Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Hobart and William Smith Colleges About the Department

This page contains information about majoring and minoring in mathematics and computer science. The information comes from the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Catalog. See also the course descriptions for Mathematics courses and Computer Science courses

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Jaime Barrera, Ph.D. Candidate; Assistant Professor David Belding, Ph.D.; Associate Professor Stina Bridgeman, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor Marc Corliss, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Carol Critchlow, Ph.D., Associate Professor David Eck, Ph.D.; Professor Jonathan Forde, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor Erika King, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor Kevin Mitchell, Ph.D.; Professor Scotty Orr, M.S.; Instructor/Tech Guy John Vaughn, Ph.D.; Associate Professor Mathematics has always been one of the core subjects of a liberal arts education because it promotes rigorous thinking and problem-solving ability. Many students who major in mathematics go on to study mathematics in graduate school or to work in mathematically oriented professions, but for others, mathematics serves as a very popular double major or minor in combination with fields from all three of the Colleges' academic divisions. To meet the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities that may be encountered after graduation, mathematics majors are encouraged to obtain a broad but firm foundation in mathematics, to acquire some skill in the use of mathematical methods for dealing with problems from a variety of disciplines, and to complement these with some training in computer science. Computer science is a rapidly growing and changing field, with applications across a broad range of disciplines. The department offers a range of applied and theoretical courses that enable the student to use technology and also to understand the fundamental and enduring principles beyond applications. The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science offers two disciplinary majors in mathematics (B.A. and B.S.), two disciplinary majors in computer science (B.A. and B.S.), a disciplinary minor in mathematics, and a disciplinary minor in computer science. In addition to the specific courses listed below, other courses, such as bidisciplinary courses taught by members of the department, may be approved by the department for credit toward a major. MATH 100 and MATH 110 and CPSC 100 may count toward the major if they are the first course taken by a student in the department. To be counted toward the major or minor, all courses must be passed with a grade of C- or better; the department strongly recommends that such courses be taken on a graded, rather than a credit/no-credit basis. The department also gives credit for one course toward the major for a score of four or five on an Advanced Placement test in calculus or in programming. A student can double major in mathematics and computer science by completing the requirements for each major. MATHEMATICS MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (B.A.) (disciplinary major, 11 courses) MATH 135, MATH 204, and MATH 232; CPSC 124; either MATH 331 or MATH 375; two additional Mathematics courses at the 200 level or above; two additional Mathematics courses at the 300 level or above; and two additional courses chosen from Mathematics (MATH 131 and above) and Computer Science (CPSC 225 and above). MATHEMATICS MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (B.S.) (disciplinary major, 15 courses) MATH 135, MATH 204, MATH 232, MATH 331, and MATH 375; CPSC 124; three additional Mathematics courses at the 200 level or above; two additional Mathematics courses at the 300 level or above; one additional Computer Science course above CPSC 224; and three additional courses in the Natural Science division that count towards the major in their respective departments. MATHEMATICS MINOR REQUIREMENTS (disciplinary minor, 5 courses) MATH 135 and four additional MATH courses at the 130 level or above. COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (B.A.) (disciplinary major, 10 courses) CPSC 120, CPSC 124, CPSC 225, CPSC 229, and 4 additional computer science courses (excluding CPSC 450 and CPSC 495), and two additional computer science or other approved courses. COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (B.S.) (disciplinary major, 16 courses) All of the requirements for the computer science B.A., plus six additional courses in the sciences. COMPUTER SCIENCE MINOR REQUIREMENTS (disciplinary, 5 courses) CPSC 120, CPSC 124, and three additional computer science courses.