General Mathematics Concentration

Design Your Math Education

You love math! But you are unsure of which math program and potential career path is right for you. Or perhaps you have your mind set on graduate school. Then a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences with a concentration in general mathematics might be the right choice for you.

With the general mathematics concentration, guidance from you academic advisor, and resources from the Career Center, you can design an education that suits your interests, talents, and values without delaying graduation.

A Pathway to Graduation

Do you see yourself enrolled in graduate school? The broad curriculum of the general mathematics program will prepare you for a graduate program, exposing you to a wide array of mathematical areas and helping you to develop a focus for your studies. An advanced degree is not only a requirement for a career in research or postsecondary teaching, but is also a necessity for many positions suited for math majors.

Get The Most From General Mathematics

Degree requirements in general mathematics are intentionally kept low to maximize the flexibility of the program. Contact your advisor to talk about your options and read these tips to help you prepare for your future.

Use Free Electives To Customize Your Education

If you plan to go to graduate school in mathematics:

Take additional senior-level mathematics.
Gain a broad background in mathematics by sampling its disciplines (computational mathematics, applied mathematics, combinatorics, and mathematical statistics).
Be prepared to choose a specialty. Your breadth of study will help you decide.

If you plan to join the workforce after graduation, augment your mathematics degree with a marketable minor. Math majors are in demand because of rigorous training in problem solving and critical thinking. However, it is a good idea to have a skill that is immediately applicable to industry.

Consider these options:

Get Summer Research Experiences

There are many summer undergraduate research opportunities to explore. Besides gaining experience and learning how to work well with others, participation in undergraduate research is a great way to decide if you want to go to graduate school (and it looks great on a graduate school application)! Consider:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors many Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs. Students participating in such a program work on research projects and typically receive free or greatly discounted room and board, along with a stipend of $2500–$4000.
Encourage Undergraduate Research
Michigan Tech faculty members also mentor student recipients of Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF). Recipients get a stipend to work on a research project.

Complete an Internship or Participate in Enterprise

If you are planning to enter the workforce upon graduation, you will be much more marketable if you do an internship or participate in Enterprise. For information about internships, contact University Career Services or your advisor.

Join a Professional Organization

The premier professional organization for mathematicians include:

American Mathematical Society (AMS): Research and teaching, focusing more on research
Mathematical Association of America (MAA): Research and teaching, focusing more on college-level teaching
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM): Applied mathematics (including computational) and industrial problems

Michigan Tech students can join all three organizations either free or very inexpensively.

Join a Student Organization

Get involved with any number of student organizations on campus. There are over 215, like Mind Trekkers, Quiz Bowl, Undergraduate Student Government, and more.

Concentration Requirements

You must complete the following 3 credits:

MA 4410 - Complex Variables

A study of complex numbers, functions of a complex variable, analytic functions, elementary functions, integrals, Taylor and Laurent series, residues and poles, and conformal mapping.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): MA 3160

Courses

You must complete three of the following 4000 level math electives for 9 credits:

MA 4209 - Combinatorics and Graph Theory

An introductory course in combinatorics and graph theory. Topics include designs, enumeration, extremal set theory, finite geometry, graph coloring, inclusion-exclusion, network algorithms, permutations, and trees.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Pre-Requisite(s): MA 3210 or CS 3311

MA 4908 - Theory of Numbers with Technology

Mathematical induction, Euclid's algorithm, prime and composite integers, algebra of congruences, Chinese remainder theorem, quadratic reciprocity law, number theoretic functions, first degree Diophantine equations, Pythagorean triples, Fermat and Mersenne numbers, factoring algorithms, tests for primality and various applications. Projects use Mathematica and EXCEL software packages.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): MA 3210 or MA 3310 or MA 3924

MA 4310 - Abstract Algebra

Detailed study of abstract algebra: elementary number theory (congruences, quadratic residues, arithmetic functions), group theory (monoids, permutation groups, homomorphisms, quotients, Lagrange's theorem, finite abelian groups, Sylow's theorems), ring theory (domains, prime and maximal ideals, quotients, PID's), splitting fields, finite fields.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): MA 3310

MA 4330 - Linear Algebra

A study of fundamental ideas in linear algebra and its applications. Includes review of basic operations, block computations; eigensystems of normal matrices; canonical forms and factorizations; singular value decompositions, pseudo inverses, least-square applications; matrix exponentials and linear systems of ODEs; quadratic forms, extremal properties, and bilinear forms.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Pre-Requisite(s): (MA 2320 or MA 2321 or MA 2330) and MA 3160

MA 4450 - Real Analysis

Real analysis on Euclidean n-space. Topics include real and vector valued functions, metric and normed linear spaces; an introduction to Lebesgue measure and convergence theorems.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Pre-Requisite(s): (MA 2320 or MA 2321 or MA 2330) and MA 3160 and MA 3450

Electives

You must complete two of the following 4000 level math electives for 6 credits, also including any senior level discrete, algebra, analysis, applied, numerical, or statistics course, MA 4200 – MA 4799

MA 3202 - Introduction to Coding Theory

Transmission via noisy channels, hamming distance, linear codes, the ISBN-code, encoding and decoding, finite fields, Reed-Solomon codes, deep space communication, the compact disk code, sphere packing bound, hamming codes, hamming decoding.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Pre-Requisite(s): MA 2320 or MA 2321 or MA 2330

MA 3203 - Introduction to Cryptography

Topics include private-key cryptography, shift substitution, permutation and stream ciphers, cryptanalysis, perfect secrecy, public-key cryptography, and the RSA cryptosystem.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring, Summer
Pre-Requisite(s): MA 2320 or MA 2321 or MA 2330

MA 3924 - College Geometry with Technology

Review of Euclidean geometry. Introduction to geometric constructions, conjecturing of theorems, methods of proof, 3-D geometry, finite geometries, and non-Euclidean geometries. Integrates computer software (e.g. Geometer's Sketchpad) throughout the course.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-2)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore
Pre-Requisite(s): MA 2160 or MA 2330

Speak to your advisor about the best electives to choose for you.

Tomorrow Needs Mathematicians

As the world grows increasingly complex and faces innumerable challenges, it requires versatile mathematicians possessing skills applicable to a variety of situations and fields. Mathematicians hold the key to analyzing data, optimizing processes, data-driven decision-making, and problem-solving. Their interdisciplinary approach fosters collaboration and drives innovation in engineering, research, science, and technology to meet tomorrow's needs.

Career Opportunities

Your future career options are unlimited with a degree in mathematics with a concentration in general mathematics. Career opportunities include:

Biostatistician
Computer Scientist
Climatologist
Cryptanalyst
Geographer
Hydrologist
Mathematical Biophysicist
Mathematical Physicist
Mathematician
National Security Analyst
Operations Research Analyst
Psychometrician
Quantitative Financial Market Analyst
Statistician

Get Hired By

These are just some of the companies hiring mathematics majors with a general mathematics concentration:

3M Corporation
AAA Life Insurance
Ally Financial
Boeing
Cigna
Detroit Tigers
Domino's
DTE Energy
Ford Motor Company
General Motors
Rocket Mortgage
State of Michigan
U.S. Department of Energy