Mathematics and Computer Science

Learn more about the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Valpo online.

Professors Kolba (chair), Maxin, Pudwell, Yayimli; Associate Professors Beagley, Desjarlais, Drube, Glass, Gong, Rosasco, Sullivan; Assistant Professor Cukurtepe; Senior Lecturer B. Davis; Lecturer Wainwright

Mathematics

Mathematics is the disciplined form of communication that serves both to lend structure to scientific, engineering, and economic principles and to provide a beauty of formalism in its own right. It is characteristic that many important mathematical discoveries have been made by scientists, while at the same time, pure mathematics has opened up unexpected new advances in science.

Careers in mathematics include statistical analysis, education, scientific, industrial, and mathematical research, operations research, and actuarial science.

Degree

Completion of the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences with a major in mathematics leads to a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. A student with a mathematics major in view should begin mathematics in the freshman year.

Cooperative Education

Qualified students may combine semesters of professional experience with other semesters of traditional academic studies, usually lengthening their college education beyond the normal eight semesters. During the semesters of their employment, students are financially reimbursed by the cooperating employer and receive college credit. This program normally commences at the end of the sophomore year and consists of two semesters plus three summers of full-time employment with the same company. Two credits in mathematics are granted for each semester and one for each summer. These credits may not be counted toward the minimum required for the major and cannot replace a required course, with the exception of MATH 399 /MATH 499 . To qualify, students must possess a minimum 2.500 cumulative grade point average and a 2.500 grade point average in all required mathematics courses taken prior to participation in the program.

Placement and Special Credit

Before registration, each new student will be assigned a placement rank based on available student data and/or an online mathematics placement assessment. The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science will recommend which quantitative course(s) each student should take.

Credit for MATH 131 and MATH 132 may be earned through the College Level Examination Program subject examination in Introductory Calculus and through the AP Calculus program.

Qualified students may also take a Calculus Placement Exam. A student who is placed into MATH 132 will receive 4 credits for MATH 131 and 4 credits for MATH 132 by passing MATH 132 with a grade of C or higher.

Computer Science

Computing and programmable devices permeate modern culture, and most intellectual disciplines have been transformed by computational thinking. Computer science thinks about problems in terms of the logical operations machines can perform; put more informally, computer science considers how to make machines do things. Students learn modern programming languages and environments, algorithms, professional practices, and computational reasoning. This understanding is useful for becoming a computing practitioner and understanding cybersecurity, as well as being able to engage with computational processes in other disciplines. Careers in computer science include systems programming, applications programming, cybersecurity, and data management.

Degree

Completion of the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences with a major in computer science leads to a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. A student planning to major in computer science should begin taking both computer science and mathematics courses in the freshman year.

Cooperative Education

Credit in computer science may be obtained for cooperative education experiences relating to computer science. Students must prepare a brief proposal describing the intended experience and secure a computer science advisor, who will decide whether the work merits computer science credit. For each term of computer science-related work, students may receive 2 credits for a summer experience, or 3 credits for a full-time semester experience. No more than 3 credits may be counted toward the minimum major requirements or the computer science minor. (An exception may be made in the case of the Bachelor of Science degree, where up to 4 credits in cooperative education may be counted toward the 36-hour single major.) If these credits are used to fulfill minimum credit hour requirements for a major or minor, at least two computer science experiences are required, at least one of which must be a full-time semester experience. In addition to meeting the College of Arts and Sciences 2.500 cumulative grade point average requirement, students must present a 2.500 grade point average for all required computer science courses in the major taken prior to participation in the cooperative education program.