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Mathematics and Computer ScienceFull Time Faculty: Vittorio Addona, Andrew Beveridge, David Bressoud, Daniel Flath, Susan Fox, Sharon Lane-Getaz, Thomas Halverson, Daniel Kaplan, Weiwen Miao, Richard Molnar, Karen Saxe (Chair), Elizabeth Shoop, Chad Topaz, Stan Wagon Part Time Faculty: Joan Hutchinson, A. Wayne Roberts, G. Michael Schneider Students and faculty in the department cooperate in sponsoring guest speakers, films, student presentations, and social and recreational events. Macalester has an established student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery and active chapters of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national honor society for mathematics students, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the national honor society for computer science students. MathematicsThe department offers courses in pure and applied mathematics and statistics to meet the needs of students with a wide range of interests such as: The department offers a mathematics major and minor, and a statistics minor. Placement Entering students who have studied calculus in high school and who wish to enroll in a course more advanced than the entry level course, Mathematics 135, Applied Calculus, should consult the program coordinator of mathematics about choices among Mathematics 136, 137, 155, 236, 237. Students with weak high school preparation in mathematics are encouraged to consult with the mathematics counselor in the MAX Center. General Distribution RequirementAll courses in the department count toward the general distribution requirement in mathematics and natural science except those numbered 265, 614, and 624. Mathematics 265 counts toward the humanities general distribution requirement. Mathematics 116 is especially appropriate for those students not needing specialized skills or training in mathematics. General Education RequirementsCourses that meet the general education requirements in writing, quantitative thinking, internationalism and multiculturalism will be posted on the Registrar's web page in advance of registration for each semester. Additional information regarding the general distribution requirement and the general education requirements can be found in the graduation requirements section of this catalog. Major ConcentrationStudents considering a major in the department are required to complete a planning form available from the department coordinator. Requirements for a major in mathematics are: 1. Mathematics 136, 236, 237, and at least 16 semester credits from courses numbered 300–489, or 494. Majors are strongly encouraged to take Mathematics 136 before taking a course at the 300-level. At least one 4-credit course must be selected from 354, 355, 371, 373, 376, 377, or 379 and at least one 4-credit course must be numbered 400–489 or 494. The 400-level course must be taken at Macalester. 2. Computer Science 121 or 123 or an equivalent course. 3. Mathematics 155, taken after Mathematics 236 or 237. 4. All students majoring in mathematics must take and complete the 1-credit class Mathematics 490, Senior Capstone Seminar, in the spring semester of their senior year. (Note: Double majors in mathematics and computer science only need to take one capstone seminar—either Mathematics 490 or Computer Science 490.) In addition, as part of the capstone experience students will write a senior paper and present their results at a departmental conference. This paper commonly will be an extension of a project report or paper previously written for a mathematics course. It may, however, take the form of an honors paper or other independent work that has prior departmental approval. Students majoring in both mathematics and computer science may write a single capstone paper, but it must be acceptable both as a mathematics capstone paper and as a computer science capstone paper, and two separate presentations must be given. Note: Students preparing for graduate work in mathematics should include Mathematics 376, 377, and several courses chosen from among Mathematics 471, 476, 477, 478 in the program, and should obtain a reading knowledge of French, German, or Russian. These students should plan to take the GREs during the fall of their senior year. Note: Students preparing to work in an area of applied mathematics should take at least one, and preferably both, of Mathematics 354 and 355, and at least one of Mathematics 432, 437 or 469. Additional requirements for a major in mathematics with a computational science emphasis are Computer Science 124, 221, and an additional computer science course numbered 300 or higher, preferably Computer Science 345 or 445. Mathematics 365 and Mathematics 312 must be taken as two of the courses numbered 300–489. The course numbered 400–489 must be chosen from Mathematics 432, 437, or 469. The senior capstone must be on a computationally related subject. Minor RequirementsTo obtain a minor in mathematics, you must complete the following: 1. Mathematics 136, 236, 237 and at least 8 semester credits from courses numbered 300–489, except topics courses unless prior departmental approval has been given. 2. Computer Science 121 or 123 or an equivalent course. To obtain a minor in statistics, you must complete the following: 1. Computer Science 121 or 123 or an equivalent course; Mathematics 155, 253, 354, and 355. Students preparing for graduate work in statistics are also encouraged to take Mathematics 236 and Mathematics 237. Honors ProgramThe mathematics and computer science department participates in the Honors Program. Eligibility requirements, application procedures, and specific project expectations are available either from the department office or the Dean of Academic Programs. Topics Courses194, 294, 394, 494 Selected topics in mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics. Recent courses include Game, Theory, Knot Theory and Newton's Principia and the Scientific Revolution. To be announced at registration. (4 credits) Computer ScienceProgram coordinator: Susan Fox Two basic principles underlie the teaching of computer science at Macalester. First, the program stresses the fundamental principles of computer science—theory of computation, algorithms, languages, software design, and computer organization—as well as programming and the applications of computer technology. A computer science graduate from Macalester will be well prepared for either advanced study or research and development work in industry. Second, the program is firmly committed to the principles and ideals of a liberal arts education. A computer science concentration includes both technical requirements as well as extensive course work in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. An important goal of the program is to produce graduates who are self-educators and life-long learners, characteristics that are so important in a rapidly changing discipline. Students wishing to register for a computer science course have a number of options. There are three introductory courses available for students with little or no background in computing, programming, or computer science. All three function as both the first course in the major and minor