NIU Department of Mathematical Sciences

There is a separate page for students from other departments who are interested in a minor in mathematical sciences.

Students majoring in the mathematical sciences are welcome to take minors, or even double majors, in other departments. Indeed, many students find this to be a productive way to select electives and general-education courses, enhancing their degree and their resume, and allowing them to pursue other fields of interest for professional or personal growth. Several NIU faculty members both in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and in other departments have done just that, and can share their experiences with you. We, here, feature an essay by NIU Presidential Teaching Professor in Music, and former math major, William Goldenberg.

Note that students in the Applied Mathematics emphasis are required to take a minor in an approved discipline. Approval comes from the Director of Undergraduate Studies and is given only for minors in which the student will genuinely apply mathematics. (For example, many of the minors in the table below are fine.) A double major in another field will meet this requirement instead of a minor, again subject to the approval of the math department.

For other emphases in Mathematical Sciences, minors are optional.

A minor typically requires about a half-dozen courses in that department, some specifically required and others elective. But requirements vary considerably; consult your Undergraduate Catalogue for complete information.

Some important rules regarding minors:

• You cannot major in the Mathematical Sciences and also earn a minor in our department. For example, you cannot complete the degree with an emphasis in Mathematics Education and also earn the minor in Applied Probability and Statistics. (However, you are most welcome to take the additional courses, and of course are free to state on your resume, "Completed all requirements for a minor in X".)
• You must formally declare your minor. Consult with an advisor in that department. (We can supply contact information if you wish.)
• There are majors but no minors in Meteorology and the Engineering departments. (The Department of Technology in the College of Education offers several minors; they do not require any mathematics courses.) The minor in Marketing listed in some catalogues has been removed, and the minor in Business Admnistration is not enrolling new students for the foreseeable future (classes are too full).
• It is the student's responsibility to balance the requirements for multiple programs. We will certainly work hard to cooperate with other departments but cannot guarantee that the courses you need in another department will be available when you need them, and we are often unaware which courses in other departments are likely to be the most difficult or time-consuming. Please remember that your primary task is to complete the major!
• You will need to work with the advisors from the other department if you need administrative help with that program -- for example, if you need credit for transfer courses in that discipline, or waivers of prerequisites for their courses, permission to enroll in closed sections, and so on. Courses are controlled by the department of the course, not the department of the student.
• Those who will earn their Teaching Certification by completing the Mathematics degree may sometimes earn an Endorsement to teach in another discipline. The requirements are often similar to those of a minor, but they are typically distinct. Consult an advisor in that department for details. It is not necessary to have such an Endorsement or minor in order to find employment as a teacher; however, an applicant with additional training will certainly have the edge for competitive positions --- especially if the additional training is in other high-demand fields such as special education or multi-lingual education.

Listed below are some of the more common programs in which mathematical sciences students have taken minors or double majors. In addition, we have majors in our department who are participating in programs in English, Chinese, Spanish, Political Science, Art, Psychology, and so on. Mathematics students are a versatile lot!

Subject	Contact
Physics	Augden Windelborn, augden@niu.edu
Chemistry	James Erman, Chair, halljerman@niu.edu
Meteorology (major only)	David Changnon, changnon@niu.edu
Computer Science	Penny McIntire, pmcintire@niu.edu
Engineering (majors only)	Promod Vohra, Dean vohra@ceet.niu.edu
Economics	Carl Campbell, carcamp@niu.edu
Philosophy	David Buller, buller@niu.edu
Finance	Denise Orlando, dorlando@niu.edu
OMIS (major only)	Sue Goad, suegoad@niu.edu
Physical Education, Coaching	Sue Schwartz, sschwartz@niu.edu
Health Education	Dave Mason, dmason@niu.edu

• Registration and Records (course schedules etc.)
• Official Catalogue Course Descriptions
• NIU Math Club
• Undergraduate programs in the NIU Department of Mathematical Sciences