Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Mathematics, B.A.


About the Mathematics Bachelor’s Program


The academic background of undergraduate students pursuing a degree in mathematics is extremely diverse. Because of this diversity, semester-by-semester schedules for undergraduate degree plans are formulated individually for each student on a case-by-case basis.

Specific listings of General Degree Requirements for each undergraduate program, based on disciplines and number of corresponding credit hours, can be found at www.math.ttu.edu/Undergraduate/undergrad_program.shtml.

The mathematics curriculum is designed to allow flexibility in choosing elective courses so that students can prepare to enter the industrial job market, graduate or professional school, or a teaching career. Recent Texas Tech mathematics graduates have been employed by companies in aerospace (NASA, defense), electronics (computers, telecommunications), engineering, finance (banks, brokerage, insurance), government (federal agencies, offices, laboratories), petroleum (geophysical, oil), security, entertainment, and education. Some graduates have entered law school or medical school, while many have pursued graduate degrees at various universities.

The department offers honors-level courses in collaboration with the Honors College. The upper-division curriculum includes customized special topics classes and fosters individual undergraduate research projects under supervision of faculty members.

Requirements


The 120-hour curriculum established for the B.A. degree is designed to provide the foundation for a liberal education through a well-rounded study of the humanities and fine arts; the physical, biological, and social sciences; and mathematics. It also provides the factual basis and insights requisite for specialized study and professional work in these fields.

Twenty-five semester hours of upper-level math courses are required. These course requirements may be broadly divided into four components:

Foundation:


Depth (take one of the four):


Additional Requirements


Total MATH hours must be at least 37, with at least half of the upper-division (3000- and 4000-level) courses taken at Texas Tech.

The Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics requires a minimum of 40 semester hours of junior and senior work. Not more than 42 semester hours in one subject may be counted nor more than 8 hours in applied music and/or music ensemble except for students offering music as a major or minor. Not more than 6 hours in personal fitness and wellness courses may be counted as electives nor more than 24 hours in the technical or professional subjects or agriculture, business administration, engineering, and/or human sciences.

Minor


A minimum of 9 semester hours above the level of Calculus III is required for a minor, 6 hours of which must be upper-division coursework. The minor is subject to the requirements of and must be approved by the department that supervises the minor.

Elective Courses


Additional courses sufficient to bring the total to 120 semester hours must be taken.

Recommended Curriculum


First Year


Fall


Total: 14


Spring


Total: 15


Second Year


Fall


Total: 16


Spring


Total: 15


Third Year


Fall


Total: 15


Spring


Total: 16


Fourth Year


Fall


Total: 14


Spring


Total: 15


Total Hours: 120


Can also be multicultural. If one of the marked courses is not multicultural, will need an additional 3 semester credit hour multicultural course.

Foreign Language


A student must complete 6 hours at the sophomore level or above in a single language. The prerequisite for all sophomore language courses is credit for the freshman level. This credit can be determined through a credit by examination. The score attained on the exam will determine whether the student is placed in a second-year course, a 5-hour review course, or in some cases the first or second semester of a beginning (first-year) language course. See Arts and Sciences General Degree Requirements  for further explanation.