Table of Contents - Hartwick College

Mathematics
The study of mathematics enables students not only to learn
mathematical principles and the application of those principles, but to
develop their ability to think logically, solve problems, express themselves
precisely and gain a cultural appreciation of the discipline.
Mathematics majors must complete a specified core of courses, beginning
with a calculus and linear algebra sequence and an introductory course in
abstraction. These courses provide the foundation for upper level courses.
To obtain an overview of modern mathematics, majors take courses in
two general areas, abstract algebra and real analysis, generally during
their junior year. As an introduction to applied mathematics, they must
elect one of several courses that stress a modeling/problem-solving
approach to using mathematics. During the junior year, majors must
participate in a junior seminar which emphasizes supervised seminar
study and oral presentations. A required senior project involves
supervised independent study with written presentations and a final oral
presentation.
In addition, mathematics majors are required to complete a term of
general physics, which provides them with a problem-solving experience
and introduces them to the subject which was one of the primary
motivations for the development of the calculus, and a computer
programming course, which provides basic knowledge of one of the
essential tools of modern mathematics.
Students who wish to pursue a special area of mathematics in greater
depth may do so by taking additional courses in that area and by
independent study with a faculty member in an area not specifically
covered in a course. Among the areas available for such study are
numerical methods, mathematical modeling, operations research,
statistics, graph theory, combinatorics, and topology. For students who
may be interested in engineering, Hartwick offers a Pre-Engineering
Program and the opportunity to participate in a combined degree
program with Columbia University or Clarkson University in which the
student spends three years at Hartwick and two years at one of the
engineering schools, earning a bachelor’s degree from each in the process.
Students majoring in other disciplines who wish to complete a minor in
mathematics should notify the department of their intent as soon as
possible, preferably by the junior year. In addition to the required
courses, a course in computer programming is strongly recommended.
Incoming students are administered an algebra placement test and, on
the basis of the results, are advised which mathematics courses would be
most appropriate for their algebra backgrounds. Pre-Calculus
Mathematics (120) may be selected by students who need a stronger
background in algebra before they begin the calculus sequence. For
students with exceptional mathematics backgrounds, advanced placement
credit in calculus will be granted on the basis of Advanced Placement Test
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