Major
The minimum requirements for the major outlined below allow a student great flexibility in designing a course of study to meet their own intellectual and career goals.
Fundamental courses
Any student who places out of a Calculus 1 or Calculus 2 class satisfies the corresponding requirement for the Math Major.
Students must receive a grade of C or above in each of MATH 210 or MATH 211, MATH 212, and MATH 214 in order to graduate with a Mathematics major. If a student does not receive a grade of C or higher, the department chair will support a Petition for Special Consideration requesting to repeat the course. Only the most recent grade will count towards satisfying the 200-level requirement.
At least two of the required 200-level Mathematics courses (MATH 210 or MATH 211, MATH 212 and MATH 214) must be taken at Occidental College except by approval of the chair. Exceptions must be filed by submitting a Petition for Special Consideration.
Advanced Courses
All students must complete either MATH 310 or MATH 320, and twenty additional units units of Mathematics courses numbered 310 or above (excluding courses being used to satisfy the Comprehensive Requirement). MATH 397 may be used to meet this requirement.
Colloquium Requirement
Breadth requirement
Students must take one course from the following approved list of courses (students can petition the department to have a course not on the list count for the breadth requirement):
The Mathematics department has prepared guidelines for majors considering future study or careers in pure and applied mathematics, education, actuarial science, and computer science. These guidelines are available in the Students section on our website.
Honors in the Major
Students who wish to be considered for honors in Mathematics must have completed at least four 300-level courses (excluding Math 300) and maintain a GPA of 3.5 through the first semester of the senior year in their 300-level courses OR have permission of the chair. Honors students must also complete three approved upper-division courses beyond those required for the major by the end of their senior year (for a total of 36 units). Honors students must obtain signed approval from a mentor by the end of the junior year, and must enroll in MATH 499 for the fall semester of senior year. Students who enroll in MATH 499 may substitute it for MATH 400 in satisfying the major requirements, whether or not they receive honors. To receive honors, a student must write a paper as well as give a talk to the department on the topic of the paper. The paper, which typically will be 20 pages long, is graded by the mentor along with a second reader; the entire department evaluates the talk, which is typically at least 30 minutes long. The paper and talk must both be completed no later than April 1 of the Honors candidate's senior year. Consult the Mathematics Department for additional details.
Concentration in Computational Math
Fundamental Courses (20 units)
Breadth Requirement (4 units)
| MATH 274 | Computational Mathematics I | 4 units |
Advanced Courses (24 units)
| MATH 310 | Real Analysis | 4 units |
Or
| | |
| MATH 320 | Algebra | 4 units |
| MATH 370 | Numerical Analysis | 4 units |
| MATH 374 | Special Topics in Computational Mathematics | 2 or 4 units |
Three 300-level electives
| | |
Comprehensive Requirement (6 units)
| MATH 300 | Junior Colloquium | 2 units |
And
| | |
| | |
a total of four units in one or more of the following:
| | |
| MATH 395 | Special Topics in Advanced Mathematics | 2 or 4 units |
| MATH 397 | Independent Study | 2 or 4 units |
| MATH 400 | Senior Colloquium | 2 units |
Same as the Math major.
Minor
The minor in Mathematics requires at least 20 units of Mathematics courses. Students must successfully complete each of MATH 210 or MATH 211, MATH 212, and MATH 214 in order to graduate with a Mathematics minor. Additionally, students must complete eight more units of mathematics courses numbered 150 or above with at least four units numbered above 300 taken at Occidental or through college transfer credit. Students are required to take at least eight units at Occidental College. Courses with significant Mathematics-related content taken outside of the Mathematics Department may be approved with permission of the department chair.