr

MATH 409

3



MATH elective

3

PHYS 218

4



MATH elective

3

CORE elective

3



CORE elective

3

Minor elective

3



Minor elective

3





Minor elective

3







TOTAL
13


TOTAL

15

SENIOR YEAR

Seventh Semester

Cr



Eighth Semester

Cr

Math 415 (fall only) or 423 or 433 (spring/summer only)

3



MATH elective

3

MATH elective

3



Minor elective

3

CORE elective

3



CORE elective

3

Minor elective

3



Free elective

3

Free elective

3



Free elective

3







TOTAL

15



TOTAL

15














Description of Electives

  1. Math Electives: (12 hours) Nine of the 12 hours of math electives are to be from any 400- or 600-level MATH, excluding MATH 401 and 601. The last three hours can be from any 400- or 600-level MATH, excluding MATH 401 and 601, any 400-level STAT, CSCE 210 or higher, or any 400-level ISEN, excluding any 485 course in any department without permission of a departmental advisor. Students who plan to attend graduate school are encouraged to take MATH 416, 447 and at least one 600-level course.

  2. Science Electives: (8 hours) Select 2 courses from CHEM 101/111 (or 107) or CHEM 103/113; CHEM 102/112 or CHEM 104/114; BIOL 111; BIOL 112; or ASTR 111.

  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), 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 Undergraduatae 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's List 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: (11 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 electives for a list of unacceptable courses. NOTE: There is a residency requirement at TAMU stating that every student must take at least 36 hours of 300/400 level courses at TAMU. Therefore, depending upon what courses were taken to fulfill the CORE requirements, some Free elective courses may have to be 300/400 level courses. Math 289 counts as free elective hours.

  6. MINOR electives: (at least 15 hours) A minor area of emphasis is required. At least 9 of the hours must be 300 or 400 level. To satisfy this requirement, students should either fulfill the minor requirements for a particular department or see a math advisor for help in selecting an area of interest. For example, some of the courses recommended for students wishing to go to medical school can be used towards satisfying this requirement.

Career Options with a BA in Mathematics

The BA in Mathematics is designed primarily for students who are interested in teaching, pursuing a professional degree in medicine or law and those students who are interested in both mathematics and some other area.

The BA in Mathematics requires the fewest number of hours of mathematics and has 33 hours of free electives but it does require a minimum 15 hour minor. Professional schools such as medical schools, dental schools and law schools do not care if a student has a BA or a BS, so the 33 hours of free electives can be used for courses required to get into a professional school. This makes the BA in Mathematics a good degree to pursue for getting into professional schools. Students interested in going to medical school should also consider the BS in Mathematics.

Students interested in the liberal arts and who can write will find that this combination is greatly desired by employers. Technical firms frequently need people who can reason out a logical argument and then explain it to others. Graduates with a degree in mathematics and a minor in English are ideally suited to this work. Newpapers and publishing houses also need people with a technical degree who can write.