The Department of Mathematics at the University of Connecticut is set to restructure several mathematics majors starting in the fall of 2025. This process will consolidate multiple majors into one mathematics major with different concentrations, according to Damir Dzhafarov, an associate mathematics professor and the mathematics director of undergraduate studies.
Currently, the Department of Mathematics covers six different majors: mathematics, applied mathematics, actuarial science, actuarial science-finance, mathematics-physics and mathematics-statistics.
Dzhafarov said that under the new structure, mathematics and applied mathematics would be consolidated into one mathematics major with the option to concentrate in either, in addition to a new track called “mathematics teaching.” This change would also move the mathematics-physics major to the Department of Physics.
Dzhafarov talked about the reasoning for the change.
“For many years… [the Department of Mathematics has] had our undergraduate program organized into separate majors… and this is a bit unusual in that many of our peer institutions… organize their majors a little differently. They put them under one major with separate concentrations,” Dzhafarov said. “I think there’s a good philosophical argument for that which is that… these [majors] are all a part of mathematics, and we are all mathematicians, and we want all of our students to be math majors at the end of the day.”
According to Dzhafarov, the new mathematics major would have a set of “foundational courses” that all math majors would be required to take and then sets of courses that differ between the three concentrations. These foundational courses would include multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and a proofs-based course.
“[The foundational courses] give the students a good solid first introduction to each of these areas and we think… any math major should have seen these topics,” Dzhafarov said.
Dzhafarov talked specifically about why the proofs-based class, Transition to Advanced Mathematics, is included as a foundational class.
“This is a course that current applied math majors don’t have to take, but we felt it was important for everyone to see this course because, in some sense, if this course is anything it’s an introduction to logical reasoning,” Dzhafarov said. “That’s a skill that’s relevant no matter what you do, whether you become a marine biologist or a journalist, every average everyday citizen needs to use [logical reasoning] in their day-to-day life.”
The new mathematics major will be introduced at the beginning of the next academic year, according to Dzhafarov. Students currently enrolled in any affected majors will have the opportunity to change to the new major but can remain in their current plan of study. The current mathematics and applied mathematics majors will not be offered to students after the fall 2025 semester.
The Department of Mathematics has been working on restructuring the major since 2022 and is currently working with the registrar to finalize the changes.
Dzhafarov clarified that these changes are unrelated to the Provost’s office looking to eliminate low-completion programs.
The actuarial science, actuarial science-finance and math-statistics majors will be unaffected by the restructure. Dzhafarov mentioned that the Department of Mathematics hopes to eventually restructure the math-statistics major similarly to the new mathematics major.