Mathematics is an essential element in a wide range of human activities. It is the language of the physical sciences, and as such is an indispensable tool in the formulation of the laws of nature. In the social and biological sciences, it plays an increasingly important role in modeling complicated, large-scale phenomena. In addition, mathematics has an aesthetic side: awareness of the possibility of elegance and beauty in mathematical arguments has been a significant feature of human culture throughout history. Today more mathematics is being done, and more needs to be done, than ever before.
The undergraduate course offerings in Mathematics allow students to set up individualized programs of study consistent with their academic interests and career plans. Students should consider majoring in Mathematics even if they do not plan to become mathematicians or teachers of mathematics. The training in abstract reasoning and problem-solving is an excellent foundation for many different careers, such as law, graduate health professions, and business. Completion of a major in Mathematics points to a thinking person.
Students are encouraged to explore the various branches of pure and applied mathematics, as well as other mathematically oriented disciplines, to gain both breadth of knowledge and insight into career options. Mathematics majors can use their training as the foundation for advanced professional study, leading to research and teaching in universities or research in industrial research laboratories; they can use it also in secondary school teaching. In industry, undergraduate training in mathematics is excellent preparation for the important task of liaison work between the technological arm of a company and its marketing arm. A major in Mathematics is particularly appropriate for work in computer applications, operations research, and actuarial science. Double majors in Mathematics and another field, such as physics, computer science, applied mathematics and statistics, or economics, are common and are encouraged.
The Mathematics Majors Program, which leads to the B.S. Degree in Mathematics, has two special options: Advanced Track option and Secondary Teacher Education option.
The advanced track option is designed for students open to the challenges of advanced mathematics. State-of-the-art courses are taught in small classes by leading faculty and cover a broad range of material. The advanced track students are encouraged to take advantage of our top-ranked graduate program; qualified students are welcome to take graduate courses. All in all, the advanced track will prepare a student well for the challenge of a graduate or professional school at the finest universities in the country or a career in a variety of fields.
The secondary teacher education option is designed for students planning a career teaching mathematics in a secondary school. This option is described in detail in the "Education and Teacher Certification" entry in the alphabetical listings of Approved Majors, Minors, and Programs.
The Department of Mathematics offers tutorial help to all undergraduate students in its 100-level courses in the Mathematics Learning Center. Since the Center's staff consists of faculty and graduate students in mathematics as well as undergraduate tutors, students in more advanced courses can also find assistance there.
The Department encourages students to seek information and advice on appropriate mathematics courses, programs, and career goals. Professors in mathematics are available as advisors in the Undergraduate Mathematics Office to help with these matters. Advising hours can be obtained by calling the Department of Mathematics.
Requirements for the Major in Mathematics (MAT)
The major in Mathematics leads to the Bachelor of Science degree.
Completion of the major typically requires approximately 40 credits, depending on student preparation and choices made. Students can select one of the following options:
Requirements for regular mathematics major.
Notes:
1. Under special circumstances a student may request the director of undergraduate studies to allow substitution of an equivalent individual program for some or all of these requirements.
2. All courses used to fulfill the requirements for the major must be taken for a letter grade and must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
3. Students whose scores on the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) Advanced Placement Examination are documented earn credits as follows:
4. Students who learned some linear algebra or multivariate calculus before entering Stony Brook should see an advisor in the Undergraduate Mathematics Office. For a student who has had some linear algebra, it may be appropriate to skip MAT 211and to enroll directly in MAT 310.
5. Six credits of graduate MAT courses may be used in place of undergraduate courses in Requirement 7.
Advanced Track program
The advanced track program is intended for better prepared students, who already have credit for Calculus I, Calculus II (or AP Calculus BC). The courses in the program are more rigorous and concentrate on logic and proofs rather than on computational methods. This program allows students to take graduate classes in their senior year (or possibly even in their junior year). In particular, this program is recommended for students considering graduate school in Mathematics.
To enroll in the program, students need to complete a form available from the Mathematics Department.
List of required courses for Advanced Track program is different from the regular Mathematics major and is given below.
