Mathematics
Explore logic and technology.
As a mathematics major at Meredith, you will acquire a solid foundation for active participation in a society growing increasingly dependent upon technology. Our majors and minors are creative, capable, confident and ethical in their mathematical reasoning and problem solving abilities.
Meredith offers both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, as well as minors in Mathematics, Mathematics and Computer Applications, Statistics and Web Development. We also offer the mathematics and methods courses for middle grades and secondary teacher licensure in mathematics in North Carolina.
The Engineering Dual Degree program is a five-year program that allows students to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Meredith and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil, computer, electrical, mechanical or industrial engineering from North Carolina State University.
Each year, a team of three mathematics students competes in the international Mathematical Contest in Modeling. The team works over a four-day period to use mathematical modeling to solve a challenging real-world problem. Each January, the department sponsors the Vivian Kraines Mathematics Competition for freshmen and sophomores. Cash awards are presented to the top scoring students on a written exam.
In addition, Meredith has a chapter of the national math honorary society Pi Mu Epsilon. Eligibility for Pi Mu Epsilon depends on year in school, number of math courses taken, overall GPA and GPA in math courses. The Canaday Math and Computer Science club sponsors social events and service projects for students interested in math and computer science.
The mathematics program is housed in the Science and Mathematics Building, Meredith’s newest and largest academic facility. The Penrose tile design on the atrium floor was designed by two Meredith math students working on an undergraduate research project with a mathematics professor. The “Computation Commons” is a comfortable student lounge where math and computer science majors congregate between classes.
Meredith's mathematics program offers numerous and varied research and internship opportunities.
Recent thesis presentations by math majors:
- "A Study of Fractal Geometry with an Application to the Economy"
- "Introduction to Cryptography: Exploring the NTRUEncrypt Algorithm"
- "Modeling the Dynamics of Corporate Credit Ratings: Estimating Ratings Transitions"
- "Modeling the Dynamics of Corporate Credit Ratings: Creating a Predictive Ratings Model"
- "Colored Points in the Plane, Polytopes and the Gale Transform"
Recent summer research programs attended by math majors:
- Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh
- Chemistry and Applications of Smart Molecules and Materials Research Experience for Undergraduates, Duke University
- Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics, NC State University
- The National Cancer Institute’s Integrative Cancer Biology Program, 2010 Summer Cancer Research Fellowship Program, The Ohio State University
- NC State University Computation for Undergraduates in Statistics Program
Recent internships held by math majors:
- NASA Kennedy Space Center
- Progress Energy
- NSF-funded air quality project in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State University
- Center for Transportation and the Environment at the Institute for Transportation Research and Education
- Tekelec
- Cisco
Graduates of Meredith's mathematics program are employed by a variety of organizations and companies - they are also consistently successful in graduate school.
Graduate programs attended by recent math graduates:
- Ph.D. in Statistics, UCLA
- Ph.D. in Mathematics, NC State University
- Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, NC State University
- Ph.D. in Mathematics, Lehigh University
- M.A. in Mathematics, Wake Forest University
- M.S. in Public Health in Health Policy and Management, UNC-Chapel Hill
- M.S. in Analytics, NC State University
- Master of Mathematics Education, NC State University
- Master of Environmental Systems - Math Modeling, Humboldt State University
- Master of Library Science, UNC-Chapel Hill
- M.S. in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Master of Operations Research, NC State University
- M.S. in Computer Science, Towson University
Jobs obtained by recent math graduates:
- Analytic Engineer, SAS Institute, Cary, NC
- Mathematics Teacher, Midway High School, Newton Grove, NC
- Release Engineer, Tekelec, Morrisville, NC
- Mathematics Teacher, Wakefield High School, Raleigh, NC
- Department Head, Franklin Military Academy, Richmond Public Schools, Va.
- Physical Sciences Librarian, UNC-Chapel Hill
The department presents awards to outstanding seniors and sophomores each year. The Charles A. Davis Award for Outstanding Seniors in Mathematics and Computer Science is presented to seniors in Mathematics or Computer Science who have excelled in academics and/or service. Outstanding Sophomores in Mathematics and Computer Science are recognized by book awards.
The department also presents several scholarships to outstanding students each year. The Ernest F. Canaday Scholarship in Mathematics Award is presented to one or more rising seniors in Mathematics for academic excellence and commitment to a career in Mathematics. The Vallie Tillotson Nelson Award for Outstanding Freshmen in Mathematics is presented to one or more outstanding freshmen in Mathematics. The Judge Edwin S. Preston Jr. and Dr. Dorothy K. Preston Scholarship in Statistics is presented annually to a rising senior who has exhibited outstanding work in statistics classes and who has declared a minor in statistics.
In addition to these discipline-specific scholarship opportunities, Meredith offers a range of merit and need-based financial assistance. Last year, Meredith coordinated $42.8 million in financial assistance.
Meredith’s student/faculty ratio of 11:1 and average class size of 17 ensure that students get to know their professors. In turn, our faculty know students by name and, just as important, are familiar with each student’s unique strengths and interests. This allows faculty to identify interesting research and internship opportunities for students, to write meaningful letters of recommendation, and to support students as they conduct in-depth undergraduate research. In fact, students and faculty frequently work together on such projects—more than 140 were conducted by student/faculty teams last year.
Mathematics faculty include:
- Emily Burkhead, Ph.D., studies cellular automata as dynamical systems, with a recent publication involving a model for HIV in the lymph nodes. In addition, she is interested in Algebra, Analysis, Complex Variables, Topology, and Discrete Math, and she teaches a variety of courses at the introductory and upper levels in mathematics.
- Lara Dick, M.S., is Assistant Director of the Learning Center. She is interested in Mathematics Education and teaches math courses for K-6 licensure students.
- Jacquelin Dietz, Ph.D., is interested in Statistics Education and teaches introductory and upper level courses in statistics.
- Tim Hendrix, Ph.D., is interested in Mathematics Education and teaches methods courses for students seeking middle grades and secondary teacher licensure in math.
- Jennifer Hontz, Ph.D., is interested in Algebra. She teaches a variety of math courses from Calculus to Senior Seminar and is active in grant-funded programs that seek to increase the participation of women in mathematics.
- Cammey Manning, Ph.D., is Department Head. She is interested in mathematical modeling of physiological and biological systems, and teaches a wide range of courses, in particular upper-level courses in applied mathematics.
- Vickie Weber, M.S..,is interested in statistics with a focus in business applications. She teaches Functions and Graphs, College Algebra and Statistics.
- Julie Kolb, M.Ed. in mathematics education, is interested in teaching Calculus and statistics and in working with classroom teachers to develop a conceptual approach to teaching K-12 mathematics.
For more detailed information about the mathematics major, please go to the program website.
For information about other majors at Meredith, return to the Admissions majors page.
