2025-2026 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Mathematics is essential to a clear and complete understanding of virtually all phenomena. Its precision, depth, and generality support the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The study of mathematics provides the ability to describe applied problems quantitatively and to analyze these problems in a precise and logical manner. This is a principal reason behind the strong demand for mathematicians in government and industry. Essentially all complex problems, whether physical, social, or economic, are solved by designing a mathematical model, analyzing the model, and determining computational algorithms for an efficient and accurate approximation of a solution. Each of these phases is mathematical in nature. For example, if a problem deviates from a standard form, a mathematician should be able to adjust the usual mathematical treatment of the problem to accommodate the deviation. In this case mathematical training provides a practical preparation for a career in today's changing world. Moreover, it is especially valuable because it is an education that equips one to continue to adapt to new situations.
Mathematicians typically are employed as applied mathematicians in their specialty areas. Our recent mathematics graduates have been divided among government and industry, graduate school, and teaching. There are four different paths or degree options that a student may follow towards a B.S. in Mathematics:
The Traditional Option, as its name implies, yields a broad and flexible background in mathematics, while the other three options are more specialized. The ACM option is designed for students who want to have an applied mathematics career in an area closely associated with physics, some form of engineering, etc. The Traditional and ACM options require students to work with their advisor to create a plan of study for an Interdisciplinary Application of Mathematics. This plan consists of courses in an applied area of the student's choosing that will support their post-graduation goals. The ADM option is designed for students primarily interested in areas of applied mathematics closely associated with computer science. The Mathematics Education Option is designed for students who want to be certified to teach secondary mathematics.
The ADM Option is designed for students who want to have an applied mathematics career in an area closely associated with computer science. The Education Option is designed for students who want to teach high-school or middle-school mathematics. The ADM and Math Ed options have the Interdisciplinary Application of Mathematics and associated required courses already determined -- computer science courses for ADM and teaching-focused courses for Math Ed. More details and specific requirements can be found in the Program Curriculum of each degree option.
Though each of the degree options has different graduation requirements, and each is intended to support various post-graduation goals, all four degree options yield the same degree -- a B.S. in Mathematics. The first two years of coursework are nearly identical among the degree options, making it easy to change degree options early in your undergraduate mathematical career. It is critical that you discuss your mathematical interests and post-graduation goals with your advisor early and often in order to determine the degree option that will be best suited for you. If you are interested in graduate study, seek advice early and often about the degree option, coursework, and research experience(s) that provide the best preparation for graduate work in your mathematical area of interest.
In a typical year the Math Department awards more than $60,000 to 30+ students with the majority going to continuing students. Undergraduate students will be emailed with specific steps to follow in order to be considered for a Math Department awarded scholarship.
The Mathematics Department firmly believes that mathematics is not only useful and beautiful, but also fun. The department sponsors student chapters of MAA (Mathematical Association of America), SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics), Pi Mu Epsilon (the national mathematics honorary society), and AWM (Association for Women in Mathematics). As well as social activities, these groups sponsor speakers to talk on how mathematics is used in their work. Each fall, Virginia Tech also sponsors the Virginia Tech Regional Mathematics Contest. In addition, students (not all of whom are mathematics majors) may receive organized preparation and compete in the nationwide William Lowell Putnam Competition and the international Mathematical Contest in Modeling. Matecharlas provides students with the opportunity for informal discussions about 1000-level MATH courses with instructors fluent in Spanish. More information about these student chapters and activities can be found on our undergraduate website in the section titled Opportunities for VT Math Students: math.vt.edu/undergrad-math
The Mathematics Department at Virginia Tech emphasizes and features activity in undergraduate research. Numerous institutions, including the National Science Foundation, the American Mathematical Society, and the Society for Industrial & Applied Mathematics, also emphasize the importance of developing research opportunities for undergraduates. Undergraduate research experiences serve to prepare students for life after the B.S. degree, both in the industrial world and in graduate school.
There are several ways to participate in mathematics undergraduate research. Some students participate in projects with stipend support, some earn course credit as MATH 4994, and others participate purely for the experience. Undergraduate research projects are typically directed by faculty members. The Mathematics Department hosts a competition each spring, where undergraduates can present their research and the top presenter wins the Layman Prize. To find an undergrad research project to participate in, students are encouraged to reach out to any faculty member about potential research interests and/or to reach out to our faculty members who serve as the coordinators of our undergraduate research program. More information, including contact information for the Math Department Undergraduate Research Coordinators, research competitions and prizes, forms, and more can be found at: https://math.vt.edu/undergrad-math/undergraduate-research.html.
Several academic departments in the College of Science, including the Mathematics Department, offer special Honors sections of their courses. More information is available at math.vt.edu/honors. In addition to special sections of some courses, the Honors Office sponsors a colloquia series each semester. The colloquia explore special topics not in the University Curriculum. Details about the Honors College can be found at http://www.honorscollege.vt.edu.
Students can earn credit for math courses through college-level exams such as AP, IB, CLEP, Cambridge, etc. The most common credit earned through college-level exams is MATH 1225 Calculus of a Single Variable and possibly also MATH 1226 Calculus of a Single Variable. More information can be found at: https://www.registrar.vt.edu/Transferable-Credit.html
In each of the four degree options, one student is selected each year as the Outstanding Senior. An overall Outstanding Senior is also selected. All awardees are recognized at an awards reception in the spring semester. The College of Science has awards for one Outstanding Senior and one Outstanding Researcher among all students in the college, and the Math Department puts forward a nominee for each of these awards.
The Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Degree Program is intended to allow undergraduate students who are prepared to take graduate courses to complete M.S. requirements one year after completing B.S. requirements.. The principal feature of the program is that it allows the students to use 12 credits of graduate work simultaneously toward the completion of their bachelor's degree and a program of study leading to a master's degree. It is this ability to complete the final year of undergraduate work with the same courses that comprise much of the first year of graduate work that makes it possible to finish both degrees in five years. For more information, students should contact the Math Department Graduate Program Director and consult: https://www.math.vt.edu/content/dam/math_vt_edu/documents/accel-u-g-degree.pdf
Students in the Math Education degree option may apply to an optional fifth year to earn an M.A.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction with a specialization in Mathematics Education in the Virginia Tech School of Education. The 5-year program is designed to satisfy Virginia’s licensure requirements for teaching mathematics in secondary schools.
Math Department academic advisors are also faculty members who can discuss details of course and career advice throughout your undergraduate career, in addition to many other aspects of undergraduate educational life. Advising information and resources can be found at: math.vt.edu/advising.
In addition to your assigned academic advisor, the Mathematics Department has designated Career Advisors. The Career Advisors will work with your academic advisor to provide information that will aid you in planning a career-oriented program. Information about career opportunities and career fairs will be sent to students periodically. In addition, you can explore the career resources and information posted on the Math Department’s Career Advising website: math.vt.edu/careers.
Further information on the Mathematics Program can be found at www.math.vt.edu.
At least 26 credits comprised of: MATH 1225 Calculus of a Single Variable, MATH 1226 Calculus of a Single Variable, MATH 2204 Introduction to Multivariable Calculus, MATH 2114 Introduction to Linear Algebra, MATH 2214 Introduction to Differential Equations and 9 hours of approved mathematics courses numbered 3000 or higher. See Math Minor requirements for details, exceptions, and allowed substitutions. Students are required to have 2.0 in-minor GPA and all courses used for the math minor must be taken in A-F grade mode. To graduate with a Virginia Tech undergraduate degree, a minimum of 25% of total credits for majors and minors must be taken at Virginia Tech. This means at least 7 credits for the math minor must be taken at Virginia Tech.
Chair: Sarah Reznikoff
Director for Undergraduate Programs: N. Loehr
Graduate Director: A. Norton
Class of 1950 Professor in Mathematics: S. Gugercin
John K. Costain Faculty Chair and Professor: T. Warburton
Hatcher Professor of Mathematics: J. A. Burns
Professors: S. Adjerid, D. Appelo, C. A. Beattie, J. Borggaard, Y. Cheng, S. Ciupe, E. de Sturler, A. Elgart, M. Embree, P. E. Haskell, T. L. Herdman, T. Iliescu, T. Lin, N. Loehr, G. Matthews, A. Miedlar, C. Mihalcea, , A. Norton, M. Shimozono, S. Sun, S. T. Warburton, M. Wawro, and P. Yue
Associate Professors: N. Abaid, L. Childs, H. Liu, D. Orr, E. Palsson, P. Wapperom, P. Yue, and L. Zietsman
Assistant Professors: G. Camliyurt, P. Cazeaux, A. Deuchert, D. Douglas, I. Fracas, E. Johnson, J. LeGrow, H. Leo, H. Lopez Valdez, J. Madrid Padilla, E. Martin, T. Morrison, M. Pasha, M. Robert, J. Rudi, A. Sarah, O. Saucedo, W. Sun, S. Werner, and Y. Yang
Collegiate Associate Professors: R. Arnold
Collegiate Assistant Professors: E. Ufferman and J. Wilson
Visiting Assistant Professors: G. Alam, A. Biswas, K. Flanagan, P. Manoharan, S. Pantic, K. Saglam, and R. Steiner, and T. Topcu
Patricia Ann Caldwell Post-Doctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor: I. Huq-Kuruvilla and R. Singh
Senior Instructors: D. Agud, T. A. Bourdon, J. Clemons, H. Hart, J. Hurdus, N. Robbins, and J. Schmale.
Advanced Instructors: S. Barreto, M. Chung, S. Hammer, E. Jasso Hernandez, K. Karcher, C. Letona, M. Ouliaei-Nia, S. Silber, J. Thompson, and K. Zachrich
Instructors: H. Abobaker, T. Asfaw, S. Aslan, T. Balkew, J. Burleson, D. Callie, R. Carracedo Rodriguez, P. Caruso, S. Cvitanov, F. Elsrrawi, J. England, J. Evans, H. Farhat, G. Fowler, N. Garcia Hilares, P. Jones, T. Juste, K. Kasebian, D. Kim, M. Mahmood, N. Malik, B. Nguyen, C. Nicolas, K. Perera, S. Pidaparthi, I. Quinlan, E. F. Rabby, K. Robinson, Rappold, G. Seebohm, R. Sharpe, J. St.Clair, J. Truman, D. Valvo, J. Wells, and C. Withrow
Presidential Postdoctoral Associate: E. Camps Moreno
Postdoctoral Associates: J. Antonides, E. Camps, K. Castellano, L. LeJeune, H. Jiuhua, P. Mlimarć, J. Reyes, W. Santos, P. Soto, P. Tsai, and F. Yan
Senior Research Associate: S. Meng
Lecturers: V. Kairamkonda, W. Reilly, A. Sibol, and E. Widdowson
Career Advisors: E. de Sturler and J. Wilson
Scholarship Chair: L. Childs
Print this page.
The PDF will include all information unique to this page.