A suggested sequence of courses for the first two years of study for students in Advanced Track program is given below. (This sequence assumes that the student already has credit for Calculus I, Calculus II).
Semester 1: MAT 220, MAT 250
Semester 2: MAT 320, MAT 315
Semester 3: MAT 322, MAT 313
Semester 4: MAT 314, MAT 308
The remaining semesters will be used to satisfy the remaining Advanced Track requirements (MAT 342, computer literacy requirement, elective courses) and SBC requirements, and graduate level classes.
Honors Program in Mathematics
The honors program is open to junior and senior Mathematics majors who have completed at least two upper-division MAT courses with grades of B or higher and who have maintained a 3.00 overall grade point average. A prospective honors major must declare to the director of undergraduate studies an intention to participate in the program before registering for the senior year.
The program consists of a set of seven MAT courses, at least three of which are not used to fulfill the MAT major requirements. These courses must include: MAT 322 or MAT 324; MAT 401 or MAT 402; a course in algebra other than MAT 310; and MAT 495. Substitution of appropriate graduate courses is permitted, and other substitutions are possible at the discretion of the undergraduate director. Conferral of honors is contingent upon:
Mathematics Secondary Teacher Education Program
See the Education and Teacher Certification entry.
Requirements for the Minor in Mathematics (MAT)
The minor in Mathematics is available for those students who want their formal university records to emphasize a serious amount of upper-division work in mathematics. Although a one-variable calculus sequence is not a requirement, it is a prerequisite for some of the courses listed below. The requirements listed below do not include single variable calculus or MAT 200 Logic, Language, and Proof; these are prerequisites for some of the courses listed below.
All courses used to fulfill the requirements for the minor must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher
Beginning Mathematics Courses
The Mathematics curriculum begins with a choice of calculus sequences, some including preparatory material from 12th-year mathematics in high school and some not. The three first-term calculus courses that assume knowledge of 12th-year mathematics are MAT 125, MAT 131, MAT 141 and AMS 151. A student may start any of these with the same background.
The three-semester sequence of one-variable calculus, MAT 125, MAT 126, MAT 127, is academically equivalent to the two-semester sequence MAT 131, MAT 132. Engineering students normally take the faster-paced MAT 131, MAT 132, or AMS 151, AMS 161 rather than MAT 125, MAT 126, MAT 127 because of the many requirements they must meet. MAT 141, MAT 142 is an enriched version of MAT 131, MAT 132. MAT 171 is a version of MAT 142 for students who have not taken MAT 141; offered only in the fall semester.
MAT 122 and MAT 123 combine precalculus and calculus for students who have not had a precalculus course in high school. A student who completes MAT 122 will have learned some precalculus material and will have a good idea of what calculus is and how it is used. MAT 123 is designed to lead into MAT 125 or MAT 131. Although MAT 122 is not designed as preparation for further calculus courses, students may follow that course with MAT 125 or MAT 131 if they take the one-credit course MAT 130 in the same semester as MAT 125 or MAT 131.
MAT 118 is a non-calculus course that surveys various topics in mathematics that do not require a background in precalculus or calculus; it is designed for students who do not intend to take further courses in mathematics.
For students whose high school preparation is insufficient to begin the MAT curriculum, or to enroll in another course applicable to the D.E.C. category C requirement, Mathematical and Statistical Reasoning, there are two review courses numbered MAP 101 and MAP 103. These courses do not carry graduation credit. MAP 103, a skills course, is for students who need further work in high school algebra and related topics before continuing with calculus or other mathematics. Some students, upon completing MAP 103, are able to pass the Mathematics Placement Examination at a level that allows them to go directly into MAT 125 or MAT 131.
The Department of Mathematics offers a placement examination which indicates the level of mathematical preparation of each student. The score on the examination is used to place the student in appropriate courses in mathematics, applied mathematics and statistics, biology, computer science, chemistry, and physics. It tests the student's skills at the time the test is taken; students are advised to review their mathematics beforehand.
