Degree Requirements for Current Mathematics Students

General university degree requirements stipulate that 1) at least four units of the major or three units of the minor be taken in residence at Puget Sound; 2) students earn a GPA of 2.0 in courses taken for the major or the minor; and 3) all courses taken for a major or minor must be taken for graded credit. Any exceptions to these stipulations are indicated in the major and minor degree requirements listed below.

The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science offers courses cross-listed as both Mathematics and Computer Science as indicated in their course descriptions. A student majoring or minoring in both Mathematics and Computer Science may apply only one such course to both majors, to both the major and the minor, or to both minors.

The Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

The department offers two options for a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics: a contract major and a standard major. The contract major emphasizes the value of planning a coherent set of courses based on goals and interests articulated by the student. The standard major is available for those students who declare a mathematics major later in their undergraduate career.

Contract option for the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

This degree is awarded on the basis of a course of study agreed upon by the student and a committee of faculty members. A student who intends to complete a contract major in Mathematics should select a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science as an advisor. The student and advisor form a committee that consists of one additional faculty member from the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and, if a course from another department is to be part of the contract, a faculty member from that department. The student works with the committee to select a coherent set of courses (satisfying the requirements given below) that advances the student’s educational goals. The contract is signed by the student, committee members, and chair of the department, and is filed in the Office of the Registrar. The student can later modify the contract with the approval of all committee members and the department chair.

Each contract course of study will meet the following requirements.

1. Completion of a minimum of eight units and a maximum of 16 units with no more than nine units in mathematics.
2. Completion of CSCI 161 or equivalent.
3. Completion of a minimum of five upper-division units in mathematics to include the following:
   1. Two units of related upper-division courses chosen to provide depth.
   2. One upper-division unit in a proof-based course.

Courses must be approved by the end of the semester in which the first upper-division course on the contract is completed. Upper-division courses completed before the contract is approved cannot be included in the contract.

Standard option for the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

This degree is awarded on the basis of a course of study that meets the following requirements.

1. Completion of the calculus sequence (through MATH 280) and MATH 290.
2. Completion of CSCI 161 or equivalent.
3. Completion of five upper-division units in mathematics to include the following:
   1. Two units of related upper-division courses chosen to provide depth.
   2. One upper-division unit in a proof-based course.
   3. At least one upper-division unit from each of the following two lists to provide breadth of experience in both continuous and discrete mathematics:
      • List A: MATH 301, 302, 350, 355, 360, 375, 376, 380, 420 (some topics as noted in topic course descriptions) 480, 481
      • List B: MATH 310, 335, 340, 345, 390, 420 (some topics as noted in topic course descriptions), 471, 490, 491

Individual classes can count for more than one requirement in 3.

Notes for contract and standard majors

1. For the purposes of major requirements, upper-division courses in mathematics are those at the 300–400 level.
2. A student majoring in mathematics must earn a grade point average of at least 2.00 in all upper-division major courses.
3. A student majoring in mathematics must complete at least four units of the required upper-division courses in the major at Puget Sound. One of these four units may be a course taken as part of a study-abroad program. For contract majors, this is subject to approval in advance by the student’s contract committee.
4. Contracts normally include the calculus sequence and linear algebra.
5. Currently-offered sets of related upper-division courses to provide depth in contract and standard majors include MATH 301/302, 335/471, 340/345, 350/355, 375/376, 480/481, 490/491.
6. Currently offered proof-based courses include MATH 340, 345, 350, 355, 375, 376, 380, 480, 481, 490, and 491.
7. Students majoring in mathematics should take CSCI 161 in their first two years.
8. Upper-division units must be approved by the end of the semester in which the first upper-division course on the contract is completed. Upper-division courses completed before the contract is approved cannot be included in the contract.

Requirements for the Minor in Mathematics

1. Completion of five units in mathematics, two of which must be numbered 170 or higher.
   1. MATH 103 and MATH 110 do not count toward a minor in mathematics.
   2. One unit of credit taken from Computer Science, either 141 or a course numbered 161 or higher, may count toward the minor and, if it is numbered 200 or higher, may count as one of the mathematics courses numbered 170 or higher.
   3. HON 213 may count toward the 170-level requirement.
   4. PHIL 240 may count toward the minor. It will not count as one of the required mathematics courses numbered 170 or higher.
   5. First-year Seminars do not meet the requirements of the minor.
2. Maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 in the five units.