Tusculum University offers a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and Bachelor of Arts in mathematics education for grades 6-12 or 6-10.
The mathematics major is a versatile and valuable program of study at the core of the liberal arts. The logical and quantitative reasoning skills in the major are some of the best transferable skills students can develop during their college career. Mathematics students are trained in areas ranging from rigorous abstract mathematics to applications of mathematical methods in other fields, to the history and foundations of mathematics.
Mathematics majors can pursue careers in industry, law and government and other professional fields. A graduating mathematics student is also well prepared to teach that subject at a secondary level. That is particularly the case if they pursue the mathematics education track of our program. In addition, our program is designed to meet the needs of students who wish to pursue graduate study in the mathematical sciences or acquire mathematical training for the physical, social or biological sciences.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a large increase in mathematical/statistical careers through at least 2028. Our mathematics students are always in high demand thanks to their broadly applicable training in problem solving, critical thinking and quantitative reasoning.
Details of the major
To earn the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Tusculum University, students must complete the mathematics core curriculum, which is required for all mathematics majors. Students may instead pursue a mathematics minor, consisting of 17-18 semester hours of coursework (about six courses).
The mathematics major consists of a broad selection of mathematics topics, ranging from introductory calculus to advanced analysis and algebra. Students also select a small number of major electives, spanning areas such as the history of mathematics and graph theory and combinatorics. The major is finished by a capstone research seminar in which students undertake research projects of their own under the supervision of the mathematics faculty.
Program highlights include:
While comparing college experiences with my fellow interns at the Department of Energy during an internship, I have come to appreciate how small our math program was at Tusculum. Some interns came from prestigious schools, where Calculus I was taught on an auditorium with 250-plus students. They had a hard time connecting to their teachers, especially when asking for recommendation letters and one-on-one meetings.
Due to the small teacher-to-student ratio, my teachers were always readily available during office hours and could meet one-on-one at short notice. Furthermore, I have had multiple classes with all members of the math faculty, where they got to know my strengths, weaknesses and achievements. That enabled them to tackle my weaknesses during lectures/meetings, while also highlighting my strengths when writing a strong recommendation letters. Those letters have gotten me an internship with the DOE and accepted into the graduate program at the University of Central Florida.
My senior seminar project involved doing Mathematical disease modeling and research under Dr. Myers, due to his knowledge regarding epidemiology. Not all students get to do a guided project/research during their undergraduate years, which greatly helped my application stand out for both my research internship and graduate school.
Mathematics students are prepared to solve critical problems in public policy, business, and industry, and to work across disciplines.
Mathematics graduates have found productive and impactful employment across numerous professions, while others have been accepted into graduate programs in a variety of areas. Students build critical experience in collaborative projects and research work, alongside their mathematical content knowledge and skills.
Students are provided opportunities to engage with one another through peer mentorship and tutoring, along with the Pi-oneers math club.
Mathematics has a long and deep connection to natural philosophy and the philosophy of science. Students are taught to appreciate knowledge in tandem with other aspects of Tusculum’s religious alignment. And despite being a subject often viewed abstractly, students engage with ethical questions related to research and inquiry.
Students engage with a rigorous mathematics curriculum culminating in a senior research capstone project. Along the way, there are additional opportunities for research experience and engagement in other hands-on learning.
Our mathematics students perform strongly at Tusculum and are recognized for their scholarship. Recently, a mathematics major was awarded a Ledford research fellowship from the Appalachian College Association to undertake a summer research project under the guidance of mathematics faculty.
Mathematics program graduates have achieved great educational and career outcomes. Some have worked towards a Master of Arts in teaching and/or gone directly to secondary education. Some have pursued other graduate degrees and advanced careers in science and engineering. Some have found employment in technical fields.
Tusculum student Emma Harriman was named a Ledford Scholar of the Appalachian College Association in 2022 and participated in stipend-funded research that summer. Here is her video presentation summarizing her work: https://www.acaweb.org/ledford-presentation-emma-harriman/