A student who wishes to use the placement examination to fulfill D.E.C. Category C, the QPS objective of the S.B.C, or other graduation-related requirements or Skill 1, or if they have been or wish to be accepted into a major in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, must take a proctored version of the examination. This examination is given regularly to incoming students prior to orientation, as well as several times during the academic year and by appointment with the Mathematics Department. An unproctored, online version of the exam can be given in the case where taking the proctored version prior to orientation is impractical; this version of the exam can be used only for registration purposes and may not be used to fulfill graduation requirements.
The placement exam consists of several parts; not all students will take all parts of the exam. Part I covers high school algebra, Part II deals with 12th year high school Mathematics (precalculus), and Part III covers single-variable calculus.
|
Math Placement Exam Score |
Placement into… |
SBC |
|
1 |
MAP 101 advised, MAP 103 possible |
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
2+ |
|
|
|
3 |
MAT 122 or MAT 123 |
|
|
3+ |
||
|
4 |
MAT 125; MAT 200 |
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
6 |
QPS |
|
|
7 |
MAT 132
or AMS 161; MAT 211 or AMS 210; MAT 250
|
QPS |
|
8 |
QPS |
|
|
9 |
Beyond 100-level calculus |
QPS |
Levels 1 through 3 can be achieved by a sufficiently high score on Part I, and levels 3+ through 5 can be achieved by a sufficiently high score on Part II, and attaining levels 6-9 requires sufficiently high scores on Parts II and III. The entry skill in mathematics requirement may be satisfied by attaining a score of level 3 or higher on the proctored exam. The general education requirement for Mathematics (the Stony Brook Curriculum QPS objective, or D.E.C. category C) may be satisfied by attaining a score of level 6 or higher on the proctored exam. Certain majors will also accept a sufficiently high score on the proctored exam in lieu of required math courses.
A student who achieves a particular level is free to begin with a mathematics course corresponding to a lower level, so long as taking the course does not mean that credit is given for the same material twice.
When they enter, transfer students automatically receive credit toward graduation at Stony Brook for any courses they have already successfully completed at accredited institutions of higher education and that count toward graduation at that institution. The number of credits transferred appears on the Stony Brook transcript with no courses or grades indicated, and the number of transferred credits is unaffected by the student's score on the Mathematics Placement Examination. In some cases, a course designator ending in PQ (such as MAT 131PQ) may be placed on the student's transcript. In addition, transferred mathematics courses are automatically evaluated for applicability to the entry skill in mathematics requirement and the D.E.C. category C requirement or SBC requirement QPS; this evaluation does not depend on the result of the placement examination.
| FRESHMAN |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 101 | 1 |
| WRT 101 | 3 |
| MAT 131 or MAT 141 or MAT 125 | 3-4 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
|
SBC
|
3 |
| Total | 16-17 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 102 | 1 |
|
WRT 102 |
3 |
| MAT 132 or MAT 142 or MAT 171 or MAT 126 | 3-4 |
| MAT 200 or Elective | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 16-17 |
| SOPHOMORE |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| MAT 203 or MAT 205 or AMS 261 | 3 |
| MAT 211 or AMS 210 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| MAT 303 or MAT 305 or AMS 361 | 3 |
| MAT 331 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| JUNIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| MAT 312 or MAT 313 | 3 |
| MAT 319 or MAT 320 | 3 |
|
MAT 336 |
3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| MAT 322 or MAT 341 or MAT 342 or MAT 324 | 3 |
| MAT 310 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Upper-division elective | 3 |
| Upper-division elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SENIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| Upper-division MAT elective | 3 |
| Upper-division MAT elective | 3 |
| Upper-division MAT elective | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| Upper-division MAT elective | 3 |
| Upper-division MAT elective | 3 |
| Upper-division MAT elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
Major and Minor in Mathematics
Department of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences
Office: Mathematics P143
Phone: (631) 632-8247
Minors of particular interest to students majoring in Mathematics: Applied Mathematics and Statistics (AMS), Computer Science (CSE), Economics (ECO), Physics (PHY)