Mathematics

Mission

The Mathematics Department of Regis College educates men and women in the quantitative sciences. It enables students in every department of the college to hone their quantitative, analytic and critical abilities and to develop problem-solving skills. It offers courses in which students learn to analyze and interpret numerical data in a variety of real-world contexts. It offers a very rich upper division curriculum, which enables students to become strong teachers of mathematics, to work in highly technical fields, or to pursue graduate work in mathematics or other related fields.

The quantitative skills that the Mathematics Department provides are essential for people who want to make a positive impact in a changing and increasingly technological society. The faculty of the Mathematics Department encourages the life of the mind and the search for truth by offering challenging courses that include contemporary topics and problems in mathematics. We emphasize the application of mathematics to real-world problems the solution of which will have a positive impact on society.

What Is Mathematics?

Mathematics is one of the most dynamic, rapidly growing, highly applicable academic disciplines. Pure mathematics concerns itself with studies of structure, form, and quantitative relationships. Mathematical concepts enrich computer science, statistics, economics, and the natural sciences. Mathematics is the language of the physical sciences. Our society has an urgent need for people with highly developed analytic ability and quantitative skills.

Who Should Major In Mathematics?

Anyone who welcomes a challenge and who is interested in mathematics or any field that uses quantitative tools should consider a major or minor in mathematics. Mathematics is a challenging but very practical major. Some mathematics majors study mathematics for its own sake. More often students combine a mathematics major with a major or minor in a discipline such as business, computer science, chemistry, biology, or economics. These students enter the job market with highly developed analytic and quantitative abilities and a good understanding of a field to which these skills may be applied.

What Are The Characteristics of The Mathematics Program At Regis College?

We are proud to offer our student:

• a caring, dedicated faculty
• a curriculum that has a good balance of theory and application
• computer applications integrated into many of the courses
• personal interaction between students and faculty
• internships

Available Areas of Study

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

Minor in Mathematics

UNDER DEVELOPMENT

We are currently developing this page of the website. Please check back soon to learn more about the distinguished faculty members who contribute to our program.

Mathematical Links

Professional Organizations

• American Mathematical Society - This society is focused on research and teaching of mathematics. It is mainly directed to graduate and post-graduate research.
• Mathematical Association of America - This association is focused on teaching and research in mathematics. It is primarily geared towards undergraduate mathematics, and mathematics education.
• Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics - This society deals with uses of mathematics in the "real world".

Fun Math Links

• MAA Online History of Math Web Page 
  An online magazine of math history from the MAA illuminating the many corners of mathematical history.
• Knot a Braid of Links 
  A math-site-of-the-week list put together by the Canadian Mathematical Society
• Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search 
  Join the search for the world's largest known prime numbers. This site also has links to a large number of other distributed computing projects. If you would like to join the Regis Mathematics Department Mersenne Prime Search Team Contact Dr. Jim Seibert
• The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive 
  A delightful compendium of mathematician profiles and quotes.

Internships

Mathematics majors at Regis College are encouraged to participate in internships. Recent mathematics majors have earned credit while working for a wide range of employers including actuarial companies, the Denver Zoo, and the Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing. For more information check out the Internship Program web pages.

Scholarships and Awards

The Department of Mathematics offers three full-tuition scholarships. Two are given to incoming freshman and one is given to a transfer student. Contact Admissions for details.

The Father Frederick T. Daly, S.J., Award for Excellence in Mathematics is presented to one outstanding graduating senior each year. The names of past winners are engraved on a plaque which is prominently displayed in the Mathematics Department

Undergraduate Research

Many of our upper division mathematics courses include an undergraduate research component. The best of these projects are invited to present their results at the regionals meeting of the Mathematical Association of America. Students interested in graduate school are invited to attend graduate level mathematics seminars at local graduate departments. A calendar of such seminars may be found here. If you see one you would like to attend, contact a mathematics professor.

Mathematical Competitions

The Regis University Mathematics department sponsors teams competing in the COMAP Mathematical Contest in Modeling, and Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling. The COMAP Undergraduate Contestspage has more information, including previous year's test questions.

Regis also sponsors individual students participating in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition (the PUTNAM EXAM). This extremely challenging exam offers students the chance to test their mathematical metal against undergraduates nation-wide. There are cash prizes for the top scores nationally, and good scores will attract the interest of graduate schools. The Putnam Exam is generally given the first Saturday in December. More information can be found at Putnam Exam Problems and Solutions. Contact your friendly neighborhood mathematics professor if you are interested in participating.

Career Opportunities

What are the career opportunities for a mathematics major? Approximately one-third of mathematics majors work in applied areas of financial, services such as actuarial, business administration, cost/profit analysis, investment analysis, marketing analysis, operations research, research and development, or statistics.

Approximately one-third of mathematics majors work in applied technical areas such as chemical analysis, computer science engineering, meteorology, physics, quality control, or robotics. The remaining one-third seem to pursue widely scattered careers. Some continue their education and become attorneys, politicians, or professors.

Here are a couple web pages with career information for mathematics majors:

• This CNN article is 5 years old (and getting older all the time), but it still applies today. It gives a nice summary about "doing math".
• Here is a more recent Business Week article extolling the virtues of a mathematics major.
• Mathematical Sciences Career Information from the AMS, MAA and SIAM. This is an incredible collection of information about careers for mathematics majors. Over 90 occupations are profiled. Career planning resources are provided.