The Mathematics Department website>>

Sample Courses:
  • MTH-053. Visualizing the Fourth Dimension. An investigation of the idea of higher dimensions and some of the ways of understanding them, with the classic novel, Flatland, as the starting point.
  • MTH-054. Number Theory: From Clock Arithmetic to Unbreakable Code. An introduction to the beauty and use of numbers, with such topics as prime numbers, Fermat’s theorem, the golden section, magic squares and quadratic reciprocity.
  • MTH-056. History of Mathematics. Traces the development of mathematical ideas and methods in literate cultures from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, to Hellenistic Greece and medieval China, India and the Islamic world, up through the dawn of calculus at the start of the Scientific Revolution in early modern Europe.
  • MTH-057. Game Theory and its Applications in the Humanities and Social Sciences. An introduction to the mathematical theory of conflict, covering everything from parlor games and auctions to game-theoretic models of international conflict.
  • MTH-061. Math in the Public Interest. Explores key mathematical topics including statistics, probability, exponential and logarithmic functions, and visual/graphical representation of numbers, in the context of contemporary public policy issues from the 2008 financial crisis to climate change.
  • MTH-197. Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science. An introduction to fundamental concepts and methods of proof in mathematics and computer science, including elementary logic, functions, relations, sets and basic combinatorics.
  • MTH-221. Mathematical Cryptology. An in-depth look at the mathematical theory underlying modern methods to accomplish the secret transmission of messages, as well as other tasks related to data security, privacy and authentication.
  • MTH-325. Knot Theory. An introduction to the mathematical study of knots, including colorability, chirality, genus and the Jones polynomial; and an exploration of the relationship between mathematical knots and structures in molecular chemistry and biology, and physics.
  • MTH-336. Real Variable Theory. A study of point sets on the real line and of real functions defined on these sets.
  • MTH-340. Linear Algebra. Vector spaces, linear transformations, inner product and dual spaces, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, special topics.
    • MTH-436. Topology. Topological spaces, connectedness, compactness, continuous mappings and homeomorphisms.
After Union:
After Union
  • Compensation Analyst, Golub Corp.
  • Associate Vice President, Internal Audit, Barclay’s Capital Inc.
  • Associate, Credit Suisse
  • Manager of Plan Administration, the AYCO Company, L.P.
  • Software Developer, Allscripts
  • CRM Applications Account Manager, Oracle Corp.
  • Teacher, Fairfield Public Schools
  • Attorney, Berenzweig Leonard, LLP
  • Actuarial Analyst, Watson Wyatt Worldwide
  • Superior Court Law Clerk, State of Connecticut
  • CAMD Lab Coordinator, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Mathematics

Mathematics is one of the oldest learned disciplines, and Union College is one of the first schools in the nation to offer math as part of its curriculum.

The Department of Mathematics is dedicated to helping students develop the ability to reason logically, understand abstract concepts and solve problems, and to producing versatile mathematicians who grasp the complexities in their field.

Math majors at Union take foundational courses such as calculus, geometry and probability, and also choose from courses in cryptology, number theory, discrete mathematics, game theory, knot theory and ancient Greek mathematics. They work closely with faculty members in a variety of settings and course formats, and engage in research under the supervision of a faculty member. Students’ independent studies have included advanced topics in real analysis, the mathematical study of voting systems, and mathematical computer graphics.

Mathematics graduates find that their research, reasoning, problem-solving and communications skills serve them well after Union in careers as diverse as accounting, actuarial science, business, economics and engineering. Many pursue degrees in education, law and medicine, and others have been successful in obtaining the Ph.D. degree in math at top graduate schools.