Mathematics
What Are the Mathematical Programs?
Students of mathematics and applied mathematics at LMU join a community of scholars consisting of faculty and other students. By design, our department facilities and our three degree programs promote interaction and collaborative work among students and faculty. For more information about our department and programs, visit the Math Department's website.
All mathematics students obtain a broad foundation in pure, applied, and computational mathematics. Mathematics and Applied Mathematics majors earn a Bachelor of Science degree while students planning to become teachers earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and have the ability to complete the SB 2042 California Preliminary Single Subject (Secondary) Teaching Credential during their four years at
What Do Mathematics Majors Do?
In addition to their coursework in the major areas of mathematics, our students participate in a variety of activities outside the classroom, including:
- a seminar/career panel series featuring academic and industry professionals
- performing research with faculty during the year or in the summer
- attending and giving presentations at local and national conferences
- participating in mathematical competitions
- working as a paid, or volunteer, tutor or teaching assistant
- Math Club social gatherings, such as our annual Pi Day celebration
- participating in study abroad programs such as the LMU Bonn (Germany) Engineering, Math, and Science Program
In addition, we are proud of our chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society, to which we induct student members on an annual basis.
About Our Students and Graduates
The three LMU mathematics programs were developed to prepare students for a wide range of mathematical careers in industry, business, government and teaching, as well as for admission to graduate programs or professional schools. Regardless of the program they choose, LMU math students have tremendous flexibility in their future career options because of their abilities to problem solve, write logical arguments, think critically, learn quickly, analyze data, and clearly communicate complex ideas to others.
Recent LMU mathematics alumni have:
- pursued advanced degrees in mathematics, financial mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, public health, psychology, and epidemiology
- attended law and medical school
- become educators (middle school, high school, community college, 4-year colleges/universities)
- been hired by the Federal Reserve Board, Intel, Kaiser Permanente, Raytheon, Northrup-Grumman, Google, Cisco Systems, JPL, and Mercer Consulting, among others
Are our Majors Right for You?
We encourage you to strongly consider joining our department if more than one of the following is true. You:
- want one of the top highest-earning college degrees according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers
- are considering a career in mathematics, law, medicine, finance, national security, urban planning, data analysis, computer graphics and animation, or teaching (among many others!)
- are curious about the mathematics behind how Google ranks its pages, Netflix makes its suggestions, or Pixar animates the motion of cloth, smoke, or even hair
- are curious about the mathematics involved in analyzing dosage strategies for chemotherapy, mobilizing police forces, or modeling traffic flow
- enjoy explaining mathematics homework solutions to your friends and/or siblings
- have ever wondered if there’s a version of the Quadratic Formula for polynomials of degrees other than 2
- want to understand why .999… = 1
- like solving puzzles such as Sudoku, KenKen, the Rubik’s Cube, and 1024
- are intrigued by the Birthday Problem, the Prisoner’s Dilemma, the Monty Hall Problem or Benford’s Law
- enjoy thinking about what equation this image depicts:
- want to know the next item in the sequence: W, A, J, M, M, … (for a hint, e-mail math@lmu.edu!)
About Our Faculty
Our department has 17 tenured or tenure-track faculty members, 7 of whom are women, with interests in pure, applied, and computational mathematics as well as in K – 12 mathematics and statistics education. Our faculty regularly work with students outside of the traditional classroom on research projects and preparation for student presentations and competitions. Four faculty have received national or LMU awards for teaching/advising and three have been recognized with national or LMU honors for their mentoring of students from under-represented groups in mathematics.
The mathematics faculty are active researchers and writers who regularly publish books and articles, make scholarly presentations, attend professional conferences and workshops, and receive federal and foundational grants.
Faculty members are active researchers and writers who regularly publish books and articles, make scholarly presentations, and receive grants from prestigious organizations such as the National Science Foundation.
Representative Courses
After completing a three-semester Calculus sequence, all mathematics students then move on to courses providing a broad exposure to the major areas of pure, applied and computational mathematics. More information about our courses can be found on the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering's site.
More Resources (Links)