Major in Mathematics Education (B.A.)

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Major in Mathematics Education (B.A.)

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Calculate, facilitate, educate — and make a difference.

Mathematics has long been vital to understanding how our world works. As a mathematics education major at Clark, you’ll study fundamental mathematics — such as algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus — and also have the opportunity to shape the next generation of learners.

By pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics education, you’ll develop your logical, computational, and quantitative skills and pursue a capstone project that includes work at a middle or high school. Though the program doesn’t directly lead to licensure, it offers early guidance on a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) through Clark’s Education Department. You’ll be well prepared to build a solid foundation for your students — and more importantly, to ignite their passion and curiosity.

Program Also Offered As:

Major

Why study mathematics education at Clark?

Share your passion and enthusiasm for mathematics and problem solving with the next generation.
Discover how math can be more than just working with numbers. Through teaching, you can combine your problem-solving skills with learning how to work with people, manage classrooms, become a facilitator, and find creative ways to impart knowledge.
By studying education through a social justice lens — an integral part of the curriculum in Clark’s teacher education program — you’ll learn how to make a difference in the lives of students.
Join a field where jobs are expected to be plentiful throughout the United States over the next several decades.
Apply to our Fifth-year Accelerated Program to obtain a master of arts in teaching (MAT) under a full scholarship.

Mathematics Education

Featured Courses

EDUC 152

D&I

Complexities of Urban Schooling

Examine the history, goals, and challenges of schooling in the U.S., particularly in urban communities, and learn how theory and policy affect student outcomes.

MATH 112

FYI

The Mathematics of Voting and Social Choice

Explore advantages and disadvantages of voting systems from a mathematical perspective as you investigate issues of polling, gerrymandering, and representation.

MATH 230

Differential Geometry

Describe spaces like surfaces, curves, and manifolds using this branch of mathematics that draws on advanced techniques in calculus and algebra, and has applications in physics, architecture, and economics.

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The Mathematics Education Path

A total of eight courses, including six mathematics courses and two education courses, are needed to complete the mathematics major. You’ll also need to complete a capstone project through an education internship approved by your adviser. One-on-one faculty advising will help you plot a path through the major based on your beginning level of preparation and interests. Areas of focus are calculus, algebra, and teacher preparation.

If you’re considering a career teaching mathematics at the high school level, we encourage you to check out the Noyce Scholarship program.

Skills you will learn include:

How mathematics can be applied to nearly every aspect of modern life.
Differentiation of algebraic and trigonometric functions, theorems, and various applications.
How to identify and act upon the barriers and issues facing urban education.

Outstanding Achievement in Mathematical Education Award

During your junior year, you might be accepted into the mathematics honors program. Joining the program means you’ll work closely with a professor to create a thesis on a topic of your choice. Examples of recent honors theses topics are:

Visual Application of Group Theory
Axiomatic Origami
The Root System F₄ and its A₂ Subsystems

Building your foundation

The Clark Experience

We structure our curriculum around Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP), which connects classroom learning with action through world and workplace experiences.

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At Clark, your education extends beyond the classroom. Visit the Career Connections Center to learn more about internship opportunities that complement your coursework and put your mathematics knowledge into practice.

The mathematics education major is designed to help you learn outside the classroom. Some students enjoy entering mathematics competitions (including the prestigious Putnam Mathematics Competition) individually or as part of the Clark team. You can join with other interested math students, in company with a faculty adviser, to prepare for competitions, the Graduate Record Examinations (GREs), or actuarial science examinations. Advanced students often serve as peer learning assistants. You also might provide math tutoring to students in the local public schools.

Many students take advantage of internship opportunities during the academic year or over the summer to connect what they’re learning with their professional development.

Other opportunities include:

In alignment with Clark’s liberal arts curriculum, participation in a study abroad and away program is an opportunity to gain world and workplace experience to complement your on-campus experience. Clark approves semester, year-long, and summer opportunities to earn credit through academic coursework, internships, community-based learning, or research. Explore our Study Abroad and Away website where you can search programs by academic interest, location, and language; after you’ve identified some appropriate programs, ensure they fit into your four-year plan by talking with your faculty adviser as early as possible.

You can participate in Clark’s many clubs, organizations, and athletic teams as a way to complement your academic work. Here are some student organizations that might be of interest to you as a mathematics education student:

Internships

Morgan Stanley
New York, N.Y.
CIT Group
New York, N.Y.
Bridgewater Associates
Westport, Conn.
Demandware, Inc.
Burlington, Mass.
Noyce Scholarship Program Summer Internship (teaching)
Worcester, Mass.

Clark is committed to action-based learning, which means as an undergraduate you can join faculty and graduate students in their research. Our mathematics professors have research interests in these mathematics subfields: differential geometry, algebraic geometry, applied mathematics and differential equations, numerical analysis, scientific computing, mathematical biology, bioinformatics, probability and statistics, and the history of mathematics, among others.

You are encouraged to engage in research under the supervision of a faculty member. This ranges from joining a small group of students in the course Diving into Research to your own original research project on a topic that interests you. You might also take advantage of the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU).

You can also apply for funding to support your own research on a project of your choice during the academic year or during the summer.

Present Your Research

Some students attend professional conferences with a faculty mentor, where they present their research and network with other students and professionals in the field.

Clark’s annual ClarkFEST is an opportunity to share your research or creative work with the Clark community while you hone your presentation skills. Some projects mathematics students and recent alumni have presented are:

Differential Geometry and Brain Images
An Evolved Evolutionary Algorithm
An Analog of a Platonic Solid in 4 Dimensions and Its Symmetry Group
Electromagnetic Wave Transmission Through Dense Plasma
Applications of Spectral Clustering to Genetics

You also can submit your research results for publication in our student-run Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal.

At Clark you’ll get more than a great education; you’ll also be prepared for a long, productive career and life of consequence. And once you’ve completed your degree, you can join other Clark alumni who have gone on to work for great organizations and attend some of the best graduate schools in the world.

The mathematics major prepares you for graduate school as well as a wide range of careers in industry, finance, insurance, and public-school teaching.

Faculty and Programs in the Department of Mathematics

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Major in Mathematics Education (B.A.)

Why study mathematics education at Clark?

Featured Courses

Complexities of Urban Schooling

The Mathematics of Voting and Social Choice

Differential Geometry

The Mathematics Education Path

Skills You Learn

Academic Achievement Awards

Honors Program

Related Programs

The Clark Experience

Study Abroad and Away

Student Clubs and Organizations