Undergraduate degrees: B.A., B.S.
Undergraduate minor
Creating a Mathematics Community
Do you have a consuming interest in mathematics? Many technical, research-oriented, and education-based professions require a strong math background. The UO offers a program that emphasizes mathematics as part of a broad liberal arts education geared toward the practical applications of math in many careers.
Through the UO mathematics department, you’ll be prepared for work in fields like industrial engineering, computer programming, financial planning, data management, and statistical records and analyses. Mathematics teachers are also in demand, to ensure that future generations obtain the knowledge necessary to compete in a job market that demands mathematical skills and technical knowledge.
As a math major at the UO, you can choose any one of these areas as your focus, or design a program that draws from a combination of them to best suit your goals. If you’re interested in pure mathematics, the UO offers a track that will specifically prepare you for the advanced study of mathematics at the graduate school level.
People have studied mathematics since the dawn of recorded history. Because mathematical study develops habits of disciplined and logical thought, it has always been considered an important part of a university education. Mathematics bridges the gulf between humanities and sciences, and shares some of the best features of both.
The hub of the UO’s mathematics community is a lounge called Hilbert Space, which features a small kitchen, study tables, and blackboards for mathematical discussions. You will usually find a group of students congregated there, working in groups, consulting with peer advisers, and using computers loaded with sophisticated mathematics software. There’s a place here for you, too.
Points of Interest
- The American Mathematical Society has ranked the University of Oregon’s mathematics department in the top group of U.S. research departments
- The Hilbert Space provides a unique and comfortable atmosphere where math students gather to work in groups, receive guidance from peer advisors, and utilize sophisticated mathematical software
- MACS is a new major that combines elements from the mathematics and computer science curricula for students interested in both fields
- As early as sophomore year, math majors have the opportunity to work as teaching assistants in lower-level university math classes
- The department invites professors and mathematicians from around the globe to participate in the Moursund and Niven lectures
Sample Courses
- Applied Mathematics pertains to the branches of mathematics involved in the study of the physical, biological, or sociological world. Courses include Introduction to Differential Equations, Several-Variable Calculus, Elementary Linear Algebra, Introduction to Numerical Analysis, and Mathematical Modeling
- Pure Mathematics focuses on the study and development of mathematic principles for their own sake, rather than for their immediate usefulness. This track is designed to prepare students for graduate studies. Courses include Geometries from an Advanced Viewpoint, Introduction to Topology, Linear Algebra, Introduction to Abstract Algebra, and Mathematical Statistics
- Secondary Teaching prepares students to teach math in secondary institutions. Courses include Elementary Analysis, Number Theory, Elementary Linear Algebra, and Fundamentals of Abstract Algebra
- Number Theory features topics such as congruences, Chinese remainder theorem, Gaussian reciprocity, and basic properties of prime numbers
- Multivariate Statistical Methods focuses on multiple linear regression, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, applications to problems and data from various fields, and use of statistical software
Hands-on Learning
As early as sophomore year, exemplary math students can become undergraduate teaching assistants in lower-level mathematics courses for non-majors. The teaching assistants earn an hourly wage, but most importantly they learn to be comfortable in front of a classroom, and how to articulate their knowledge in a way other students can understand.
Interdisciplinary Opportunities
The Mathematics Department provides basic mathematical and statistical training for students in the social, biological, and physical sciences. Proficiency in mathematics and/or computer science is required for a bachelor of science degree at the university.
Several departments—including biology, chemistry, physics, and computer and information science—require mathematics and statistics courses as a part of their curricula. Coursework in the anthropology, sociology, and psychology departments often require statistical analysis. Students and scholars working in these fields use math skills to calculate percentages, and to compute and analyze data.
Students majoring in mathematics find their studies highly compatible with physics, economics, and computer science. Majors fulfilling the applied mathematics option are learning how to use math as a tool to comprehend phenomena in other disciplines. Other students compliment their math studies with courses in education and architecture.
Student Work
Silas Snider, who is double majoring in math and computer and information sciences, also recently added a minor in linguistics to his workload. Wait, linguistics? “So much syntax in math and computer science comes from linguistics,” says Snider. “I wanted to understand why and how that works.”
In addition to being a charter member of the CIS department group called the Student Interest Group in Computer Science, Snider hosts tutoring sessions once a week, which are open to anyone who wants to discuss problems in math and computer science.
Justin Tittelfitz was granted a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), an award that allowed him to study math at the University of Washington. Since returning to UO to finish his degree, Tittelfitz has become even happier with his chosen field and his future prospects. “Once you get to a certain point, you can see the creative and the beautiful in math,” he says. “You have to get to a certain point before you see the beauty.”
Asher Tubman arrived at the UO with a background in liberal arts, but with a strong interest in math and physics. “I’ve always been interested in math,” he says. “I guess I’ve always just been curious about figuring out how things work, and math ties in with that.”
Drawing on his experience in math and physics, as well as his desire to delve into the mechanics of the world, Tubman has been working as a research associate in Professor David Strom’s high-energy physics lab.
Selected Faculty Work
Professor James Isenberg works in partial differential equations and differential geometry, with emphasis on applications in mathematical physics. He is focusing on solutions of Einstein’s equations and the relationships (via heat flows) between topology and geometry.
David Levin is an assistant professor of mathematics. He teaches courses in statistical methods. His research interests include probability theory and stochastic processes, in particular Markov chains, random walks, and related potential theory.
Associate Professor of mathematics Hal Sadofsky teaches algebraic topology and calculus. He does research in algebraic topology, specifically in the study of stable homotopy theory. This is an area which uses tools from abstract algebra to study properties of continuous functions and of topological spaces.
Professor Brad Shelton’s research focus is in non-commutative ring theory and non-commutative algebraic geometry. Shelton has written many journal articles on ring theory, as well as a calculus textbook.
Associate Professor Dev Sinha teaches courses in calculus and advanced calculus. His teaching interests and practices include creating context to facilitate abstract reasoning, presenting outlines to help students organize what they learn, "putting problems first" in teaching proofs, and giving frequent small assignments to foster independence in advanced courses. His research interests lie at the interface of algebraic and geometric topology.
Professor Marie Vitulli’s work encompasses areas of algebraic geometry and commutative algebra. She is working on problems in valuation theory—many having their origins in algebraic number theory. She teaches classes in linear and commutive algebra, and in calculus. Vitulli is the director of the Women in Math project, a collection of publications about gender and mathematics.
Associate Professor Hao Wang has been working on subjects that include interacting branching particle systems, super-processes, multidimensional processes, financial modeling, extreme value theory, and scenario generation. He regularly teaches upper division courses that range from theory to statistics.
Career Opportunities
Mathematics has applications in almost every professional field. You can apply it explicitly in accounting, business, and finance. It can be used more subtly in measurements for architecture and other fields of design. You might become a much-needed mathematics teacher, passing on valuable knowledge to young students, or decide to explore theoretical and abstract concepts through a master’s or doctoral program.
You might even become a brain surgeon, nuclear physicist, or rocket scientist—math is a necessary component of any of these careers.
Contact Information
(541) 346-4705
(541) 346-0987 fax