The mathematics major encompasses both theory and applications of mathematics. You will have the opportunity to study in a broad spectrum of fields ranging from areas in pure mathematics such as algebra, real analysis, topology, probability and geometry to applied mathematical areas such as mathematical software, computational models and methods, mathematical biology, statistics and actuarial mathematics. Many mathematics majors also major or minor in engineering or the physical, biological or social sciences. You can complete the standard degree path or choose one of four different options in applied and computational mathematics, mathematical biology, statistics and secondary teaching emphasis to gain specialization in your area of interest and achieve your career objectives.
Mathematics Major
Thinking about objects of complexity and beauty to solve the world's most critical problems
Mathematics Major
Thinking about objects of complexity and beauty to solve the world's most critical problems
Meet a mathematics major
Options in the mathematics major
This degree option is designed for those interested in applied mathematics, modeling, and computation, preparing students for jobs in government or industry labs.
In the Mathematical Biology option you will learn how to use mathematics to solve problems in the biological sciences. This specialization will equip you for jobs in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries as well as research institutes.
If you are interested in preparing for a career teaching mathematics at the secondary level, you can add this transcript-visible option. This option is ideal for those students wishing to pursue either the double degree or master’s degree teaching licensure programs here at OSU, or to prepare for a licensure program at another institution.
This degree option is designed to allow you to focus on the study of the mathematical theory underlying statistics while simultaneously developing expertise in statistical applications. It will prepare you very well for careers in data analysis, banking, financial engineering or environmental sciences as well as for graduate study in statistics.
What can you do with a mathematics degree: Careers of our recent graduates
Senior Research Scientist at Adobe Research
Analyst at Deloitte
Tenured Math Professor, Clark College
Graduate students at Stanford, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, New York University
IT Consultant, Capital Group
Scientist at Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON)
Senior Software Engineers at NWEA; Nike; HP; Lithium Technologies
Technical Writer at Amazon Web Services
Kombuchologist at Lion Heart Kombucha
Senior Android Developer at Metal Toad
Field Service Engineer at Siemens Healthineers
Instructor at Portland State University
Sample courses
Introduction to Numerical Analysis
Complex Variables
Probability
Introduction to Differential Geometry
Computational Number Theory
“An undergraduate degree in mathematics is a foundation to work on other stuff. You can either go to graduate school or you find another field that relies on mathematics and you get to be the math person on the team. It is so useful in so many fields.”
Johnathan Van Why (Mathematics ’16), Software Engineer at Google
Meet our students and alumni
Jennifer Smucker, mathematics senior, heads to Virginia Tech in the fall to pursue a Ph.D. in math. She hopes to be a role model for other women in STEM.
Two students from the College of Science have been awarded the competitive 2021 Goldwater awards.
Megan Tucker will graduate next month with a substantial amount of research experience under her belt: She was awarded the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship, which gave her the opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary team at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Albany, Oregon, during the summer of 2019. The new knowledge gained from her internship helped her land a job as a technical writer with Amazon Web Services — a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms to individuals, companies and governments.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has placed mathematical models in the spotlight as they have become central to public health interventions, planning, resource allocation and forecasts.
Inspired by her mathematics professors, Sara Tro is headed to the University of Colorado, Boulder, to pursue a Ph.D. in applied mathematics.