2.1. Major Prerequisites

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The following courses fulfill some of the general education requirements, as well as some of the requirements of certain cognates and minors. These courses must be completed for the B.S. degree in mathematics:

• MATH 141 - Calculus I (Must be completed with a grade of C or better)
• MATH 142 - Calculus II (Must be completed with a grade of C or better)
• MATH 241 - Vector Calculus (Must be completed with a grade of C or better)
• MATH 300 - Transition to Advanced Mathematics (Must be completed with a grade of C or better)
• One of the following programming courses:
CSCE 145 - Algorithmic Design I
 
CSCE 206 - Scientific Applications Programming 
 
• One of the following statistics courses:
STAT 509 - Statistics for Engineers 
 
STAT 512 - Mathematical Statistics 
 
STAT 515 - Statistical Methods I
 

 

 

2.2. Retention and Other Details

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1. A grade of C or better is required in each MATH course.
2. A student may enroll in each MATH course a maximum of two times. (Enrolled in a course is interpreted to mean that a grade, including W or WF, has been recorded.)
3. A student may repeat a maximum of three MATH courses. (Receiving a grade of W is not to be considered a repeat.)

2.3. Transfer Requirement

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In addition to the minimum University and College of Arts and Sciences requirements, a student seeking to transfer to the mathematics major from another program within the University, or from another accredited college or university, is required to have earned a grade of “B” or higher in at least one of the following courses, or their USC equivalent: MATH 141 (Calculus I), MATH 142 (Calculus II), MATH 241 (Vector Calculus), or MATH 300 (Transition to Advanced Mathematics). An AP or IB exam score that provides credit for MATH 142 also satisfies this requirement.

2.4. Major Requirements

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The base degree is the B.S. in Mathematics; students wishing to participate in significant research with a faculty mentor can enhance their experience by completing the additional requirements for the B.S. with Distinction in Mathematics.

2.5. Math Electives

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The courses listed below are available for MATH elective credit. (As MATH 544, MATH 546, and MATH 554 are required of all majors, these are not listed.) Undergraduate students interested in taking 700-level MATH courses as MATH elective credit should consult the Graduate Bulletin.

2.6. General Guidelines for Selecting 500-level MATH Electives

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2.6.1.     Students planning to go to graduate school in mathematics should complete at least one of the two-semester sequences in algebra (MATH 546 and MATH 547) or analysis (MATH 554 and MATH 555). Completing both two-semester sequences provides the strongest foundation for graduate study in mathematics. Students completing this combination of courses are well on their way towards completing the B.S. with Distinction in Mathematics.

2.6.2.     Students planning to become mathematics teachers at the secondary (grades 9-12) level should choose MATH 574, MATH 580, and at least one of MATH 531 or MATH 532. In addition, as a cognate, these students should take

EDFI 300 - Schools In Communities  

EDPY 401 - Learners and the Diversity of Learning  

EDSE 302 - Teachers and Teaching  

EDSE 500 - Equity and Community Engagement  

With two additional Education courses, students complete a minor in Education. This selection of MATH electives and of the education cognate positions students to complete, after completomg a B.S. in Mathematics, a one-year graduate Master of Teaching degree from the College of Education and apply for grades 9-12 mathematics licensure in South Carolina.

2.6.3.     Students planning to pursue a career in actuarial science should declare a Risk Management and Insurance Minor  and complete their MATH electives with the following courses:

MATH 511 - Probability  

MATH 520 - Ordinary Differential Equations  

MATH 574 - Discrete Mathematics I  

and either MATH 524 - Nonlinear Optimization  

or MATH 570 - Discrete Optimization  

Risk Management and Insurance Minor   is completed by taking ACCT 225, ECON 221 and 222, and FINA 363, 469, 471, and 475.

To develop a strong basis for success in the initial actuarial examinations (Exam P and Exam F), and to qualify for the Society of Actuaries’ Validation through Educational Experience (VEE) in Applied Statistics, Economics, and Corporate Finance, students should complete the following collection of 30 semester hours in the Department of Statistics and the Darla Moore School of Business. For detailed information about the VEE program, see https://www.soa.org/Education/Exam-Req/edu-vee.aspx.

Mathematical Statistics and Statistical Models (9 Hours)

STAT 512 - Mathematical Statistics   

STAT 513 - Theory of Statistical Inference  

ECON 436 - Introductory Econometrics  

Economics and Corporate Finance (12 Hours)

ACCT 225 - Introduction to Financial Accounting   

ECON 221 - Principles of Microeconomics  

ECON 222 - Principles of Macroeconomics  

FINA 363 - Introduction to Finance   

Risk Management and Insurance (0-3 Hours)

FINA 341 - Management of Risk and Insurance   

Finance and Stochastic Processes (3-6 Hours) from

FINA 469 - Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management   

FINA 471 - Derivative Securities   

FINA 475 - Fixed Income Securities   

STAT 521 - Applied Stochastic Processes   

Computing (3 Hours) from

CSCE 146 - Algorithmic Design II  

MGSC 390 - Business Information Systems   

STAT 540 - Computing in Statistics   

2.6.4.     Students planning to undertake further study in applied mathematics or who intend to start mathematical careers in the private or public sectors after graduation, should consider MATH 520 and other courses in Differential Equations and Modeling, in Discrete Mathematics, in Financial Mathematics, and in Optimization and Computation, including 9 credit hours from two of the following categories.

Differential Equations and Modeling

MATH 521 - Boundary Value Problems and Partial Differential Equations  

MATH 522 - Wavelets  

MATH 523 - Mathematical Modeling of Population Biology  

Discrete Mathematics

MATH 541 - Algebraic Coding Theory  

MATH 570 - Discrete Optimization  

MATH 575 - Discrete Mathematics II  

MATH 576 - Combinatorial Game Theory  

MATH 587 - Introduction to Cryptography  

Financial Mathematics and Probability

MATH 511 - Probability  

MATH 514 - Financial Mathematics I  

MATH 515 - Financial Mathematics II  

Optimization and Computation

MATH 524 - Nonlinear Optimization  

MATH 527 - Numerical Analysis  

MATH 570 - Discrete Optimization  

Analysis

MATH 550 - Vector Analysis  

MATH 552 - Applied Complex Variables  

MATH 555 - Analysis II  

3.1. Cognate

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The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve (12) hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of but related to the major. The cognate may be taken in one or more departments or programs, depending on the interests of the student and the judgment of the advisor.

Courses offered by departments and programs that are acceptable for cognate credit are outlined in the section titled Courses Acceptable for Cognate Credit in Degree Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences .

It should be emphasized that the cognate is not a second set of elective courses to be chosen at random by the student. The cognate must be approved by the major advisor as being related to the major field of study.

• Students are urged to consult their major advisors for specific requirements in their major.
• Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the cognate.
• For Bachelor of Science degrees, grades of D are acceptable for completion of the cognate requirement, except where restricted by the major program.

3.2. Minor

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In place of the cognate a student in the College of Arts and Sciences may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of prescribed courses. (Some minors in the sciences require a minimum of 16 hours.) The subject area of the minor may be related to the major. Students pursuing interdisciplinary minors who wish to use courses in their major department for minor credit must petition the College Committee on Scholastic Standards and Petitions for permission to do so.

The minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. It differs from the cognate inasmuch as the courses must be concentrated in one area and must follow a structured sequence. Interdisciplinary minors can be designed with the approval of the assistant dean for academic affairs and advising.

Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. At least half of the courses in the minor must be completed in residence at the University.

A list of minor programs of study can be found at Programs A-Z .