Requirements for the Major

1. AMS 151, 161; AMS 210 or MAT 211; and AMS 261 or MAT 203 or MAT 205

Note: The following alternate calculus course sequences may be substituted for MAT 131, 132 in major requirements or prerequisites:
MAT 131, 132 or
MAT 124, 126, 127 or
MAT 125, 126, 127 or
MAT 141, 142
2. CSE 110 or ESG 111 or MEC 111
3. 24 credits of AMS courses numbered 301 and above including AMS 301 and either AMS 310 or 311. A minimum of 18 of these 24 credits must be designated AMS courses. The remaining six credits may be replaced by an equal number of credits taken from approved upper division mathematically oriented courses. Typically approved substitutions are ECO 321, BUS 355, and all courses designated CSE numbered 301 and above and MAT 301 and above.
4. Upper Division Writing Requirement:
All degree candidates must demonstrate skill in written English at a level acceptable for applied mathematics and statistics majors. This can be done by:
(i) registering for the 1-credit writing course AMS 300, and submitting a portfolio containing three 4-page papers (typically these involve taking notes from different AMS courses and writing them up in a polished form); or
(ii) submitting to a technical mathematical writing assign arising from work in some course (not necesarrly an AMS course) to the AMS Undergraduate Program Director; note that revisions may be required before the writing is accepted.; or
(iii) satisfying the writing requirement in another major. It is standard University practice that a student with a double major only needs to satisfy the writing requirement in one of the two majors.

To gain a background in fields that generate mathematical applications, a minimum of 14 additional credits are chosen from among the course offerings in economics, business, one of the natural sciences departments or one of the engineering departments. Courses taken to satisfy items 2 or 3 above may not be used to satisfy this requirement. Otherwise, ANY course in one of these departments may be used. Moreover, courses taken to satisfy a DEC requirement or a minor may also be used for this Related-Areas requirement. No more than eight of these credits may come from any one department.

Grading

All courses taken to satisfy requirements A 1, 2, and 3 above must be taken for a letter grade. Under special circumstances, the Undergraduate Program Director may give a student permission to take one course in the AMS major for a P/NC grade.

Double Majors

The department encourages students in other majors who are considering a double major with AMS first to select individual AMS courses on the basis of their academic interests or vocational needs. Only after a student has taken several AMS course should he or she decide on this as a second major.

AMS students are strongly encouraged to consider a double major (or to minor) in another discipline. The most frequent choices of AMS double majors are computer science and economics.

Actuarial Science

Insurance companies have long viewed the Stony Brook Applied Math major as one of the model programs in the northwest for preparation for being an actuary. Scores of AMS majors have been actuaries in the past decade. With the revision of the actuarial exams implemented by the Society of Actuaries in 2006 (for my more information, go to www.soa.org), It is now possible to get credit for passing up to 3 actuarial exams simply by getting a B- or better in designated Stony Brook courses in Applied Math, Economics, and Business. For more information about these courses and preparing for other actuarial exams, go to Stony Brook actuarial program.

Recommendations for Students Majoring in Applied Mathematics and Statistics

The department encourages students to have a broad exposure to many types of mathematical reasoning and to its diverse roles in the social and natural sciences. During their first two years, students considering an AMS major are encouraged to take, besides the required calculus sequence, two semesters of physics numbered PHY 125 or higher, CSE 110 or 113, 114 or MEC 111; one other computer course (competence in computer programming is essential for many professional careers); and some economics. At the end of the sophomore year or the beginning of the junior year, students begin taking upper division AMS courses, usually starting with AMS 301 and 310. At the same time, they are strongly encouraged to continue taking MAT and CSE courses and mathematically oriented courses in other departments, such as ECO 303. The following list of course sequences for certain professions is given as a preliminary guide to students with interests in these professions. Students should speak with faculty members specializing in these areas as early as possible for more specific information.

Statistics: AMS 301, 310, 311, 312, 315, 316; students considering graduate statistics programs should consider taking MAT 310 and 320, although either of these courses is needed for statistics graduate study at Stony Brook.

Operations Research or Management Science: AMS 301, 310, 311, 341, 342, and 345.

Programmer-Analyst: AMS 301, 310, 311, 321, 326, 341, 361, and CSE 214, 220.

Applied Environmental Sciences: See requirements for the applied environmental sciences track.

Secondary Teaching: Students preparing for a career as a teacher of mathematics in the secondary schools enroll in the Mathematics Teacher Preparation Program. Consult the 1997-99 Undergraduate Bulletin, page 70, for details.

Course Sequence in the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Major

Many students enter the University intending another major and change to the Applied mathematics and Statistics major, or add it as a second major, toward the end of the sophomore year or in the junior year. Required courses for the major in the first two years are the calculus sequence and linear algebra--virtually the same mathematicsl requirements as found in the intended majors of students who subsequently switch to Applied Mathematics and Statistics.

The particular set of 300-level AMS courses taken in the junior and senior years by Applied Mathematics and Statistics majors, and the order in which they are taken, is very flexible. Normally, majors take AMS 301 and 310 (the two required 300-level AMS courses) first. For assistance in 300-level AMS course sequences, majors are encouraged to speak with the department's undergraduate program director.

B.S./M.S. Program
An applied mathematics and statistics major may apply at the end of the junior year for admission to a special program that leads to a combined Bachelor of Science-Masters of Science after 5 years. Only 111 undergraduate credits are required so that in the eight semester, a student in this program can begin his/her graduate studies to fulfill the masters requirements in either applied mathematics, operations research, or statistics. See the Applied Math undergraduate or graduate program director for more information

The advantage of the combined program is that the M.S. degree can be earned in less time that that required by the traditional course of study. The M.S. degree in applied mathematics and statistics normally requires three to four semesters of study after completion of a bachelor's degree. The in depth training of a master's degree is required by many employers for professional positions in applied mathematics and statistics (beyond beginning programmer analyst jobs).

For more details about the B.S./M.S. program, see the undergraduate program director or graduate studies director in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics.