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Welcome students, prospective students, and teachers to the Louisiana State University Mathematics Department undergraduate program. The LSU Department of Mathematics strives to provide an excellent education for our undergraduate students. We strive to provide students with the skills needed to face the marketplace or to enter further studies in graduate school. We offer a broad and diverse program in both applied and pure mathematics, with a choice of six concentrations.
The mathematics department is a large and active department. In addition to our undergraduate program, we have 45 professors engaged in mathematical research and 60 graduate students engaged in advanced study. The diverse ecology of mathematics makes the LSU mathematics department an exciting place to be.
The LSU Mathematics Department prepares mathematics majors for industry, teaching, or for seeking an advanced degree in graduate studies. The mathematics curriculum contains a choice of six concentrations--mathematics, mathematics/computer science, actuarial science, applied/discrete mathematics, applied math/communications engineering, or secondary mathematics education. After completing the Calculus sequence, students are ushered into higher level mathematics by taking two of three possible transition courses: Solving Discrete Problems (Math 2020), Integral Transforms and Their Applications (Math 2025), or Discrete Dynamical Systems (Math 2030). Junior and senior level classes are designed to serve students according to the concentration selected and usually have enrollments of less than 25, fostering individual attention.
The Mathematics Concentration offers a solid background in mathematics. It is the concentration that allows the most freedom to pursue mathematical depth or a broad background in liberal arts. Those who wish to pursue graduate study in mathematics, statistics, or one of the professional schools should consider this concentation.
The Computer Science Concentration combines a solid core of mathematics courses with computer science courses. The computer science courses give the student computer skills while the mathematics core prepares the student for sophisticated computer modeling.
The Actuarial Science Concentration prepares a student to become an actuary. An actuary studies future risks in finance, business and insurance. The job of actuary consistently ranks as one of the best in the US. Actuaries must learn mathematics, economics, finance, and computer programing.
The Applied / Discrete Mathematics Concentration provides students with training in both the theory of discrete mathematics as well as in applications such as discrete optimization used in network/system design, algorithm analysis and other areas.
The Applied Math / Communications Engineering Concentration was developed with the cooperation of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. Often industry jobs require sophisticated mathematics for signal and image processing applications as well as some electrical engineering background. This concentration gives the student the electrical engineering background with a mathematics degree to meet these industry needs.
The Secondary Mathematics Education concentration prepares students to become high school mathematics teachers. Graduates will have the mathematical background of a degree in mathematics, an education background, and classroom experience.
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Our undergraduate program also offers opportunities to engage in education and service beyond classroom courses. Our Mathematics Consultation Clinic gives students experience working with local businesses and industry. In the summer, the mathematics department runs an excellent REU--research experiences for undergraduates. The math club sponsors mathematical talks designed for undergraduates. In our school outreach program, undergraduate volunteers tutor individuals or small group classes in local high schools.
We are glad you are interested in mathematics and LSU. Please browse through the website. There is general information on Baton Rouge, the mathematical interests of the LSU faculty, the Department of Mathematics, the interests and activities of our mathematics majors, and majoring or minoring in mathematics. We hope our website contains information that will aid your decision process.