as well as an introduction to the discipline for those not planning to take further coursework. Computer Science 120, Introduction to Computing and its Applications, is a survey course that provides a broad overview of the discipline of computer science, including the history of computing and the social and ethical concerns raised by information technology. This course is ideal for students in all fields, especially those in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. It is also appropriate for potential computer science students who would like their first course to be a survey of the field. Computer Science 121, Introduction to Scientific Programming, focuses on the applications of computing in the physical sciences, natural sciences, and other fields such as economics and geography. This would be an ideal first course for students majoring in a scientific or quantitative area. It is also appropriate for potential computer science students who would like their first course to be an introduction to a scientifically-oriented language such as MatLab and its use in solving a range of interesting scientific problems. The third course, Computer Science 123, Core Concepts in Computer Science, explores computer science through a set of core ideas, theoretical and practical, such as design, implementation, and analysis of algorithms, and common data representations. This course is ideal for students who want to combine study of program and data design with an examination of the fundamental conceptual issues of computer science. Students with some prior knowledge of computer science, either through an advanced placement course, IB course, or a class at another college, may be able to begin the major with either Computer Science 124, Data Structures and Object-Oriented Programming, Computer Science 225, Software Design and Development, or Computer Science 240, Computer Systems Organization. To determine the proper starting point for your studies, talk with either the department chair or the coordinator of computer science. General Distribution RequirementAll courses in the computer science program numbered 300 and below count toward the general distribution requirement in mathematics and natural science. Topics courses will be considered for general distribution requirements on an individual basis. General Education RequirementsCourses that meet the general education requirements in writing, quantitative thinking, internationalism and multiculturalism will be posted on the Registrar's web page in advance of registration for each semester. Additional information regarding the general distribution requirement and the general education requirements can be found in the graduation requirements section of this catalog. Major ConcentrationRequirements for a major in computer science are: 1. One of the three introductory courses 120, 121, or 123. A student may not receive credit towards the major for more than one of these courses. (Students who have taken an AP or IB computer science course and examination in high school may have met this requirement, and may receive departmental credit as well. Consult the department chair or coordinator of computer science for additional information.) 2. The introductory courses 124. (Students with significant prior computer science experience may have met this requirement and can begin with 225 or 240. Consult the department chair or coordinator of computer science for additional information.) 3. The four required core courses 221, 225, 240, and 261. 4. A minimum of three advanced elective courses numbered 300–500, excluding 490. Prior departmental approval is required to count the courses 604, 614, 624, and 634 toward meeting this advanced elective requirement. 5. Math 136 and any two additional mathematics courses taken at Macalester and approved by the department. Courses which are highly appropriate for computer science majors would include: 135, 137, 155, 236, and 369. 6. All students majoring in computer science must take and complete the 1 credit class Computer Science 490, Senior Capstone Seminar, in the spring semester of their senior year. (Note: Double majors in mathematics and computer science only need to take one capstone seminar—either Mathematics 490 or Computer Science 490.) In addition, as part of the capstone experience each student works with a Macalester faculty member, writes a capstone paper, and presents his or her results at a departmental conference. This paper will commonly be an extension of a project report or paper previously written for a computer science course. It may, however, take the form of an honors paper or other independent work that has prior departmental approval. In addition to the three required mathematics courses, students are strongly encouraged to include some of the following courses as part of their elective program: Mathematics 155 (Introduction to Statistical Modeling), Mathematics 236 (Linear Algebra), Mathematics 354 (Probability), Mathematics 369 (Advanced Symbolic Logic), Mathematics 355 (Mathematical Statistics), and Mathematics 432 (Mathematical Modeling). Students who plan to attend graduate school in computer science are also encouraged to take more than the minimum number of computer science electives as well as additional supporting work in related disciplines. In order to ensure orderly progress through the curriculum, introductory courses (Computer Science 120, 121, or 123, 124) and intermediate courses (Computer Science 221, 225, 240, 261) should generally be completed before a student enrolls in advanced electives or begins an independent project. For the typical computer science major, the first two years of study in the department will generally look something like this: Year 1: Computer Science 120, 121, or 123; 124; Mathematics 136; a second mathematics course; electives However, there is a good deal of flexibility in the computer science program, and a student's exact schedule will be determined only after consultation with his or her major advisor. The following courses are not required of computer science students. They are listed here because their subject matter relates to computer science, and they may be of interest to computer science majors and minors when selecting courses to satisfy distribution requirements or when coordinating work in computer science with study in related disciplines. Minor ConcentrationRequirements for a minor concentration in computer science are: Any five courses in computer science numbered 120 and above, one of which must be 221. (Note: Credit can be awarded for only one of the introductory courses 120, 121, 123.) Honors ProgramThe mathematics and computer science department participates in the Honors Program. Eligibility requirements, application procedures and specific project expectations are available either from the department office or the Dean of Academic Programs. Topics Courses194, 294, 394, 494 Topics of interest to students in the field of computer science but which are not part of the regular curriculum. When the course is offered, the topic and prerequisites for that semester will be announced and posted prior to registration. (4 credits)
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