Why Choose Nazareth for Mathematics?

Mathematicians discover patterns, create structures, and transform relationships. Doing mathematics develops your ability to reason logically, organize information, and solve complex problems. Nazareth math majors learn to think creatively, assess options, use multiple perspectives, determine optimal conditions, and clearly communicate technical information. 

Math is both an art and a science. At Nazareth, we teach it with an emphasis on pattern discovery, problem solving, and the integration of diverse ideas. We recognize that there are often multiple approaches in solving complex problems, and we use the language of mathematics as a means of sharing those thought processes. We also make use of current technologies and instructional methods to reveal the beauty, symmetry, and power of mathematical concepts.

Nazareth's math degree prepares students for teaching, graduate school, and the professional world. Graduates enter careers in the insurance, industrial, financial, and government fields. 

Program Highlights

  • Strong mathematical community that promotes interaction between faculty and students.
  • Dedicated math center for food, fun, and free peer tutoring.
  • Our math program provides a solid foundation for those students who want to teach and are earning certification in adolescent and elementary education.
  • Undergraduate students can work collaboratively and choose to do research with faculty in our recently built Peckham Hall Integrated Center for Math and Science.
  • Support for travel to present research and attend professional conferences with faculty and students — an opportunity not provided to undergraduates at most colleges.
  • Opportunities to compete in local and national mathematics and modeling contests.
  • Active math club for mentoring, community service, and conviviality.
  • Meteorology opportunity: Use your calculus and computer programming background to learn about weather forecasting and analysis during a fall semester at Valparaiso University in Indiana through our New American Colleges and Universities (NACU) partnership. Take Introduction to Meteorology, Introduction to Meteorological Observation and Analysis, Meteorological Computer Applications, and elective(s) from the general university offerings. Get hands-on experiences such as forecasting for the local school district, storm chasing, manning the weather desk for the university TV station, and working with the university's Doppler radar and field instrumentation.

Program Details

Options, Requirements, and Course Descriptions
Jessica Burchfield, alumna of the math major, Bachelor of Arts degree at Nazareth College

Alumni Spotlight: Jessica Burchfield '07

“I moved to Cambridge to work at a software company with no computer science experience, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that they hired me because of my problem-solving skills. I owe it in huge part to the support of the Math Department.”

Example Careers

  • Insurance and risk management
  • Software engineering
  • Professional auditing
  • Process and quality control
  • Statistics
  • Finance and banking
  • Applied research mathematics
  • Teaching

Undergraduate Research Topics

  • The Hat Problem and Hamming codes
  • Impact of anxiety on learning mathematics
  • 4-chromatic unit distance graphs
  • Optimization of snowboarding half-pipe

Graduate Schools

  • University of Nebraska
  • University of Wisconsin
  • University of Rochester

Employers

  • National Security Agency
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Science Applications International Corp.
  • Excellus BlueCross/BlueShield
  • Paychex
  • Epic software