Students who would like to pursue special career goals should consider taking courses which would develop their skills in their chosen path. Listed below are a few of the options available to mathematics majors along with some course recommendations.
We give recommendations below for these specific interests:
- Actuarial Science
- Applied Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Financial Mathematics
- Graduate Study in Mathematics
- Operations Research
- Physics
- Statistics
- Data Science
- Teaching Mathematics
Actuarial Science
Students interested in Actuarial Science should consider the Actuarial Science minor which is offered through the Statistics Department. For a Mathematics major the additional courses for the Actuarial minor include:
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| STA 4321 | Mathematical Statistics 1 |
| STA 4322 | Mathematical Statistics 2 |
| STA 4183 | Theory of Interest |
| STA 4210 | Regression Analysis |
| STA 4853 | Intro to Time Series and Forecasting |
| ACG 2021C | Financial Accounting |
| FIN 3403 | Business Finance |
| ECO 2013 | Macroeconomics |
| ECO 2023 | Microeconomics |
Applied Mathematics
Students interested in Applied Mathematics should learn a computer programming language, either Fortran or C++, in the course CGS 2425. A selection of electives from the following courses is suggested:
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| MAP 4305 | Differential Equations |
| MAP 4341 | Elements of Partial Differential Equations |
| MAD 4401 | Introduction to Numerical Analysis |
| MAP 4102 | Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes |
| MAP 4413 | Fourier Series and Transforms 1 |
| MAP 4484 | Modeling in Mathematical Biology |
| MAD 4203 | Combinatorics 1 |
| MAD 4204 | Combinatorics 2 |
| STA 4321 | Mathematical Statistics 1 |
| STA 4322 | Mathematical Statistics 2 |
| STA 4210 | Regression Analysis |
Computer Science
A student interested in computer science should consider taking these courses. The last three, COP 3520, CDA 3101 and COP 4600 can all be used as Math electives in a BA program and towards a minor in Computer Science.
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| CIS 3022 | Programming for CIS Majors I |
| CIS 3023 | Programming for CIS Majors II |
| COT 3100 | Applications of Discrete Structures |
| COP 3530 | Data Structures and Algorithms |
| CDA 3101 | Introduction to Computer Organization |
| COP 4600 | Operating Systems |
Financial Mathematics
Students interested in Financial Mathematics should consider taking some or all of these courses. A selection of three of STA 4321, STA 4322, ESI 4312 and ESI 4313 can be used as electives for the BA degree.
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| STA 4321 | Mathematical Statistics 1 |
| STA 4183 | Theory of Interest |
| MAP 4102 | Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes |
| MAP 4413 | Fourier Series and Transforms 1 |
| ACG 2021C | Financial Accounting |
| FIN 3408 | Business Finance |
| ESI 4312 | Operations Research 1 |
| ESI 4313 | Operations Research 2 |
Graduate Study in Mathematics
Students wishing to pursue graduate study in a PhD. program in mathematics should pursue the BS degree and try to complete MAS 4301 and MAA 4211-4212 by the end of their junior years and to include MAS 5311 (Introductory Algebra 1) and MAA 4226 (Modern Analysis 1) among their electives. Generally, they should try to take as much mathematics as possible. These sequences are particularly useful:
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| MTG 4302-4303 | Topology Sequence |
| MAD 4203-4204 | Combinatorics Sequence |
| MHF 4102-4203 | Foundations Sequence |
Operations Research
Students interested in Operations Research should learn a computer programming language, either Fortran or C++, in the course CGS 2425. A selection of electives from the following courses is suggested:
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| STA 4321 | Mathematical Statistics 1 |
| STA 4322 | Mathematical Statistics 2 |
| STA 4210 | Regression Analysis |
| MAD 4401 | Numerical Analysis |
| MAS 4124 | Numerical Linear Algebra |
| ESI 4312 | Operations Research 1 |
| ESI 4313 | Operations Research |
Physics
Mathematics students who are interested in Physics should consider one of the options which would lead to a minor in Physics. An example would be:
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| PHY2048 | Physics with Calculus 1 |
| PHY2048L | Lab for PHY 2048 |
| PHY2049 | Physics with Calculus 2 |
| PHY2049L | Lab for PHY 2049 |
| PHY3101 | Introduction to Modern Physics |
| PHY3513 | Thermal Physics 1 |
| PHY3221 | Mechanics 1 |
Statistics
The following courses are suggested for the student interested in statistics. The student who intends to take all of these courses should consider the minor in Statistics.
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| STA 4321 | Introduction to Probability Theory |
| STA 4322 | Introduction to Statistical Theory 2 |
| STA 4211 | Design of Experiments |
| STA 4210 | Regression Analysis |
Data Science
Starting in Fall 2020 UF will offer a BS in Data Science administered by the Statistics Department. Data Science majors draw inference from large data generated from a variety of disciplines. Core courses cover mathematical foundations of data science, programming, algorithms, and databases as well as statistical methods for data science. Majors will also learn about data science in practice within subject matter areas. Course requirements are here.
Teaching Mathematics in High School (UFTeach)
A selection of the mathematics courses listed below would be beneficial for a student who is interested in teaching high school mathematics. The student pursuing teaching certification should also consider the UFTeach minor
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| MAT 3503 | Functions and Modeling |
| MTG 3214 | Euclidean Geometry |
| MTG 3212 | Geometry |
| MAS 4203 | Number Theory |
| MAA 4402 | Complex Variables |
| STA 4321 | Probability Theory |