Prospective Students
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 Majoring in Mathematics: A student who majors in mathematics at Wellesley College is prepared for a variety of career paths, whether graduate school in mathematics or a related field (for example, Economics or Biostatistics), or a career in teaching, medicine, finance, engineering, etc. As technology grows ever more universal, quantitative skills become increasingly valuable. Moreover, the critical thinking and logical reasoning skills developed in the pursuit of a major in mathematics are excellent preparation for fields as diverse as law, publishing, management consulting, and software development. Here is some information about career paths in mathematics, study abroad and summer research programs. In an NSF study of graduate education, Wellesley ranked among the top 30 educational institutions nationally in the number of female baccalaureate degree recipients who went on to earn science and engineering doctorates for the years 1997-2001 (the highest ranked liberal arts college in the list). Roughly one-third of Wellesley’s science and math graduates go directly from college to earn advanced degrees. Back to top Students and Faculty: Wellesley’s Mathematics Department consists of 14 faculty members with a broad range of research interests in pure and applied mathematics. For all our students, we offer personal attention, in advising and in small classes. We get to know our students well, especially the 10 to 20 math majors each year, and we correspond with many long after graduation. Students enjoy extracurricular Math Department events such as regular teas, pizza lunches and ice cream socials, and Math Movie nights. Wellesley’s students excel at the (nation-wide) William Lowell Putnam Competition and also turn out in force for Wellesley’s in-house Math Games, an annual friendly team competition. Everyone celebrates the end of the school year at our annual Math vs. Physics softball game. Back to top Opportunities: The cross-registration program with MIT provides an opportunity for Wellesley College students to take graduate-level mathematics courses. In addition, study abroad programs are popular with math majors, including the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics. Students pursuing independent study and honor theses present their work in a variety of venues: in Science Center poster sessions, at Wellesley’s annual campus-wide Ruhlman Conference for student research, and at regional and national mathematics meetings. Back to top History: Since 1875 Wellesley has had a strong record in educating women scientists. Wellesley’s academic program was designed to meet the highest standards, with a primary emphasis on English, Mathematics, the Physical Sciences, and the Classics. Wellesley’s physics laboratory for undergraduate instruction opened in 1878; it was the second such laboratory in the US, preceded only by MIT. Winifred Edgerton (class of 1883) earned a Ph.D. in mathematics at Columbia University in 1886, the first woman to earn any degree at Columbia. Dorothy Weeks ’16 was the first woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics at MIT. Annie Jump Cannon (class of 1884) was the first woman awarded the National Academy of Sciences Henry Draper Medal, in 1931. In its 130-year history, Wellesley has had only 12 presidents, all women, two of whom were mathematicians. Back to top Useful Links Academics Student Research Opportunities People Back to top |
Created by: Heather Barrett '08
Maintained by: ProfessorAlexia Sontag
Date Created: June 2005
Date Updated: August 30, 2006
Date Expires: August 2007
