Although a student may begin the mathematics major as late as the fall semester of the sophomore year, the department recommends that prospective majors adopt the following typical schedule:
|
Year
|
Fall
|
Spring
|
|
First
|
131
|
132
|
|
Sophomore
|
231, 205
|
228, elective
|
|
Junior
|
307 or 331
|
2 electives
|
|
Senior
|
307 or 331
|
400
|
The Writing Intensive Part II requirement is fulfilled by taking either MATH 307 or MATH 331. In order to fulfill the requirement, one of these courses must be taken at Trinity.
Honors—Honors in mathematics, granted by departmental vote in the spring of the honor candidate’s senior year, is earned by:
-
receiving no less than B- in any mathematics course taken at the 200+ level, and
-
receiving A- or better in at least five 300+ level courses, and
-
writing and presenting a suitable thesis on some area of mathematics that the student finds particularly interesting.
The student must apply to the department chair for honors candidacy in the second semester of the junior year. Upon acceptance, the candidate and the department chair will together select an honors adviser (usually the candidate’s academic adviser) who will supervise the honors process.
The honors thesis need not be one of newfound mathematical results, but is expected to be a balance of the historical, biographical, and mathematical aspects of the topic. The project will culminate with the submission of the final draft to the honors adviser no later than two weeks before the last day of classes of the spring semester. An informal talk will be given by the candidate prior to the day on which senior grades are due.
Study Away—Students of mathematics have many opportunities to study abroad, but all of them require a certain amount of early planning. Students are encouraged to discuss their plans with their advisers or the department chair as soon as possible since many courses in the Mathematics Department are not offered every year. Well-prepared students should consider the Budapest semester in mathematics; more information on this program can be found on the department Web site.
Many study-abroad programs in English-speaking countries offer a wide range of mathematics courses that will count towards the major. For specific advice, please consult the department chair. Students who feel they are sufficiently proficient in a language to take mathematics courses in a foreign language should discuss this with their advisers. Students who take mathematics courses while abroad should be aware that universities that follow the European model cover the material in a somewhat different order than is done in the United States, and that classes are primarily lectures with far less feedback from the instructor than is typical at Trinity.