Mathematical Sciences

Dr. Beth Burroughs

Department Head, Elizabeth Burroughs

Welcome! It is my pleasure to share with you some aspects of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Montana State University. Our Department offers Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees in key focus areas of mathematical sciences. Students from many disciplines take mathematics or statistics to strengthen their quantitative and analytical skills, and many students pursue majors and minors in one of our focus areas. We have the largest instructional component of any department on campus – we truly embrace our role of providing the highest quality mathematical learning experience to each and every student at Montana State!

Our faculty and staff take seriously the Department’s mission to provide an outstanding education to our students, to further knowledge and scholarship through research and creative activity, and to serve others by sharing our expertise. The Department offers a B.S. in Mathematics with options in mathematics, applied mathematics, mathematics teaching and statistics; an M.S. in Mathematics with options in mathematics and mathematics education; an M.S. in Statistics; and a Ph.D. in Mathematics, a Ph.D. with research in Mathematics Education,and a Ph.D. in Statistics.

We place a high priority on providing quality research opportunities for our students. Our faculty have strong national and international reputations for innovative research in a variety of areas. Research programs in theoretical and applied mathematics complement each other and are often applied to problems in science and engineering. Research in statistics encompasses a broad range of theoretical and applied topics, including interdisciplinary work and statistical research directed toward solving practical problems. Mathematics education faculty are active in both qualitative and quantitative research areas. Our faculty pursue and obtain grant funding and regularly publish research results with student co-authors in leading refereed journals and technical conference venues.

Hand-in-hand with the research function are our service and consulting roles. The Department provides mathematical and statistical assistance to research scientists in other university departments and to schools, off-campus companies and government agencies. The Department is a leader in implementing statewide and national projects for mathematics teachers, and we have a large distance-delivered master’s degree program for K-12 teachers.

The demand for graduates with strong mathematical science skills is growing as the range of positions that require mathematical abilities expands into many areas - engineering, physical sciences, social sciences, business, finance, medicine, national security, and others. The Department of Mathematical Sciences at Montana State University is an innovative leader in solving complex systems and challenging problems of the twenty-first century. These are remarkable times with remarkable opportunities for students interested in the mathematical sciences – we encourage you to further explore our offerings and to contact us to learn more.

We’d love to hear from you – whether your interest is in participating in one of our many degree programs, learning more about student support and resources, working with statisticians in our statistical consulting services, or collaborating with our exceptional scholars and researchers. 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth A. Burroughs

Department Head and Professor