Mathematics Majors
Bachelor of Science students are required to include two majors or a double major
in their degree program, except in "named" degrees.
Basic rules: 7 courses from a prescribed list,
at most two counted from first year, three counted from third year. Some courses may be compulsory.
For more precise, and official, information see the
Undergraduate Handbook.
Majors with a significant Mathematics component
Mathematics, Single or Double major
Mathematics is the study of universal patterns and structures; it is the
quantitative language of the world; it underpins information technology,
computer science, engineering, and the physical sciences; and it plays an
increasingly important role in the biological and medical sciences, economics,
finance, environmental science, sociology and psychology.
You can do a Single or a Double Major in Mathematics. You can combine a major
in Mathematics with other Majors, in particular the following in which
mathematics courses are an important part: Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Computational Modelling, Environmental Modelling, Mathematics and Statistics,
Physics, and Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics. Because of the
prerequisites involved, these majors normally require MATH1014 (or MATH1116 for
the later year Honours level courses).
You can continue onto graduate studies in mathematics or in a range of other
fields such as those included in the above majors. Or you can work in many
different occupations. By 2020 it is estimated up to 70% of all job categories
are likely to change, 35% will disappear and be replaced by jobs that do not
currently exist. “Employers … are more likely to hire someone with a good
background in mathematics” (Ross Gittins, economics editor, Sydney Morning
Herald). The 1999 US Jobs Rated Almanac ranked 250 jobs based on salary, work
environment, security, stress level, physical demands, and outlook. The top five
jobs were in mathematics or computer science and 9 of the top 10 were maths or
computer related.
Astronomy and astrophysics is the study of everything beyond the Earth. It
includes spaceflight, planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, dark matter,
quasars, cosmology and the Big Bang.
Astronomers work in universities, at observatories, for various space
agencies such as NASA, and at planetariums and science centres. Many ANU
astronomy and astrophysics graduates can be found in all of these occupations.
Astronomy jobs are, however, hard to find. Luckily, training in astronomy and
astrophysics leaves you highly employable in many other fields. Astronomy
graduates have mastered a wide range of mathematical, scientific, engineering
and computational skills: this combination is very unusual and is much sought
after by employers.
Computational Modelling is the application of mathematical models and
computational techniques to the analysis of scientific, industrial and financial
problems. It involves the formulation and analysis of models, the development
and application of software packages and programs, computational simulation and
visualization, mathematical and numerical analysis, and high-performance
supercomputing. Typical application areas include stock market analysis, car
crash simulation, drug design, earthquake prediction, medical imaging and oil
recovery.
The major is offered jointly by the Departments of Computer Science,
Mathematics and Physics. Students have access to computer resources that are
unsurpassed in Australia. The ANU campus hosts the Australian Partnership for
Advanced Computation (APAC) and its national facility supercomputer, and is a
part of the APAC national education program. The ANU (and the University of NSW)
are the primary nodes in the new “National Information and Communication
Technology Australia Limited” (NICTA) funded by the Federal Government. NICTA is
Australia’s pre-eminent research, research training and commercialization
facility in these areas.
Students taking the major may emphasise either mathematics or computer
science, and will acquire a strong background in both. Most students will choose
to specialize (and will probably take a second major) in related fields or areas
of application, such as biology, chemistry, computer science, economics,
mathematics, physics or statistics.
Graduates with skills and knowledge in the area of the major are highly
sought after in industry and corporate IT areas, in scientific and financial
research, and in large government departments or hospitals. Many will continue
to post graduate study.
Australia’s environmental challenges and technically advanced society have
put it at the international forefront of environmental modelling. Because of
global climate change, desertification (including salinisation) and
deforestation, we face critical environmental problems; for example, allocation
of scarce water resources to meet increasing economic, water-quality and
ecological demands. This Major combines an introduction to how mathematics and
computing are helping to solve these problems together with courses dealing
directly with environmental issues.
Career opportunities for graduates include research (CSIRO, universities,
International Geosphere Biosphere Program), natural resource management (Murray
Darling Basin Commission, Environment Australia, Bureau of Rural Sciences, state
government agencies), and the private sector (environmental engineering,
environmental impact assessment). Skills in this area provide a solid base for
career opportunities also in other fields where mathematical modelling is
crucial, such as engineering, finance and the sciences.
Later year students considering this major should note that for the third
year GEOG courses, completion of either two or three second year courses in the
Science Faculty, or permission of the lecturer, are sufficient prerequisites.
Mathematics is the quantitative foundation for the physical and biological
sciences, information technology, economics and commerce. Statistics is the
science of learning from data; it is critical in determining what information is
reliable and which conclusions can be trusted. Statisticians analyse data,
design and test statistical models, make predictions, and design and analyse
surveys and experiments.
The major provides a way for students to acquire a good mathematics background
with a range of statistical skills. Students may continue on to graduate studies
and further research. Students with the quantitative skills and knowledge
acquired in this major are keenly sought after by employers in insurance and
finance companies, and government departments, in fields such as agriculture,
census work, consulting, genetics, bioinformatics, marketing, forestry, risk
assessment, social and management sciences, and many others. Students may elect
to take out a second major in mathematics, or statistics, or one of the other
majors involving potential areas of application.
The major in mathematical economics gives students an opportunity to explore
the intimate relationship between mathematics and economics through a program of
study which focuses on mathematical analysis, modern statistical techniques and
economic theory.
Mathematical Finance with the Faculty of Economics and Commerce
Mathematical /Quantitative Finance is an important and rapidly growing
discipline. Apart from its huge contributions to the theory and practice of
Finance, it has proved to be a major attraction both to mainstream Finance
students and to Maths/Probability/Statistics students who want to add an
interesting and important applications area to their study programme. In
addition to this, it has given tremendous impetus to research in and
applications of Probability Theory and some other Maths areas over the last 10
years or so. There is a large demand for qualified graduates in the area.
Quantitative Finance students need a strong background in all three disciplines:
Finance, Probability, and Statistics, as well as a good general mathematical
background.
This major is intended for students with a keen interest in both
(Theoretical) Physics and (Pure) Mathematics. It is the pathway to research into
modern areas of Theoretical Physics as well as Mathematical Physics (such as
String Theory and Integrable Models). This major will normally be done as a
double major with either Physics, Mathematics or Astrophysics.
The intention of the major is to attract students with good quantitative
skills into biology, and for these students to keep a quantitative stream going
through to third year. The 2003 report from the US National Research Council,
the Board on Life Sciences, entitled Undergraduate Biology Education for Future
Research Biologists, emphasises “… the importance of building a strong
foundation in mathematics and the physical and information sciences to prepare
students for research that is increasingly interdisciplinary in character”
(Recommendation 1). The importance of mathematics, statistics, computer science,
and the physical sciences for future researchers in biology is the fundamental
emphasis of this report.
Students doing the major will need in first year to complete BIOL1003,
BIOL1004, two courses in mathematics, two in chemistry, and are strongly urged
to do physics or computer science, even though a consequence is that they would
not then do other first biology courses. Students will be required to complete
the second year course MATH 2307 “Bioinformatics and Biological Modelling” and
will study some mathematics and biology through to third year. Students are
strongly encouraged to do further biology and mathematics courses and will often
take out a second major emphasising one of these directions.
Physics and other Science Majors involve variable amounts of Mathematics
List of all
Science Majors
This page was updated on Monday March 03, 2008
