Frequently Asked Questions

Students whose primary major is in the College of Science and who are not pursuing a dual degree must earn a total of 120 credits to graduate. Students whose primary major is in the College of Science and who are pursing a dual degree must earn a total of 150 credits to graduate. Once you apply for your degree, your Degree Audit Report (DARS) will show the total number of credits required for graduation.

Graduation requirements are outlined in either checksheets or the academic catalog, depending on the year you entered VT. Click here to see the math major graduation requirements.

Progress to Degree rules are outlined in Satisfactory Progress to Degree section of the undergraduate catalog.

Some courses also have prerequisite grade requirements. For example, students must earn a C- or better in MATH 1225 in order to enroll in MATH 1226. Additionally, students must earn a C or better in MATH 2114 in order to enroll in MATH 3034. Other prerequisites can be found on the Timetable of Classes.

Students must have at least a 2.0 in-major GPA to graduate with a B.S. in Mathematics.

Progress to Degree rules are outlined in Satisfactory Progress to Degree section of the undergraduate catalog. In addition, Virginia Tech allows at most three attempts at any one course. Approval from the College of Science Academic Dean is required for a math major to attempt any course beyond a third attempt.

A coherent program of courses in fields other than mathematics, but in which mathematics is used significantly, is valuable as a part of a general education in mathematics and is extremely valuable for employment opportunities. In light of this, traditional option students are required to work with their advisor to complete a 12-credit Interdisciplinary Application of Mathematics Course Plan. Detailed requirements and sample courses can be found in the Math Major Handbook.

The Traditional Option Math-Related Course Plan Form and submission instructions can be found on the Math Department Advising Forms Website. Students should submit their plan no later than the end of their sophomore year.

A coherent program of courses in fields other than mathematics, but in which mathematics is used significantly, is valuable as a part of a general education in mathematics and is extremely valuable for employment opportunities. In light of this, Applied Computational Mathematics (ACM) option students are required to work with their advisor to complete a 12-credit Interdisciplinary Application of Mathematics Course Plan. Detailed requirements and sample courses can be found in the Math Major Handbook.

The ACM Option Interdisciplinary Application of Mathematics Course Plan Form and submission instructions can be found on the Math Department Advising Forms Website. Students should submit their plan no later than the end of their sophomore year.

The Math Department's Sample 4-Year Course Plans and Graduation Requirements webpage is a great place to start. There is a video posted at the top of the page that explains each of the four degree options and key difference between them. In addition, you can read details in the Math Major Handbook and you can compare the sample 4-Year course plan for each degree option (most notable differences are in the third and fourth years). Then talk to your academic advisor.

With a B.S. in mathematics, you can cast a very wide net in your job search. Some job titles of recent VT math grads include Data Scientist, Cyber Security Engineer, Operations Research Analyst, Software Engineer, Web Developer, and Spacecraft and Satellite Operations Tech. Recent employers have been Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, and the National Security Agency.

To learn more, visit the Math Department Career Advising website. Specifically, there is an excellent resource posted from SIAM titled Careers in the Mathematical Sciences. In addition, the section of the Career Advising website titled More Career-Planning Resources has some VT-specific information and Math Department specific information. The Career and Professional Development Post-Graduation Info section also contains more survey information from recent VT math grads.

You may also want to explore Career and Professional Development's resources. Specifically, go to career.vt.edu and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll see a button that says "What can I do with this major?"

The SIAM Student Chapter at Virginia Tech hosts a number of talks for the "Mathematics in Industry" speaker series. The speakers describe the path they followed to reach this point in their careers and also discuss their industry and how mathematics is used. The is a great opportunity to meet the speaker and learn about careers in mathematics. Talk information is posted on the Math Department Career Advising website.

There are several resources available.

• Your academic advisor is always someone you can talk to about your post-graduation plans and career goals. 
• The Math Department also has its own career advisors, listed on the math career advising website. 
• Career and Professional Development offers many services to help you discuss possible careers that align with the intersection of your strengths and interests.

The Math Department Undergraduate Research website is a great place to start learning about the process and options available.

In the past, we have offered BEPUR: Broadening Engagement and Participation in Undergraduate Research (MATH 2984), which was geared towards students during or in the semester following their first proof-writing class. We hope to offer something similar soon.

All math majors must take a 3-credit programming course. The graduation checksheets for student who entered during the academic year 2023-24 or earlier list the following course options. See question below about allowable substitutions for further information.

• MATH 1454 (Intro to Math Programming): This course is intended for students with no programming background and teaches MATLAB. It is generally only offered in the fall semester. Entering students who do not have any prior programming experience should take this course in their first semester if they are also enrolled in the co-requisite, MATH 1225 (Calculus of a Single Variable). This course (or MATH 3054) is highly recommended for students in the Applied Computational Degree option.
• MATH 3054 (Programming for Math): This course is intended for students with some programming background and teaches MATLAB. It is generally only offered in the fall semester. MATH 2214 (Differential Equations) is a co-requisite for this course, so students generally take it during the fall of their junior year. This course (or MATH 1454) is highly recommended for students in the Applied Computational Degree option. UPDATE: This course is no longer taught, so any student who has not already taken this course cannot use it for the programming requirement.
• CS 1114 (Intro to Software Design): This course is intended for students with no programming background who are interested in pursuing further CS courses (for example, students interested in a CS minor or double-major). It usually teaches Java. CS 1114 is required for students in the Applied Discrete Mathematics option, because it is a prerequisite for their required CS 2114 course.
• CS 1044 (Programming in C): This is an introductory programming course that teaches C. No programming background is required.

