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Fred Park, Chair
Mark Kozek
Bill Kronholm
Jeff Lutgen
Adrian Riskin,
Fritz Smith

Mathematics is one of the original liberal arts and serves as the foundation underlying much of modern science and engineering. It is a rigorous discipline, but one in which a creative mind can flourish and excel. Graduates with a mathematics major generally work in business or industry, teach, or pursue graduate studies in mathematics or operations research. The Mathematics Department offers courses designed to prepare majors for their pursuits and courses designed to serve the needs of non-mathematics majors. Given their reputation for improving one’s logical reasoning abilities, mathematics courses attract many non-mathematical majors.

All new students, except those with AP calculus or AP statistics scores of 4 or higher or college level mathematics transfer credit, must take the Mathematics Placement Examination to determine their mathematical preparation for placement in Whittier College mathematics courses.

The Liberal Education Program  mathematics (quantitative literacy) requirement can be satisfied by taking MATH 079 , MATH 080 , MATH 085 , MATH 139A , MATH 139B , MATH 141 , MATH 142 , MATH 220 , or MATH 241 ; PHYS 100  or PHYS 101 ; PSYC 314; or by advanced placement credit.

Students in Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, or Pre-Engineering should begin the calculus sequence in the freshman year. Those not prepared to do so during the first term should begin with 76 or 85, depending on their preparation.

The department also participates in an interdisciplinary Mathematics-Business  major, and the 3-2 Engineering Program .

Guidelines for a Major in Mathematics

Students who plan to enter a graduate program in mathematics should take more than the minimum number of mathematics courses; these students should work closely with an advisor from the Department of Mathematics to choose appropriate additional mathematics courses.

In addition to the Major in Mathematics, the department offers a Major in Mathematics with Teaching Credential Emphasis for students who plan to teach high school mathematics. Teaching Credential students should contact the Department of Education and Child Development for more information on obtaining an appropriate California teaching credential.

Programs

• Integrated Computer Science/Mathematics, B.A.
• Mathematics Minor
• Mathematics with Applied Emphasis, BA
• Mathematics with Pure Emphasis, B.A
• Mathematics with Teaching Emphasis, B.A.
• Mathematics, B.A.

Courses

• COSC 100 - Introduction to Computer Systems
• COSC 120 - Computer Science I
• COSC 180 - Introduction to Data Science with Python
• COSC 220 - Computer Science II
• COSC 240 - Data Structures and Algorithms
• COSC 310 - Operating Systems
• COSC 330 - Computer Logic and Circuit Design
• COSC 370 - Machine Learning
• COSC 499 - Senior Project
• MATH 074 - Transition to College Mathematics
• MATH 076 - College Algebra
• MATH 079 - Quantitative Reasoning
• MATH 080 - Elementary Statistics
• MATH 085 - Precalculus Mathematics
• MATH 141 - Calculus & Analytical Geometry I
• MATH 142 - Calculus & Analytical Geometry II
• MATH 220 - Discrete Mathematics
• MATH 241 - Calculus & Analytical Geometry III
• MATH 242 - Introduction to Applied Elementary Linear Algebra
• MATH 280 - Abstract Thinking
• MATH 315 - Probability and Statistics
• MATH 345A - Differential Equations I
• MATH 354 - Mathematical Modeling
• MATH 360 - Point Set Topology
• MATH 380 - Linear Algebra
• MATH 440 - Introduction to Analysis I
• MATH 441 - Introduction to Analysis II
• MATH 491 - Senior Seminar in Mathematics I

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