The field of mathematics today offers virtually unlimited opportunities for application, together with the aesthetic appeal and intellectual challenge that have always been so compelling to so many. It provides both the language in which the theories of many disciplines, such as physics and economics, are best expressed, and the techniques by which many problems of these disciplines are analyzed and solved. Mathematical training develops analytical skills that are of great value in understanding and resolving issues in almost any field. This is reflected in the large number of careers for which mathematical training is considered to be particularly desirable preparation.

There is no easy road to understanding mathematics. Success requires serious study and sustained work. The rewards are worth the effort. The intellectual goals one achieves at the university will sustain you throughout your lifetime, and capacity for understanding mathematical reasoning is an asset that will prove to be of inestimable value regardless of your chosen field.

Many departments in the University require that their majors take specific mathematics courses, and several encourage studying further mathematics as professional electives. The reason for these recommendations is two-fold: the specific content of many mathematics courses emphasizes both logical reasoning and clarity of expression. Many employers require that new employees, in whatever field, have a good technical background, an understanding of their own interests and skills, the ability to communicate clearly, and a talent for working hard, both alone and in groups. Many have found that graduates in the mathematical sciences - mathematics, statistics, actuarial science, applied and computational mathematics - often have these qualities.

As with nearly all fields, employment opportunities for mathematics graduates depend upon the economic health of the nation. Industries that employ many mathematicians include aerospace, oil, electrical, manufacturing, communication, and computing. Actuaries are employed by insurance companies as well as state and federal governments. The federal government has laboratories where research and development are carried out - especially in mathematical statistics and operations research.

Some experience in computer programming is often an essential requirement for obtaining a professional position. Other good preparatory courses are differential equations, linear algebra, numerical analysis, operations research, and mathematical modeling.

The University of Connecticut Mathematics Department has a full-time faculty of 29 at the Storrs campus and 11 at the regional campuses. The faculty members hold Ph.D. degrees from many of the leading institutions in the U.S. and abroad and are actively pursuing research in some of the principal areas of mathematics, including actuarial sciences, algebra, applied mathematics, geometry, logic, number theory and topology. All of these disciplines are also represented in the undergraduate curriculum.

Students intending to major in any department of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences can obtain advising and registration services at the Liberal Arts Advisory Center, which is housed in Wood Hall. No later than registration for fifth semester classes, students declare a specific major and are assigned an individual advisor from the faculty of their major department. You may declare a major in mathematics - and obtain this more individualized advising - earlier, and we encourage you to do so as soon as you have decided on a major in the Department of Mathematics. That will give you the advantage of becoming acquainted with your advisor relatively early in your program of study, and the opportunity to consult your advisor regularly about all matters pertaining to your experience at UConn.

The Department has detailed information about mathematical career opportunities and our programs of study, and no one is better able to advise you about structuring your academic program and scheduling than the person who will be your permanent academic advisor. All that is necessary to become a declared major is to come to the Departmental office, MSB 106 on the first floor of the Mathematical Sciences Building, and sign up.

At Storrs, the department is located in the Mathematical Sciences Building (MSB), which is situated on the northwest corner of the campus. The ground floor contains the University Computer Center. A reading room on the first floor, in which mathematical journals are kept, is available for student and faculty use. The main library holds most of the mathematics books.