The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science has as its goals:

• To give all students who take mathematics courses a sense of the nature of mathematics and its place in society;
• To give students in departments which use mathematics or computer science adequate understanding to know when to use a particular result as well as how to use it;
• To give our majors and minors an understanding of mathematics and computer science, their nature, and uses, to prepare students to become effective users of mathematics and computer science in their careers;
• To prepare future high school teachers of mathematics;
• To give our students interested in continuing to graduate study in mathematics, statistics, or computer science an adequate preparation to succeed in that study.

Mathematics

Requirements for the Major: Mathematics majors may opt for either the Pure Mathematics Major or the Computational Mathematics Major. There is a great deal of overlap between these two choices. (Please see this flow chart.)

Requirements for the Pure Mathematics Major:

1. Calculus I (111), Calculus II (112), Linear Algebra (223), Abstract Algebra (331)
2. Real Analysis (333) or Topology (341)
3. Senior Seminar (400)
4. Electives (excluding Mathematics 003, 106, 107, 108, and 217) to reach the Department’s 9-credit minimum

Requirements for the Computational Mathematics Major:

1. Calculus I (111), Calculus II (112), Linear Algebra (223), and Abstract Algebra (331)
2. Differential Equations (224)
3. Numerical Methods (337) or Topics in Computational Mathematics (338)
4. One additional course from 219, 226, 314, 337, and 338
5. Senior Seminar (400)
6. Electives (excluding Mathematics 003, 106, 107, 108, and 217) to reach the Department’s 9-credit minimum

Incoming freshmen interested in pursuing mathematics at Wabash College will typically take Math 111 or Math 112 in the fall (depending on placement) and Math 112 or Math 223 in the spring. Course choices in the fall of the sophomore year will usually depend on the direction the student sees himself headed. Students should plan on taking Math 331 in the spring of their sophomore year. It is a good idea for all mathematics students to contact one of the mathematics professors early on.

The mathematics comprehensive examination has two main purposes. The first is assessment of retention of central concepts and techniques. The second is to cause the student to reflect on his mathematics education as a whole, making connections between the variety of concepts he has studied. The first day of senior comprehensive examinations in mathematics is devoted to the required core courses in mathematics, with both essay questions and shorter problems. The second day examines students over elective courses, with a choice of questions from a collection assembled to insure that each major will have sufficient questions from courses he has taken.

Requirements for the Minor: Five or more courses, including Mathematics 111, 112, 223, excluding Mathematics 003, 106, and 107. Mathematics 003 should not be used in any area of concentration.

Computer Science

No major is offered.

Requirements for the Minor: The requirements for a minor in computer science are five courses in computer science and one course in mathematics. The computer science courses must be: Computer Science 111 and 112 and three other Computer Science courses. The mathematics course must be Mathematics 108 or 219.