Why study Mathematics at MC?
Mathematics is the language of science, technology and engineering and, in a technology-driven society that is generating billions of pieces of data every day, it is also the language of business and communication. Learning about mathematics teaches you to develop logical arguments and solve problems, essential skills for a wide variety of careers. While those who work in jobs requiring mathematical skill earn high salaries and report great job satisfaction, there aren't enough college graduates with those skills to meet the demand.
Mathematicians work in fields from finance and insurance, to business analytics, biotechnology and national security. We analyze market data for large corporations, develop climate models to predict environmental changes, improve internet search engines and social media, design clinical trials with medical researchers, attack cryptographic problems for the National Security Agency, and develop better airline security systems.
At Maryville College, mathematics majors explore topics in pure and applied mathematics, including statistics, computer science and physics. The quantitative abilities they develop are complemented by the liberal arts core, resulting in well-rounded students with a marketable mix of skills. Our majors enjoy small class sizes and close relationships with their professors and are participating in competitive summer research programs at Oak Ridge National Lab and around the country. If you enjoy mathematics and are excited about the wide range of career opportunities for people with these skills, we'd love to have you join us!
Maryville College Works is a comprehensive career preparation program that is integrated into the College’s four-year liberal arts curriculum. Key components include assessment, advising, networking and professional experiences.
External Relationships
ORAU
United Way of Blount County
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
University of Tennessee College of Engineering
Auburn University College of Engineering
Tennessee Technological University College of Engineering
Vanderbilt University School of Engineering
Meet a current student
Lucas Koch ’20
Hometown: Santa Monica, Calif.
Luke chose Maryville College because of its small class sizes and academic reputation. He said he chose math “because it is the language in which the universe was written. All other fields of study stem from it. I especially enjoy programming
because it gives humanity a way to try and replicate the beauty of math in a simulated environment.” He recently completed a Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship at Oak Ridge National Lab, where he did research on the intersection of static binary instrumentation, adversarial machine learning and malware detection evasion. After graduation, he hopes to go on to graduate school for cybersecurity, followed by a career doing research in that field.
Outcomes of Recent Grads
Featured Graduates
Nicasio Velez ’18
Currently: Second year of the Ph.D. program at the
University of Tennessee
Nico is pursuing his Ph.D. while working as a graduate teaching assistant, balancing classes and teaching mentored classes. He said Maryville College was vital in helping him find his path. “Before MC, I was unsure of what I wanted to do – all I knew was that I had a passion for math and science. Once I took my first proof-based class, I realized the passion I truly had. When I started my Senior Study, it really cemented in my mind what math I wanted to study and the joy I had for research. The professors at MC were so encouraging and helped me ultimately decide I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. In fact, I am still working with [Lecturer in Mathematics] Dr. Jesse Smith on publishing my Senior Study, which was recently accepted by Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal.
Travis Sellers ’14
Currently: Targeting Data Analyst at 84.51 in Cincinnati, Ohio
After MC, Travis went on to earn a master’s degree in statistics at Miami University in Ohio. He is now working with big data to access portions of data that are relevant to the research conducted at 84.51, which serves Kroger and the consumer packaged goods companies that sell their products at Kroger. “The math and statistics courses at MC helped me understand all of the data science I use here at 84.51 and how to effectively communicate my results with clients in a way that they can understand,” he said. “All of the departments at MC helped me become a strong public speaker. I didn’t realize how important that was until I started doing it every day at my job.”
Graduate School Placements
Clemson University
Florida State University
Georgia Tech
LMU DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Miami (of Ohio) University
North Carolina State University
University of Nebraska
University of North Carolina
University of Tennessee
National Center for Women & Informational Technology
