Applied Mathematics

Bachelor of Science Degree

A degree in applied mathematics allows you to apply your mathematical and problem solving skills to real world problems. The field of applied mathematics develops and uses a wide variety of mathematical methods in order to understand and to work with systems encountered in science and industry. As an applied mathematician, you might simulate the behavior of complex systems without actually having to construct expensive physical models.

People with rigorous training in applied mathematics are needed in industrial, corporate, and academic settings. Our graduates acquire the necessary mathematical skills to help meet this demand and have achieved outstanding careers doing what they love to do.

Many of our graduates continue their formal education in graduate programs such as mathematics, statistics, education, physics, and computer science; or they pursue careers in business, industry, government, and academia. They have found employment in fields as diverse as teaching, mathematical modeling, finance, actuarial sciences, industrial mathematics, manufacturing, communications, and computing. A short list of job categories for applied mathematicians includes the actuarial sciences, software engineering, teaching mathematics at the high school or college level, electrical and mechanical engineering, statistics, programmer analyst, cryptographer, reliability analyst, biological systems analyst, and financial analyst.

Depending upon your future goals, you may structure your coursework with an emphasis on preparing for graduate school or for more immediate employment. If you’d like to move forward in your study of mathematics, SUNY Poly can help you develop a strong background in some of the more rigorous and abstract aspects of mathematics, such as Partial Differential Equations, Real Analysis, Vector and Tensor Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Discrete Mathematics. If you wish to pursue a career immediately upon graduation, you can develop a rich background in courses especially suitable to industry, such as Mathematical Modeling, Numerical Differential Equations, Mathematical Finance, Electromagnetism, and Statistics and Probability.

Many students also work on an individual basis with our faculty to pursue special interests outside of formal coursework.  You will have the opportunity to work with faculty in areas like data analysis, finance, mathematical physics, group theory, mathematical and computational modeling of problems in biomedical and material science, numerical methods, image processing, and fractals and chaos.

Our students are also encouraged to receive academic credit through our Applied Math Internship. This can provide you opportunity to work with local companies, putting your mathematics skills to work in applied settings while receiving academic credit.

Degree Requirements Overview

  • Satisfactory completion of at least 124 semester hours of college-level work.
  • Achievement of at least a “C” cumulative grade point average in all coursework taken at SUNY Poly.
  • Satisfactory completion of the Core Mathematics Courses with an average grade of “C” or higher.

B.S. in Applied Mathematics—124 total credits

Students shall satisfy the requirements listed below.

I. SUNY General Education Requirements (30 credits)

All SUNY students must satisfy the following requirements.

No fewer than 30 credits must be attained from the SUNY approved General Education Course List with the following provisions:

  • Mathematics (Calculus I MAT 151 recommended)
  • Basic Communication (ENG 101 or equivalent)

At least five (5) out of the following eight (8) SUNY General Education categories:

  • Natural Sciences – one course, which may be a General Education Natural Science course. Physics I w/lab recommended. Students are encouraged to take PHY 201 Theory and Lab. N ENG 126 & N ENG 127 or PHY 101 Theory and Lab are also accepted.
  • Social Science
  • American History
  • Western Civilization
  • Other World Civilization
  • Humanities
  • The Arts
  • Foreign Language

NOTE: You may take more than one course in a given category to complete this 30 credit hour requirement, but you must also satisfy the appropriate number of categories.

II. Liberal Arts/Sciences Requirements (no fewer than 30 credits) 

The New York State Education Department (SED) requires a student earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree to attain no fewer than 60 credits of combined SUNY General Education and Liberal Arts/Sciences courses. There may be overlap between courses meeting the SUNY General Education Requirements, SUNY Poly Degree Requirements, Liberal Arts/Sciences Requirements, and Program courses; but a student may receive course credits only once even if multiple requirements are satisfied by a single course. The total number of combined credit hours must be no fewer than 60 credits.

SUNY Poly degree requirements:

  • Natural Sciences – one course, which may be a General Education Natural Science course. Physics I w/lab recommended. Students are encouraged to take PHY 201 Theory and Lab. N ENG 126 & N ENG 127 or PHY 101 Theory and Lab are also accepted.
  • Upper-Division Writing Course

Specific requirements for BS in Applied Mathematics majors:

  • Natural Science – Physics I and Physics II. Students are encouraged to take PHY 201 Theory and Lab together with PHY 202 Theory and Lab.   NENG 126 & 127 together with NENG 128 &129  are are also accepted, as are PHY 101 Theory and Lab  together with PHY 102 Theory and Lab.
  • Computer Language (3-4 credits)
  • Computer Science course (3-4 credits)

Liberals Arts/Sciences Electives (remainder of credits)

III. Core Mathematics Coursework

  • MAT 151 Calculus I (Differential Calculus)
  • MAT 152 Calculus II (Integral Calculus)
  • MAT 253 Calculus III (Multivariate Calculus)
  • MAT 260 Ordinary Differential Equations and Series Solutions
  • MAT 280 Linear Algebra
  • MAT 370 Applied Probability
  • MAT 381 Modern Algebra
  • MAT 420 Complex Variables and Their Applications
  • MAT 425 Real Analysis
  • MAT 480 Advanced Linear Algebra

IV. Restricted Electives (3 courses from the following)

  • MAT 335 Mathematical Modeling
  • MAT 345 Introduction to Graph Theory
  • MAT 413 Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science
  • MAT 423 Vector and Tensor Calculus
  • MAT 430 Number Theory & Its Applications
  • MAT 450 Partial Differential Equations
  • MAT 460 Numerical Differential Equations
  • MAT 490 Special Topics in Mathematics
  • MAT 491 Independent Study
  • MAT 492 Applied Mathematics Internship
  • PHY 361 Intermediate Mechanics
  • PHY 371 Electromagnetism
  • CS 420 Numerical Computing

V. Unrestricted Electives (remainder of credits)