Department of Mathematics

Department Information

Department Chair: Seth Armstrong
ELC 420 ~ (435) 865-8059

Administrative Assistant: Robin Archibald
ELC 423 ~ (435) 586-5448

Academic Advisor: Sharon Brown
Engineering and Technology Building 118 ~ (435) 586-5420
brownsh@suu.edu

Department Website: http://www.suu.edu/cose/math/

College Website: http://www.suu.edu/cose

Advisement Website: http://www.suu.edu/cose/advisement.html

Faculty: Associate Professors: Seth Armstrong, Saïd Bahi, Sarah Brown, Eric Freden, Jianlong Han, Derek Hein, Martha Ann “Marty” Larkin, Andreas Weingartner, Chunlei Zhang;
Assistant Professors: Jim Brandt, Jana Lunt, Mark Meilstrup, Gretchen Rimmasch;
Lecturers: Matt Adams (NTT), Emma Turner (NTT), Cecilia Weingartner (NTT)

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Science

Mathematics, Actuarial Science Emphasis
Mathematics, Pure Mathematics Emphasis
Mathematics Education, B.S.

Minor

Mathematics, Actuarial Science Emphasis
Mathematics, Pure Mathematics Emphasis
Mathematics Education

Overview of Programs

The Mathematics Education major is designed to aid students in attaining the required mathematical and pedagogical knowledge to be effective secondary school teachers. Mathematics courses together with required education courses satisfy course requirements for Level-IV Endorsement in the state of Utah; a student seeking this endorsement will also pass a Praxis subject exam and will apply to the Utah Office of Education for certification. Mathematical content knowledge is assessed through classroom performance and through a comprehensive examination Math and Math Education majors take before they graduate. Teaching effectiveness is assessed through observations and evaluations of a cooperating teacher in the secondary school, a supervising SUU Math professor, and a supervising Education professor.

We require all majors to acquire skills that will prepare them for employment when they graduate. We ensure they possess these skills in class and on a comprehensive subject examination that is taken by each student before graduation.

Our Math majors with emphasis in Pure Math take courses required for success on the GRE and for masters-level graduate courses. There are also many employment opportunities with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, especially for those with background in statistics and/or computer science. Math majors with the Actuarial Science emphasis are prepared through coursework to be able to pass two or three tests from the Society of Actuaries before graduation. This makes them employable at various levels of actuarial work. They continue to take and pass tests during their careers until they become full-fledged actuaries.

Math Course Placement

Remedial Math: MATH 0950 - Pre-Algebra and MATH 0990 - Beginning Algebra are offered through the University College. Students with questions about these classes can contact Development Math Coordinator, Susan Tait, at (435) 586-5441, in Room 205K in the Sharwan Smith Center, or by email at peterson_s@suu.edu.

Other Math Courses: Before deciding on a Math course, a student should meet with his or her advisor to make sure of correct placement and that the course is one that is needed for the degree sought by the student. The SUU Catalog under “Course Descriptions” gives prerequisites for each course. If a student wishes to challenge their course placement, due to the two-year State-mandated expiration of the prerequisite course or ACT score, or due too a low grade in the prerequisite course, that student may take the Accuplacer Exam in the Testing Center. If the score on this test recommends the class the student wants to take, the score can be shown to the Registrar’s Office and the student will be allowed to register for the course. In other cases of challenging course placement, the student should contact the Math Department chair. When the two-year expiration is an issue due to a prolonged, excused absence such as military or church service, this prerequisite can sometimes be waived. No course placement, however, is guarantee of success in that course.

B.S. in Mathematics, Emphasis in Pure Mathematics
Recommended for students preparing for advanced studies in mathematics or employment in industry or business.

B.S. in Mathematics, Emphasis in Actuarial Science
Recommended for students preparing for careers as actuaries, a profession in demand by insurance and investment firms, banks, and government.

B.S. in Mathematics, Education
Recommended for students preparing to teach mathematics at the high school level. (Satisfies the courses required for the Utah State Board of Education Level- IV Endorsement in mathematics.)

Mission

Not only does the Math Department serve future mathematicians, scientists, business strategists and engineers, but also future teachers of mathematics as well as those pursuing studies in the arts and humanities. Except for reading, no other skill is so highly valued across the breadth of professional society as those that mathematics is responsible to teach.

The Department of Mathematics is committed to offering a well-rounded academic program that will enhance the lives of those who take our courses. The demand for knowledge we offer is enormous in both industry and education. In secondary schools the two greatest shortages of qualified teachers across the nation are in mathematics and technology, and jobs outlooks rate mathematics as one of the highest needs of college graduates.

Student Learning Outcomes

Mathematics and Mathematics Education graduates should be able to:

Use standard mathematical techniques to solve computational problems.
Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental mathematical concepts and results in the core content areas.
Use content knowledge to solve applied and real-world mathematical problems.
Communicate mathematics effectively using proper notation and terminology.
Use logical reasoning to construct clear and concise mathematical proofs.

Other Information

Summary of Fields of Study

All courses to be counted in the major and minor (Mathematics and Mathematics Education) must be passed with a “C” or better. Students must take an comprehensive exam during their senior year