Mathematics & Statistics
Mathematics is the science and art of pattern and idea…statistics is the science of collecting, analyzing and making inference from data. There is no area that does not require some form of mathematical or statistical thought. It is an integral part of the liberal arts education and is the foundation for many areas of study. In filling many roles at UW-La Crosse, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics serves a diverse group of students; we nurture all liberal arts students, give students a solid foundation from which to study both the natural and social sciences, provide the tools needed by students in professional programs, and cultivate mathematics and statistics majors. As disciplines, mathematics and statistics can be studied by themselves, or in conjunction with other fields such as the biological and life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and social sciences.
Students who graduate with degrees in mathematics or statistics pursue a wide variety of careers. Our math education majors are sought after to fill a huge need for quality math teachers in our country. Many of our statistics and applied math majors go on to jobs in industry as analysts, statisticians, and actuaries while others go on to professional programs such as law, medicine and health professions, or business. With degrees from our program, students have gone to graduate programs in mathematics, applied mathematics, statistics, engineering, and computer science.
The faculty of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics is committed to being excellent teacher-scholars. Members of the department are involved in research in areas of algebra, analysis, topology and geometry, statistics, applied mathematics, numerical analysis, education, and combinatorics and graph theory. This research is widely published in prestigious research journals, and many faculty have received numerous grants. Technology is integrated into both the teaching and research in the Department. Many students participate in undergraduate research projects that result in publications and presentations at national conferences.
Mathematics and statistics are interesting and lively subjects. Mathematics has both an aesthetic and a practical appeal; the enjoyment of problem solving, abstract thinking, and structural beauty draws many to mathematics. Statistics helps us understand and describe phenomena in our world and to help us draw reliable conclusions about those phenomena. The challenge and satisfaction of using mathematics and statistics to solve real world problems provides an equally strong appeal. #UWLmath