Why Mathematics?
Mathematics is beautiful, fun, exciting and powerful. Mathematics is the ongoing creation of a giant tapestry woven over millennia by human beings of every sort for reasons of their own, from desperation to inspiration. People pursue mathematics for pleasure, for money, for fulfillment, for entertainment, for status, out of envy, out of lust for power, out of hope for the future. In short, we study mathematics for the same reasons people compose music, write plays and design bridges.
A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.
G.K. Hardy, A Mathematician's Apology
Your Studies
You will choose an area of emphasis from actuarial, education, applied, or general. Additionally, the department’s list of Knowles Science Teaching Fellowships in Mathematics recipients is growing very rapidly. These national awards provide funding for the completion of the student’s education, as well as the first few years of teaching.
One way in which our program stands out from many other programs is the broad selection of regularly-offered Honors sections of upper-level MATH courses. These courses are available for our best students, whether they are a member of the South Carolina Honors College or not. This feature of our program has been instrumental in our graduates' successful transition to graduate school in mathematics as well as other disciplines, including medicine, economics, and law.
Graduate with Distinction
Any student at USC who earns an undergraduate degree and completes the appropriate requirements will be awarded graduation “With Distinction in [your major].” In our department, this means entering the research track, achieving a certain GPA, taking higher-level courses, and completing and presenting a senior thesis. Once you declare a major, you and your advisor can discuss how to apply and what is required.
Awards and Scholarships
Our department offers several awards and scholarships, generally for students who excel at 500-level classes.
Undergraduate Minor
We offer three minors in the following areas:
For more information on any minor, please click the links above or speak with your advisor.
Undergraduate Bulletin
Looking for more specific information, like what classes you'll need to take to graduate, learning outcomes, and which classes we offer? The academic bulletin is the university's official document of record concerning undergraduate-level academic programs and regulations.