A Guide to Majoring in Math (2023-2024)

A Guide to Majoring in Math

Welcome to UT!

We are so glad you decided to be a Longhorn, and even happier that you decided to major in math! Mathematics is a fascinating subject with many different academic areas and career trajectories, but it is also considerably more difficult at the university level.

We hope this guide will ease the transition from high school to university math. In it, you will learn about the advising process, and the resources and opportunities available for you through it. You may engage with the wider math community while furthering your career development at UT through avenues like the Longhorn Math Discord server and on-campus community events. We hope this guide will be helpful to you during this exciting new time in your mathematics journey, and we are looking forward to seeing you around.

Hook ‘em!

Math Club + Association for Women in Mathematics

Advising

Math students have two types of academic advisors: CNS MPA Advising Center and Faculty Advisors.

● MPA (Math Physics Astronomy) advisors assist with more general degree planning.

● Faculty advisors can offer more class-specific advice and insider perspectives.

MPA Advisors

Academic Advising Coordinator Olivia Biehle olivia.biehle@austin.utexas.edu

Senior Academic Advisor Jennifer McHam jennifer.mcham@austin.utexas.edu

Associate Academic Advisor Nathaniel Sulapas nathaniel.sulapas@austin.utexas.edu

Faculty Advisors

BSA, BA, BS (all pathways)

Actuarial Science

Dr. Jennifer Austin jmann@math.utexas.edu

Dr. Mark Maxwell maxwell@math.utexas.edu

Teaching Dr. Mark Daniels mdaniels@math.utexas.edu

Departmental Honors

Dr. Theresa Martines tmartines@math.utexas.edu

Advising Resources

UT has a number of sites that can assist in the course selection process.

● Advising Pathways

● List of Math Courses (with descriptions)

● Course Schedules

○ Easier to navigate with UT Registration Plus

● Degree requirements for BS, BSA, and BA

● C S 303E Exam Info

● Syllabus Archive

● Course Instructor Survey Results

● Information for Math Majors

● UT Course Grade Distributions

○ Easier to navigate on Catalyst, but there is less data

On-Campus Resources

SANGER LEARNING CENTER CALCLAB

The SLC is located in the Jester Center and offers free one-on-one tutoring in several courses, including:

- calculus

- discrete math

- matrices

- probability

CMHC

The Counseling and Mental Health Center offers mental health resources and counseling services for the UT student body. It is located in the SSB (Student Services Building).

The CalcLab is a room in the PMA that offers assistance with calculus courses five days a week. The CalcLab schedule and learning modules can be found here.

GSC

The Gender and Sexuality Center is on second floor of the WCP Student Activity Center. It provides physical and online resources for women and LGBTQ+ students at UT.

READING GROUPS

Math Club hosts semester-long reading groups –weekly math book-clubs where undergrads can learn topics which may not be covered in their studies. All communication will be sent from the Reading Groups Discord server, where you will also choose which groups to join. Topics will be announced at the start of the semester, so stay tuned!

DRP

Each semester, the department runs a directed reading program in which students meet up with a graduate student mentor to read about a topic. Find more info here.

CONFERENCES

Undergraduate math conferences may be held at or near UT Austin throughout the academic year. Conferences are an excellent place to meet new people and learn about research. Upcoming conferences will be advertised by Math Club.

mathclub

- tue 5:30 pm: weekly lecture series with invited guests

- fri 5:30 pm: socials

- pizza at lectures!

- hosts reading groups

- linktree

awm

- meets weekly wed 4:00 pm: panels, workshops, socials!

- food at selected meetings

- runs a mentoring program

- website

This option allows high-performing students to finish their degree with a thesis.

This is separate from CNS honors. Info can be found here, or by contacting Dr. Theresa Martines (tmartines@utexas.edu).

CONTESTS

In the fall, UT hosts the Bennett Contest for calculus/linear algebra students and the Putnam Exam, as well as prep sessions. Stay tuned in the Longhorn Math Discord!

EMPLOYMENT

grader

- $13.00 per hour

- flexible hours

- grades homework and/or quizzes

- can work for many different courses

- info

The department hosts several weekly seminars for graduate students, but advanced undergrads who have completed their upper-division coursework may also find them worthwhile. The seminar calendar can be found here.

ugca

- $13.00 per hour

- fixed hours

- assists students in calclab

- works for calculus courses

- info

REUs Research Experiences

for Undergraduates are NSF-funded summer research programs primarily targeted at rising juniors/seniors. Application workshops may be held during the fall semester.