why study math at saint joseph’s university?

WHY CONSIDER MAJORING IN MATHEMATICS AT ST. JOSEPH’S?

Which of these people majored in mathematics?

Which of these people majored in mathematics?

Desperate HousewifeTeri Hatcher

SJU PresidentFather Timothy Lannon

Art GarfunkelFounder and CEO of Netflix

Reed Hastings

Dracula did not but Bram Stoker did!

Can you identify any of these famous math majors?

Can you identify any of these famous math majors?

Philip Glass

David Dinkins Mayor of NYC 1990-93

David Robinson

Harry Blackmun Supreme Court Justice 1970-1994

Matt Groening Creator of “The Simpsons”

and “Futurama”

Mathematicians Have the Best Jobs

Why An SJU Mathematics Degree?

• Teaching is our priority

• Small class sizes

• Pi Mu Epsilon Math Honor Society

• Lots of fun activities (picnics)

• Math Awareness Day

• Internship opportunities andmultiple career options after

graduation

• Student research activities

• Faculty who are expert in different areas of mathematics

• Dr. David Hecker (Rutgers Univ.) – Pedagogy, Textbook Author

• Dr. Kristopher Tapp (Univ. of Pennsylvania) – Differential Geometry

• Faculty who are expert in different areas of mathematics

• Dr. Paul Klingsberg (U. Penn) – Combinatorics• Dr. Agnes Rash (U. Penn) – Pedagogy, Math Modeling• Dr. Sam Smith (U. Minnesota) – Algebraic Topology• Dr. Spenser Gowdy (Temple) – Pedagogy, Textbook Author• Dr. Richard Cavaliere (Temple) – Analytic Number Theory• Dr. Sandra Fillebrown (Lehigh) – Chaos & Fractals, Pedagogy• Mr. Thomas Foley (Bryn Mawr) – Mathematical Physics• Dr. Sylvia Forman (U. Iowa) - Commutative Ring Theory• Dr. Rachel Hall (Penn State) - Mathematical Music Theory• Dr. Leslie Hayes (U. Texas – Austin) - Abstract Algebra• Dr. Gary Laison (U. Penn) – Algorithms and Analysis• Dr. Deborah Lurie (Temple) - Statistics• Dr. Elaine Terry (Howard Univ.) – Topological Semigroups• Dr. Tetyana Berezovski (Simon Fraser) - Math Education• Dr. Rommel Regis (Cornell) - Operations Research

Math Curriculum (Core Courses)

• MAT 1351, 1361, 1371 Calculus I, II, and III

• CSC 1401 Introduction to Computer Programming

• MAT 1431 Theory of Numbers

• MAT 1591 The Fundamental Ideas of Mathematics

• MAT 1461 Introduction to Linear Algebra

• MAT 2031, 2041 Abstract Algebra I and II

• MAT 2091 Real Analysis• MAT 2101 Complex

Analysis• MAT 2651 Problem Solving

Capstone

Mathematics Major Electives

• Chaos, Fractals and Dynamical Systems

• Differential Equations• Signal Processing• Probability and Statistics I

and II• Applied Statistical Methods• Numerical Analysis and

Computer Techniques • Advanced Numerical

Analysis

• Combinatorics and Graph Theory

• Logic and the Foundations of Mathematics

• Geometry (non-Euclidean) • Differential Geometry• Topology• History of Mathematics• Mathematics of Music• Operations Research

Career Options for Math Majors at Saint Joseph’s

POTENTIAL JOB TITLES

•Actuarial and Insurance•Auditor•Benefits Specialists•Biostatistician•Cryptologist•Demographer•Econometrician•Financial Analyst•Statistician•Systems Analysts•Teacher/College Professor

Mathematics Teaching

Vince Russo, B.S. ’03, M.S. ‘04Job: High School Math Teacher Location: Conestoga High School, Berwyn, PA

Favorite Math Class at SJU: Chaos, Fractals and Dynamical Systems

High School: Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, Plymouth Meeting, PA

“I have always loved math and always loved learning math.  The opportunity to be on the other side of the desk, teaching math, is fascinating.  You get to look at the same old topics, but in a whole different way.  And you really do need the math courses you take in college to fully understand how the high school courses like algebra, precalculus, and Calculus work.”

