Trajectory

Below are some possibilities for the four-year schedule for the math major.

We offer a few different choices depending on the student's particular academic goals. A few issues to keep in mind are the following:

• It is of great importance for students to complete Mathematics 302 and 305 as early as possible, and no later than the end of junior year. Without these courses, students are restricted access from the upper part of the curriculum.  The classes are offered every semester.
• A student who goes abroad for a semester or year must find some way of keeping up with the suggested schedule. She may choose to take mathematics courses at the relevant foreign institution, or she may register in two or more mathematics courses at Wellesley either before her departure or subsequent to her return.
• Mathematics 303, 307 and 310 require only 302 as a prerequisite. They can be interchanged in one's four-year curriculum as needed.
• Graph Theory (Math 325) and Advanced Combinatorics (Math 326) are offered in alternate years.  One special topics class (Math 349) is offered every semester.  Consult the course catalog for the current offerings.

The following are general guidelines and students are strongly encouraged to consult with their current mathematics professor and/or their advisor in making choices about their courses.

Pure Mathematics: Intensive Track

Students who are interested in pursuing a very intensive curriculum in mathematics should consider taking as many 300-level courses as possible. Having finished this curriculum, they are well-prepared graduate studies in mathematics or theoretical physics. Both 302 and 305 should be completed by the middle of the junior year, and students should be taking at least two 300-level mathematics courses each semester the third and fourth years. The chart below depicts the track depending on the calculus course into which the student was originally placed.

Pure Mathematics: Gentle Track

Students who are interested in mathematics and its structural elegance, perhaps with the intent to pursue the education sector, should consider the following table. This track is particularly useful for students who are double majoring in Mathematics and a subject in the Humanities such as Music, Philosophy, English or the Classics.
 

Applicable Mathematics: Intensive Track

Students who are interested in mathematics for its connection to real world problems or applicability to economics, computer science, chemistry or physics should consider taking mathematics courses that include computational methods. Those who follow the below sequences will have the mathematical background required for graduate school in the above subjects.
 

Mathematics: Minimal Degree

Students who wish to obtain a mathematics degree with the minimal number of courses should consider the following sequences. Recall that students must complete at least nine units for the mathematics major, eight of which lie at the 200- or 300-level and four of which lie at the 300-level.