Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Why Study Mathematics?
Mathematics has often been called the "language of science" as it can be used to describe physical phenomenon, such as laws of physics, climate change, or economics, and also theoretical phenomenon, such as hyper-dimensional space or chaos theory. It serves as the foundation to careers in physics, engineering, biology, medicine, computer science, economics, finance, data science, linguistics, and art. People with careers in Mathematics report that their jobs are high earning and stable, with flexibility and good work-life balance. It is consistently one of the "Best Jobs" as reported by U.S. News and World Report.
Mathematics Programs at CSUMB
As a math major at CSUMB, you will find a close-knit community of students, as well as faculty who are highly dedicated to student success. You will enjoy small class sizes, easy access to professors, and a solid foundation in mathematics. Our Department highly values lived experiences and the richness that a diverse student population brings to the learning environment at CSU, Monterey Bay. You will develop deep critical thinking, mathematical, computational, and technological skills sough by employers that enable you to analyze and propose solutions to real-world problems. You will be able to prepare to teach mathematics, pursue graduate studies, or find employment in the industry.
In addition, our mission is to provide an equitable and inclusive learning environment where each of our students can flourish with a positive growth mindset about learning mathematics. Our instructors use a combination of innovative teaching pedagogies including complex instruction, reading apprenticeship, standard based grading and inquiry based learning to teach and engage the minds of today.
Our program initiates the preparation of CSUMB students to be effective and innovative mathematics educators. As a student in the Mathematics for Teaching concentration, you will engage in a meaningful service learning experience, where you work with middle or high school students at a local school in a mathematics classroom or program. You will learn the how and the why of the mathematics that high school students take – not just the what. This includes historical context and the culture in which modern methods were developed, as well as advanced study of topics in the high school level Common Core standards. Graduates have the coursework that they need to immediately begin a California secondary subject teaching credential program for mathematics. Students can begin teaching in their own classroom in as little as one year after graduation.
Learn more about the many scholarships available for future teachers, and check out the required courses and course descriptions for the Mathematics for Teaching Concentration (currently called the Subject Matter Preparation Program) below.
The Pure and Applied Mathematics concentration provides students with the option to select their MATH electives freely to create their own path to a Pure or an Applied mathematics focus.
- The Applied Mathematics emphasis focuses on the creation and study of mathematical tools broadly applicable to science, engineering or other diverse areas, and on their use in solving challenging problems in these and related fields. Therefore, the applied mathematics option is the option of choice for students that are interested in using their mathematical skills in a variety of areas, including optimization, modeling, and finance. Students might go on to work in industry or go to graduate school (for a master's degree or a Ph.D.) in applied mathematics, statistics, or other related fields. Students who choose an emphasis in Applied Mathematics will choose courses like mathematical modeling, numerical analysis, differential equations, or probability and statistics.
- The Pure Mathematics emphasis focuses of the basic concepts and structures that are at the core of theoretical mathematics. In this emphasis, students strengthen their mathematical problem-solving skills by choosing theoretical courses like real analysis, abstract algebra, number theory, and geometry. Emphasizing the theoretical aspect of the subject, the pure mathematics option is ideal for students wanting to go on to graduate school (for a master's degree or a Ph.D.) in mathematics or in another area of mathematical sciences. Training in pure mathematics also helps students to enter the workforce and apply their mathematical expertise and skills to solve problems in research, industry, business, or government.
You can learn more about the required courses for the Pure and Applied Mathematics (currently called "no concentration") concentration below:
The mathematics minor is intended for students who are interested in mathematics and want a strong mathematical foundation for studying in areas that rely heavily on analytical skills, problem solving skills, and applications of mathematics. Our minor program provides students the flexibility to complete a minor in mathematics either with second semester of Calculus or without it. Students can focus on applied mathematics by choosing courses like combinatorics, logic and computation, and graph theory, numerical analysis, differential equations and modeling. Students can focus more on pure mathematics by choosing courses like number theory, abstract algebra and real analysis. Having a math minor provides students with an advantage for many applied career paths in computer science, finance, economics, information technology, biology, medicine, and beyond.
Learn more about the required courses for the minor below.
Contact Mathematics and Statistics
Phone: 831-582-4118
Email: Send an email
Building: Rm S216, Chapman Science Center (Bldg 53)
Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 am - 5 pm
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