Mathematics lies at the heart of the liberal arts. Based in abstraction and logical reasoning, mathematics is both a body of knowledge and an elegant and useful way of perceiving our world. Through mathematics, we can distill and describe the otherwise hidden patterns and relations among things. Because of this, mathematics finds ubiquitous application, from the natural and social sciences to the humanities and the arts. Precise abstraction and quantification play an increasingly important role in these diverse areas, and the study of mathematics can provide a foundation for any of them. The mathematics curriculum includes courses in calculus and linear algebra, which form the foundation for many of the applications of mathematics, as well as more theoretical courses in abstract algebra and analysis, which provide the depth necessary to enter mathematical careers or to apply mathematics in more sophisticated ways to other areas. Students who have majored in mathematics recently have gone into college or secondary school teaching after graduate study, actuarial work, and careers in management or computer technology. Several recent mathematics majors have pursued cognate studies in computer science, physics or economics.

Through mathematics, we distill and describe the hidden patterns and relations among many things. In this way mathematics finds ever-present application—from the natural and social sciences to the humanities and the arts. It’s very interdisciplinary, and it’s why so many of our students double major. We have majors out there in many differing fields—from law and graduate school to education, government, industry and the financial sector. Employers value the analytical and logical skills of mathematics majors and how they think critically. Our program is a fine foundation for graduate-level mathematics. Our small size allows us to know our students very well and tailor work, including independent studies, to their interest.