Major & Minor
Explore and Discover. Studying math helps you develop critical thinking skills and an analytical approach that can be applied to all aspects of life. You learn to pay attention to all the assumptions involved in a problem or situation, and how to break down a complicated problem into a series of tractable steps. You develop the habit of critical thinking: testing your conclusions—and the conclusions of others—to make sure they’re based on adequate data and accurate reasoning.
Major | Minor | Exceptions | Declaring a Major/Minor
Major in Mathematics
The Department of Mathematics offers an undergraduate major with a high degree of flexibility. There are three tracks available:
- Program 1 – The Standard Track is intended for most mathematics majors in the College of Arts and Science, Blair School of Music, and Peabody College.
- Program II – The Applied Track is intended for students in the School of Engineering who elect a second major in mathematics (but is also available to other students).
- Program III – The Honors Track is intended for highly qualified students who either are preparing for graduate studies in mathematics or plan to graduate with departmental honors. Students who complete this program and, in addition, complete a senior thesis, will graduate with departmental honors.
Requirements
At least 32 credit hours in mathematics including at least 15 credit hours taken at Vanderbilt, as follows:
- A calculus sequence: MATH 1300, 1301, 2300; MATH 1300, 1301, 2310; or MATH 1300, 1301, 2500, 2501.
- Linear algebra and differential equations: MATH 2600 or MATH 2500–2501, and MATH 2610.
- At least 15 additional credit hours from MATH 2800 or above.
- The remainder of the credit hours must be chosen from MATH 2800 or above.
At least 29 credit hours in mathematics including at least 15 credit hours taken at Vanderbilt and 6 credit hours outside the department, as follows:
- A calculus sequence as in Program I.
- Linear algebra and differential equations—one of the following:
- One of MATH 2410, 2600, or 2500–2501, and one of MATH 2420 or 2610; or
- MATH 2400 and either MATH 2600 or MATH 2500–2501.
- At least 12 additional credit hours from MATH 2800 or above, excluding MATH 3000.
- The remainder of the credit hours in mathematics must be chosen from MATH 2800 or above.
- At least 6 credit hours of advanced, mathematically based science or engineering courses approved by the director of undergraduate studies. This requirement is automatically fulfilled by students who complete a physics major or a major in the School of Engineering.
At least 38 credit hours in mathematics including at least 15 credit hours taken at Vanderbilt, as follows:
- A calculus sequence as in Program I.
- Linear algebra and differential equations as in Program I.
- At least 21 additional credit hours of advanced course work, including four courses taken from the following three categories, at least one from each category:
- Algebra: MATH 3300, 4300, 4301.
- Analysis: MATH 3100, 3110, 6100, 6101.
- Topology and Geometry: MATH 3200, 3230, 4200, 4201, 6210.
- The remainder of the 21 credit hours must be chosen from MATH 2800 or above, excluding MATH 4999.
- The remainder of the credit hours must be chosen from MATH 2800 or above.
- Students who complete Program III and, in addition, fulfill the Honors requirements listed below, will graduate with departmental honors.
Students planning to teach in secondary school should contact the director of secondary education programs in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Peabody College for course recommendations.
Minor in Mathematics
A minor in mathematics requires at least 15 credit hours in mathematics, including:
- Completion of a calculus sequence: MATH 2300, 2310, or 2500–2501.
- Linear algebra and differential equations as outlined in Program II (Applied Track).
- At least 6 credit hours not used to satisfy item 2 from 2800 or above.
Completion of a single-variable calculus sequence (1300–1301) is a prerequisite for the minor but does not count toward the credit hours of the minor.
Exceptions
General Policy
If you need to deviate from the stated requirements in the Undergraduate Course Catalog, please consult with Director of Undergraduate Studies Henry Chan. The DUS will submit a “variance request” to the College of Arts and Science, and, once approved, appropriate notes will be made in your online degree audit.
Sometimes a variance request is needed even for situations where you satisfy the catalog requirements (for example, for students taking Math 2410, as described below).
Eligibility of MATH 2410 or 2420 in Standard and Honors Tracks
The Standard and Honors Tracks of the math major specify ONLY MATH 2600 or MATH 2500/2501 for the linear algebra requirement, and ONLY MATH 2610 for the differential equations requirement. Once you have declared a math major, you CANNOT satisfy these requirements with MATH 2410 or 2420, respectively.
However, you may have taken MATH 2410 or 2420 before you declared a math major, because you were not originally planning to major in math. If this is the case, you may count MATH 2410 for the linear algebra requirement or MATH 2420 for the differential equations requirement in the Standard or Honors Track.
Anyone intending to pursue the Standard or Honors Track of the math major should plan to take MATH 2600 (or 2500/2501) and 2610, NOT 2410 and 2420.
Non-Math Courses Counting Toward the Applied Track
The Applied Track requires students to take at least 6 credit hours of advanced, mathematically based science or engineering courses approved by the DUS. If you complete a major in physics, computer science, or any engineering discipline, you automatically satisfy this requirement.
In other cases, you should discuss your situation with the DUS and have them submit a variance request to take care of this. Some courses that the DUS will count towards this requirement include:
- CHEM 2100: Introduction to Analytical Chemistry; CHEM 3300: Physical Chemistry: Quantum Mechanics, Spectroscopy, and Kinetics; and CHEM 3310: Physical Chemistry: Chemical Thermodynamics and Equilibrium
- CS 2212: Discrete Structures
- ECON 3035: Econometric Methods; ECON 3750: Econometrics for Big Data; ECON 4220: Social Choice Theory; and ECON 4260: Game Theory with Economic Applications
However, individual approval from the DUS for your specific situation is still required. You do not automatically qualify by taking at least 6 hours from these courses.
Declaring a Major or Minor in Mathematics
To declare a math major or minor, please submit the request online. Read the instructions before submitting.