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Dept. of Applied Mathematics & Statistics
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3600
T: 631.632.8370
F: 631.632.8490
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Last Modified 08/15/2008 09:16:02 AM EDT
Message from Alan Tucker, Applied Mathematics and Statistics Undergraduate Program Director
The undergraduate program in Applied Mathematics and Statistics aims to give mathematically oriented undergraduates the training in problem-solving skills and techniques them need to excel in a quantitative work place. The B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics is designed foremost as a terminal professional degree for future practitioners of quantitative analysis in diverse industries.
Stony Brook is unusual among major public universities in its organization of the mathematical sciences. Stony Brook has one unified applied mathematical sciences department, along with a department of (pure) mathematics. Most peer institutions have a large mathematics department along with an array of smaller departments in statistics, biostatistics, operations research, industrial engineering, applied mathematics and more. These applied departments generally focus on graduate education and virtually all undergraduates interested in applied mathematics must major in Mathematics and follow an applied track within the Mathematics major. These applied tracks in Mathematics majors often have a substantial theoretical component and many of their applied math courses are taught by pure mathematicians. At Stony Brook, the Applied Mathematics and Statistics department offers a truly applied major with all courses taught by faculty who are expert practitioners in various aspects of mathematical applications.
The Stony Brook Applied Math major is the most popular major of all mathematics majors at U.S. public universities. That is, Stony Brook graduates a higher percentage of Bachelor’s degrees in Applied Math, over 5% (130 out of 2200), than any other U.S. public university in pure and applied mathematics combined.
Most Applied Math graduates liked mathematics in high school but were advised by guidance counselors to plan on college majors in engineering or computer sciences—where the counselors thought the good careers are for mathematically oriented students. As a result, only a handful of Stony Brook freshmen express an interest in an Applied Math major. But during their sophomore and junior years, many of these students find computer science and engineering courses increasingly mismatched with their interests and they come over to check out the Applied Math major. They liked the stimulating teaching and interesting applications in the Applied Math courses they were required to take for their initial major. They are pleasantly surprised to learn about the excellent career opportunities for Applied Math graduates. In the end, many switch to an Applied Math major or add Applied Math as a second major. By graduation time, Applied Math has more majors than Electrical Engineering and about as many as Computer Science.
One measure of the satisfaction of students with the major is that there are more undergraduate scholarships for Applied Math majors that are donated alumni and friends of the Applied Math department than for any other Stony Brook major. See the career profiles of some recent Applied Math alumni for more information about careers that Applied Math graduates have pursued.
Please contact the department at 631-632-8370 if you would like additional information or email us at ams@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.