We do allow routine substitute courses for the programming requirement as well. (Note that these do not substitute for a specific course requirement, such as the CS 1114 requirement for students in the Applied Discrete Mathematics option.) Generally, these substitutions are used by students who change their major to math and have already taken a programming course for a different major. Approved substitute courses are: AOE 2074 (Computational Methods), CS 1054 (Intro to Programming in Java), CS 1064 (Intro to Programming in Python), ECE 1574 (Engr Problem Solving with C++), ECE 2514 (Computational Engineering), and ME 2004 (Engr Analysis Numerical Methods).

If you think you have taken a 3-credit course that should satisfy the programming requirement and is not listed above, email mathadvising@vt.edu for review.

We do allow routine substitute courses for the programming requirement as well. (Note that these do not substitute for a specific course requirement, such as the CS 1114 requirement for students in the Applied Discrete Mathematics option.) Generally, these substitutions are used by students who change their major to math and have already taken a programming course for a different major. Approved substitute courses are: AOE 2074 (Computational Methods), BMES 2074 (Computational Methods in Biomedical Engineering), CS 1054 (Intro to Programming in Java), CS 1064 (Intro to Programming in Python), ECE 1574 (Engr Problem Solving with C++), ECE 2514 (Computational Engineering), and ME 2004 (Engr Analysis Numerical Methods).

If you think you have taken a 3-credit course that should satisfy the programming requirement and is not listed above, email mathadvising@vt.edu for review.

Sample 4-year course plans can be found for each degree option here. These include a breakdown of each semester. Use these as a starting point for your planning and discussions with your academic advisor.

Students can change their math degree option anytime. Directions can be found in the Change of Major/Minor/Degree Option section of the Math Advising Forms page.

As a math major, your academic advisor is a faculty member who can discuss course and career advice throughout your undergraduate career. Click here to meet the Math Advising Team.

The math department offers two courses for first-year students to help with this.

MATH 1004: Discovering Mathematics I (1 credit, P/F, offered only in the fall semester) is an introduction to the scope and applicability of mathematics and its many sub-disciplines. It introduces students to the process of thinking, learning, and writing as a mathematician through topics such as logic systems, recreational mathematics, LaTeX programming, history, ethics, open problems, and research in mathematics. This class also includes advising topics such as planning a Virginia Tech course of study.

MATH 1044: Discovering Mathematics II (2 credits, A-F, offered only in the spring semester) is an introduction to the scope and applicability of mathematics and its many sub-disciplines. It introduces students to the process of thinking, learning, and writing as a mathematician through topics in pure and applied mathematics and a brief experience with mathematical research. This class also includes advising topics such as planning a Virginia Tech course of study.

Both courses are restricted to first-year math majors. They provide a wonderful community of math majors and also provide upper-class peer mentors. If you are in your first year as a math major but not your first year at VT, talk to your advisor about whether this course might be a good fit for you.

If you feel you know the content of a course without formally taking the course at VT, talk to your advisor about a Credit by Exam (CBE). Some courses have CBEs offered in August and some only at the end of each fall and spring semester during final exams. There is a $10 fee per credit hour for each CBE and students cannot have previously attempted the course in which they want to take a CBE. Only one CBE attempt is allowed per course. More information is posted on the Math Department Credit by Exam website.

There are several options available. Information is posted in the Virginia Tech Students section of the Math Tutoring website. 

Absolutely! See the Opportunities for VT Math Students on the Math Department Undergraduate Student website.

• The prerequisites for CS 2114 are CS 1114 or CS 2064. Most ADM students take CS 1114 as their first CS course in the second semester of their first year. However, ADM students may opt to take CS 1064 + CS 2064 in place of CS 1114. In this case, CS 1064 will count for your programming requirement (your advisor will need to request a DARS sub for this) and CS 2064 will count as a free elective.

• CS 4114 and CS 4124 are allowable subs for the CS 4104 requirement. Your advisor will need to request a DARS sub for this.

• CS 5114 is an allowable sub for CS 4104. Your advisors will need to request a DARS sub for this.

See the Change of Major/Minor/Degree Option section on the Math Advising Forms page.

See the Change of Major/Minor/Degree Option section on the Math Advising Forms page.

See the Change of Major/Minor/Degree Option section on the Math Advising Forms page.

See the Change of Major/Minor/Degree Option section on the Math Advising Forms page.

See the Change of Major/Minor/Degree Option section on the Math Advising Forms page.

See the Change of Major/Minor/Degree Option section on the Math Advising Forms page.

Search the website of the department in which you would like to add or drop a major or minor. If you cannot find directions on their website, contact an academic advisor in that department.

YES! 

Students can schedule an Explore Mathematics or Explore Mathematics Minor appointment through Navigate to meet with a math advisor. If you are unable to find an available appointment, please email mathadvising@vt.edu .