College of Science and Mathematics
University of Massachusetts Boston

A degree in mathematics provides you with strong portable skills that will give you a competitive edge in virtually any career.

Undergradiate Degrees:

UMass Boston offers programs leading to a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics. The current major consists of a sequence of lower level courses that lay the foundation in algebra and analysis. They are followed by a judicious spread of required upper level courses and then the major is topped off with the student choosing three electives at the upper division level. The mathematics major also needs to take one or two Physics courses and a course in introductory computer programming. Popular double majors for students with interests both in mathematics and in other fields include Mathematics/Computer Science and Mathematics/Physics. A Mathematics Minor is also available.

Learning Goals — Programs Assessment in Mathematics

• Exhibiting sound understanding of what is asked, claimed, assumed, or conjectured.
• Making clear and precise definitions and establishing consistent notation.
• Presenting a logical, consistent flow of ideas in developing a proof or constructing an example.
• Handling abstraction effectively.
• Ensuring completeness in argumentation, analysis, and classification.
• Showing an appreciation for and basic familiarity with major mathematical structures and concepts and their uses, e.g. vector spaces, linear and non-linear maps, groups, rings, fields, topologies, continuity, completeness, convergence, limits, sets and cardinals, logic, probabilities, independence, laws of large numbers, regression, approximation, numerics, dimension, measure, calculus and differential equations, curves and surfaces, etc.

Graduate Degrees:

Faculty in the Department of Mathematics contribute actively to two interdisciplinary doctoral programs: Computational Sciences and Integrative Biosciences. [For details, please click on the program name.] Students are encouraged to contact faculty to discuss opportunities in those areas.

For students interested in teaching, the Graduate College of Education offers a Master's of Education Degree for Professional Licensure in Secondary Mathematics and a Post-Master's Certificate for Professional Licensure in Secondary Mathematics.