Andrew Fabry, ‘05Job: Mathematics Teacher at St. Joseph's Preparatory School

(Applying to Law School for next year)

Location: Philadelphia

Favorite Math Class at SJU: Mathematical Programming

High School: Archbishop Carroll High School, Radnor, PA

“I was talking to one of my friends in law school and told him that I was considering it.  I took an online practice test and did fairly well.  It turns out that all that math training (being able to follow a proof, everything learned in discrete structures, etc) correlates to thinking like a lawyer. ”

Industry

• Justin Day, B.S. ‘07Financial AnalystSusquehanna Financial Group

• Stephen Bochanski, B.S. ‘98Actuary PricewaterhouseCoopers

• Len Juliani, B.S. ‘95ActuaryAEGON

Mandy Notaristefano, ‘01Job: Actuarial consultant at the McKeough Company Location: Conshohocken, PA

Favorite Math Class at SJU: Problem Solving

High School: Gwynedd Mercy High School

“I started here part-time in 1999 and full time when I graduated in 2001. I am taking the tests to become a fully certified actuary.  When I am done, I will be (1) an enrolled actuary -- EA, (2) an Associate of the Society of Actuaries -- ASA and (3) a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries -- FSA.  My job involves math every day.  The majority of my work relates to defined benefit pension plans.  I assign current dollar values to unknown future benefit payment streams accounting for interest and mortality.”

J.J. Farouk, ‘90Job: President and CEO of InfoMC, Inc. Location: Conshohocken, PA

Favorite Math Class at SJU: “Seriously…I loved them all.”

High School: St. Thomas’s in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  (This is where I was born)

“I founded this company [InfoMC] in 1995 and have been running it ever since. We help HealthCare payers become more effective and efficient using technology solutions.  I use the discipline I learned at St. Joe’s as my guiding principles to run InfoMC…My first [job] was working for Raytheon Corporation, a fortune 500 company.  After 5 years of working for corporate America it was time for me to put my ideas to work. St. Joe’s taught me how to do this.”

University Teaching and Graduate School

Dmytro YeroshkinB.S. Math 2009

• Dmytro will commence Ph.D. work in the fall at U. Penn or at U. Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

• He received an Honorable Mention in the 2007 Putnam Competition; he was in the top 67 of the 3753 contestants from the U.S. and Canada.

• His score was the highest in Philadelphia and the second highest in Pennsylvania.

• His senior honors thesis expounds some generating-function techniques and extends some of them in original new directions.

• Brittany FasyB.S. Math & CS ‘07Ph.D. student in Computer ScienceDuke University

• William Regli B.S. Math & CS ’89Ph.D. Univ. of Maryland-College Park, 1995Professor, Computer ScienceDrexel University

Matt Zawistowski, ‘03Job: Graduate Student in Biostatistics, University of Michigan

School of Public HealthLocation: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Favorite Math Class at SJU: Probability and Real Analysis

High School: Msgr. Farrell High School, Staten Island, NY

“I find the field of statistical genetics interesting because it combines the problems of medical and molecular biology with the theory and methods of math, statistics and computer science. I have been able to learn how mathematical methods can be applied to problems like finding genetic variants that predispose people to common complex diseases...”

• Tracii Friedman B.S. Math ‘92Ph.D. (Mathematics—Functional Analysis), Lehigh University, 1997Professor of Mathematics Mesa State College Grand Junction CO.

Government and Military

Dennis Duffy, ‘99Job: United States Air Force Commissioned Officercurrently a captain, also a Major-selectKC-135 (Air Refueling) Instructor NavigatorLocation: McGuire Air Force Base, NJ

Favorite Math Classes at SJU: Linear Algebra , Geometry

High School: Roman Catholic High School, Philadelphia

“My function on the KC-135 is very math intensive.  In order to deliver fuel to other US service or coalition airplanes, the Navigator ensures precision, on-time arrival at the assigned refueling track in the US or overseas.  We also must be experts in the Global Positioning System as well as the other components in the airplane.  While most of the math is application-oriented, we must also know the theory behind the air refueling functionality.”

Other Careers

Joe Witiw, ‘07Job: Academic Support Tutor and Counselor at St. Labre

Catholic Indian School (through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps)Location: Ashland, Montana

Favorite Math Class at SJU: Real Analysis

High School: Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster, PA

“I decided to come here [to Ashland] because I had so many great advantages growing up and attending Saint Joe's.  I hoped to help kids recognize their talents and reach greater goals than the poverty of the area dictates for them.”

Danielle Miller-Coe, ‘06Job: English Teacher at The Clinical College of Tianjin Medical

UniversityLocation: Tianjin, China

Favorite Math Class at SJU: Geometry

High School: Edmund Burke School, Washington DC

“I prepare the courseware and teach classes with more than 120 students. I can remember not wanting to present a homework problem in front of my Number Theory class Freshman year because I was too scared of getting up in front of the class, but now, it's not even something I think about….I have applied to graduate schools and plan to get a Master's and later a PhD in East Asian Studies.”  

Matt Grady, ‘92Job: Sports Medicine Physician

Location: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Favorite Math Class at SJU: Number Theory

High School: Dover High School, Dover, DE

“After college- I went oversees with the Jesuit Volunteer Corp and taught math at a high school….When I returned to the US, I pursued a physician career. This is not exactly a math career, although the math skills I learned, logical thinking etc, have helped me tremendously.  I think my major was useful for what I do now.”

This data shows that as a group math majors tend to score very wellon the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test)