UB Programs At-A-Glance

Mathematics

Department of Mathematics
College of Arts and Sciences
244 Mathematics Building
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260

Phone: 716-645-6284
Fax: 716-645-5039
Web: www.math.buffalo.edu

Samuel D. Schack
Chair

John Ringland
Director of Undergraduate Studies
UndergraduateStudies@math.buffalo.edu

About the Program

Mathematics is a broad discipline with many diverse applications in social, managerial, and life sciences, as well as in the physical sciences and engineering. The Department of Mathematics provides a variety of concentrations leading to a baccalaureate degree.

About Our Degrees

Acceptance Criteria - B.A.
Minimum GPA of 2.5 in MTH 141, MTH 142 and MTH 241 (or transfer equivalents).

Acceptance Criteria - B.S.
Minimum GPA of 2.5 in MTH 141-MTH 142 and PHY 107-PHY 108/PHY 158.

Acceptance Information
Deadlines: Rolling
Number of applicants/year: Fall - 35; Spring - 30
Number of accepted majors/year: 50

About Our Courses

Suggested Introductory Courses


The typical class size for:

Freshman/introductory courses is: 60
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 60
Upper level/advanced courses is: 30

In the Department of Mathematics, what do teaching assistants (TA's) do?

TA's teach in recitation sections (not lectures), and assist in grading.

For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Faculty

The Department of Mathematics has distinguished itself in both research and teaching. Each year about half of the faculty hold research grants. All members are active in the publication of articles and books. Five members of the department have received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and one has recently been inducted as an Honorary Member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, a nomination offered by students to give public recognition for excellence in undergraduate education. Faculty members are currently involved in research in a wide spectrum of areas such as cryptography, pattern recognition, knot theory, differential equations, crystallization, foundations of quantum physics, statistical mechanics, algebra, analysis, logic, and number theory.

The Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor John Ringland, is available to talk one-on-one with any student interested in finding out about our mathematics program.

See a list of our undergraduate faculty.


Practical Experience and Special Academic Opportunities

Honors, Awards, and Scholarships

Honors Program
The Honors Program in mathematics requires the completion of all requirements for a B.A. or B.S. degree in the Preparation for Graduate Study in Mathematics or the Preparation for Graduate Study in Applied Mathematics program. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 GPA in mathematics, and write an honors thesis under the direction of a faculty member.

Math Tutoring
Math majors in good academic standing are encouraged to tutor freshmen/sophomore level math in the Math Place Tutoring Lab run by the Learning Center. This is particularly attractive to students preparing for careers in teaching.


This is presented to an undergraduate math major after the completion of his or her junior year, and is awarded on the basis of intellectual and creative promise in mathematics.

Harry Merrill Gehman Endowment Award
This is presented to an undergraduate math major whose goal is to teach mathematics, and is awarded after the completion of the junior year for outstanding achievement.

Extracurricular Activities

Undergraduate Mathematics Club

This is an entirely student-run club that plans a variety of academic and community involvement activities such as field trips, a commencement ceremony, volunteer work for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, tutoring for area high schools, and so forth. For more information, call 716-645-6284.

See the UB Student Association.

Complementary Programs and Courses

Majors that Complement Mathematics


Minors that Complement Mathematics


Courses Outside the Major that Could Improve Employment Opportunities

Career Information and Further Study

Mathematics is the most fundamental of all sciences, having applications in almost every area of human endeavor including biology, biomedical sciences, chemistry, computer science, economics, engineering, finance, geography, geology, operations research, and physics. Those whose job title is mathematician fall mainly into two categories. One is the theoretical mathematicians, who advance mathematical knowledge by developing new principles and recognizing previously unknown relationships between existing principles of mathematics. Most have Ph.D.s and work as professors at universities. The other major category is the applied mathematicians, who use theories and techniques such as mathematical modeling and computational methods to formulate and solve practical problems in business, government, and engineering, and in the physical, life and social sciences. It is common for applied mathematicians to have masters or Ph.D. degrees, and many work for federal or state governments as well as for manufacturing and consulting businesses. In addition to the above, mathematics graduates work in jobs with titles other than mathematician, such as actuary, statistician, systems engineer, and secondary school teacher.

Skills gained in this program include:

Critical Thinking: Reasoning, analyzing, ability to think conceptually, and understanding components of complex problems.

Research and development: Research methods, research theory, statistics, evaluating evidence, examining electronic data sources, and developing systems for processing data.

Communication: Writing, teaching, speaking to groups, presenting research findings, reading critically, expressing ideas and relationships in numbers and words, and translating mathematical formulations and electronic data into generally understood language.

Additional Transferable Skills: Managing, interpreting, editing, advising, organizing, developing original solutions to problems, recognizing essential details in problems, and advising on program design.

Career Choices

  • Actuary
  • Budget officer
  • Bursar/educator
  • Computer analyst
  • Computer programmer
  • Computer systems engineer
  • Econometrician
  • Efficiency expert
  • Engineering analyst
  • Environmental planner
  • Financial analyst
  • Fundraiser
  • Information scientist
  • Internal Revenue Service worker
  • Mathematician
  • Numerical analyst
  • Purchasing agent
  • Quality control supervisor
  • Statistician
  • Teacher


Alumni in Mathematics have found employment in the following additional fields:

  • Accountancy
  • Appraising
  • Banking
  • College teaching
  • Data processing
  • Estimation
  • Hydrography
  • Market research analysis
  • Meteorology
  • Scientific programming
  • Urban planning


What percentage of graduates goes on to find related employment?

75%

Of those recent graduates who accepted employment, some entered the teaching profession, but most took jobs in business and industry.

Work settings include:

  • Accounting firms
  • Banks
  • Colleges/universities
  • Computer firms
  • Corporations/businesses
  • Engineering firms
  • Health agencies
  • Insurance companies
  • Investment houses
  • K-12 Schools
  • Libraries
  • Manufacturers such as aerospace companies
  • U.S. and state governments


Salary Information

Salaries range greatly from one occupation, position, and work setting to another. According to a survey by the American Federation of Teachers in 2001, the expected salary for a holder of a bachelor's degree working as a mathematician or statistician was $49,500. (Beginning teachers can expect to earn $29,000.)

Post-undergraduate Opportunities

Many graduates further their careers by continuing on to graduate school. This is the case both for those wishing to become teachers and for those who want employment as mathematicians or in a wide variety of other careers: for example, a major in mathematics is an excellent background for graduate study in business administration, or for research in any of the sciences when combined with an appropriate minor.

What percentage of graduates goes on to graduate school?

25%

Additional Resources

Links to Further Information About This Program

Last Modified: Tuesday, 7-Nov-2006 10:26:12 EST