About the Mathematics Department
The Mathematics Department plays a critical and substantial role in Ohio University's teaching and research mission. Its activities range from teaching math to first-year students to providing rigorous mathematics training for engineers, scientists and math teachers to cutting-edge research in mathematics to interdisciplinary research. The department views these roles as inter-related and complementary in the enterprise of mathematics and its applications at Ohio University.
The department has an active, internationally recognized faculty. Several faculty members have been recipients of international, national, college and university awards, including an NSF CAREER award and two Dean's Outstanding Teacher Awards. Two faculty members have recently held the title "University Distinguished Professor," the highest honor at Ohio University. Faculty members regularly collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines and around the world, and they are often invited to give talks on their areas of expertise at international conferences and workshops. The department's faculty includes experts in Algebra, Analysis, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Differential Equations and Dynamics, Mathematics Education, Topology and Set Theory, and Statistics and Stochastic Mathematics. Many faculty members are active at all levels of the undergraduate and graduate programs, integrating their expertise with teaching to give all their students the best training possible. Faculty members take an active role in developing and maintaining the curriculum and teaching methods.
The Mathematics Department offers undergraduate degrees in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Statistics and Actuarial Sciences and a Minor in Mathematics. At the graduate level we have an M.S. degree program with tracks in Applied, Pure, and Computational Mathematics and a Ph.D program with Pure and Applied tracks. The department's graduates have gone on to establish careers in business, government, and education.
Faculty members direct the Center of Ring Theory and its Applications, which sponsors a variety of activities, including annual tutorials for graduate and advanced undergraduate students. The center has hosted more than 50 visitors from some of the world's top universities. The department also participates in inter-disciplinary research and education initiatives. In addition to individual collaborations, faculty also participate in the Quantitative Biology Institute at Ohio University.
Mathematics Department Mission Statement
The mission of the Ohio University Department of Mathematics is to pursue teaching, research and service in the area of mathematics.
The department teaches both undergraduate and graduate students with a wide range of abilities and needs. At all levels, faculty instruct students in the rigor and precision characteristic of mathematical reasoning. Through introductory courses, the department provides the setting for any student to become acquainted with the elementary tools of mathematics and the techniques to use them. The department provides students from disciplines that require a strong background in mathematics the opportunity to acquire the mathematical knowledge and the reasoning skills necessary to make effective use of mathematics. Through a program that emphasizes the beauty and applicability of mathematics, faculty also provide the setting and support for students majoring in mathematics to develop a required understanding and appreciation of mathematics as a creative discipline.
At the graduate level, the department teaches students seeking knowledge of advanced mathematics for either application to other areas or for its own sake. Students at the master's level acquire a solid understanding of mathematics and the ability to apply it effectively. Doctoral students acquire the experience necessary to do original research in mathematics, as well as the versatility to connect mathematics with other fields.
In research, faculty extend the frontier of mathematical knowledge by producing quality research with original results and by collaborating with other disciplines. The department's research mission complements its teaching mission; a strong research program is essential for the development of future mathematicians.
The Department of Mathematics is committed to serving the academic community and the public at large. At the national and international level, it serves the mathematical community by participating in its activities and by educating and supporting new mathematical scholars. It also serves the broader community through outreach initiatives, and by fostering public understanding of the power of mathematics and its role as a fundamental mode of human thought.
Mathematics Student Learning Outcomes
Student learning assessment at the program level is intended to promote and maintain program excellence and improve student learning. Each department in the College of Arts & Sciences has developed a set of learning outcomes for their programs and engages in faculty-led assessment activities to help inform curricular and program review and development. Student learning is assessed in different ways across A&S departments, informed by disciplinary standards and the specific learning outcomes of the program.