Small class sizes for courses in the Mathematics major
Opportunities for independent study and undergraduate research
Friendly and supportive atmosphere
9 full-time faculty members
Mathematicians are engaged in activities ranging from theoretical discoveries to precise
translations of scientific and managerial problems. Mathematics is the preferred major of many prestigious law schools and business schools.
Four-Year Undergraduate Program
A mathematician’s well-developed reasoning ability and precision can be applied in a variety of careers in business, industry, government and education. Mathematicians work as statisticians or biostatisticians, quality control analysts, financial analysts, insurance actuaries, teachers, operations research professionals, technical writers and high tech entrepreneurs. Mathematics majors are frequently preferred over computer scientists by agencies such as NASA and the NSA. Professionals in all of these diverse careers are supported by the knowledge and skills they gained by having a strong background in Mathematics.
Students in the Mathematics program can pursue a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics or a minor in Mathematics. Possible concentrations include:
Applied Mathematics (operations research, math modeling, numerical analysis,
graph theory, probability and statistics)
Pure Mathematics (number theory, geometry, analysis, logic)
Secondary Education (discrete algebraic structures, geometry, number theory, probability and statistics)
Facilities
The Mathematics Department’s facilities include a computer classroom/lab with 25 PCs, a high speed printer and software for calculus, statistics, and many upper-level mathematics courses. The Mathematics Department’s Seminar Room houses the departmental library, serves as a faculty/student lounge, and is equipped with two computers, a printer, and a TV/VCR/DVD monitor. The Department also has the use of classrooms equipped with up-to-date computer systems and projection systems.
The college maintains a state-of-the-art fiber optic system that provides each classroom, lab, and residence hall with access to the Internet, advanced phone service, and cable television. Media classrooms located around the campus allow faculty to present
materials using state-of-the-art technology. In addition to the computer labs available on campus, a bank of computers in the Commuter Cafe gives us our own campus cyber cafe.
These facilities, coupled with the dynamic and energetic teaching available from the faculty, provide the necessary resources for an exceptional education.
Faculty
With a low student-to-faculty ratio, each Mathematics major receives the kind of personal attention needed to master the varied skills and habits of thought applicable to today’s business, industrial, and professional worlds. Faculty members in the Mathematics Department hold doctoral degrees and are experts in fields such as abstract algebra, analysis, geometry, graph theory, linear algebra, logic, mathematical modeling, mathematical physics, and statistics. Professors in the department are involved in educational initiatives throughout the Commonwealth, and actively collaborate with many school districts and businesses across the region.
Results
If finding satisfactory and challenging employment or being accepted to graduate school is the criterion of success, then graduates of our Mathematics programs have been very successful
indeed. Graduates of the Mathematics Department are highly regarded throughout New England, and have a very high job placement rate. Many pursue advanced degrees, and are often successful in law or business programs due to their analytical background. All Fitchburg State Mathematics majors share one important trait: they possess among the most sought-after skills today. Challenging and rewarding career opportunities open up for you when you have a degree in Mathematics.
Career Opportunities
Today’s careers require:
Outstanding mathematical literacy and problem-solving
skills
Intensive knowledge in more than one discipline
Outstanding writing ability
Outstanding oral presentation ability
Computer literacy
Graduates of Mathematics programs are engaged in jobs in a wide variety of categories requiring many of these skills. A partial listing includes actuaries, attorneys, college professors
and administrators, commercial airline pilots, business consultants, clergymen, cryptographers, efficiency experts, financial analysts and financial planners, high tech positions in telecommunications and the biomedical fields, lawyers, police officers, security experts, statisticians for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Census Bureau, systems analysts, teachers and school administrators, technical
writers and technical text editors.
Contact
For more information about the Mathematics Department at Fitchburg State College, please contact the Admissions Office for open house and visit options.
