You will find that the Mathematics Program at Virginia Tech puts a high emphasis and priority in preparing students for professional careers and graduate degree programs. In this segment we shall look at three educational opportunities that set the Tech program apart from programs at other schools. We shall also examine the recognition our department has attained from these activities, and we shall provide an assessment of the quality of the program.
Because of the increased power of computational technology, mathematics is now being applied to problems in areas which previously seemed impervious to mathematical approaches. In this way, mathematical careers are now more flexible than ever, and mathematicians are finding their abilities more and more in demand. The choice of four degree options will allow you to focus more tightly on using mathematics in a particular professional environment.
You will see a list of undergraduate projects that have been completed in the past four years, and you will notice the diversity of the ways that mathematics has been employed in applied problems. Our Recent Publications of the Faculty is a list of the Tech Mathematics faculty's published work in the previous five years. Without college-level mathematical training, one cannot examine these articles carefully, but they demonstrate that no matter how you choose to apply mathematics, there are almost surely Tech faculty members who have published extensively in that area and are available to direct your project.
Since this popular program allows you to use 12 hours of coursework towards both the BS and MS degree programs, it essentially saves you a year from the normal time it takes to get both degrees. Often our students will complete a bachelor's degree in Mathematics, and then complete a masters degree in their chosen applications area.