A high proportion of actuarial students majors in Mathematics
in part because of convenience: a student that takes the core courses is only three Math courses short of meeting the Math-course requirements
for a B.A. in Mathematics, for instance. Those three courses are
among the most theoretical and proof-oriented in the Department,
so students who dislike or struggle with such material often choose
a different major. The Natural Sciences College catalog and the
Mathematics Department's document Handbook for Students contain official information on majoring in Mathematics; what
follows is a brief sketch of how to concentrate in Actuarial Studies
as a Mathematics major.
The two different undergraduate degrees---B.A. and B.S.---available to Mathematics students are clearly different from each other, but neither is clearly better for all students than the other. In general, the B.A. provides greater flexibility and breadth, while the B.S. requires greater emphasis on Mathematics Department courses; it is roughly true that any courses that must be taken under the B.S. may be taken under the B.A., but the reverse isn't true. A significant difference involves the courses M365C and M373K---which must be taken by B.S. students---as compared with M361K and M343K that may be chosen as alternatives by B.A. students. Roughly speaking, the difference in these pairs of courses is the level of abstraction: while M361K proves everything about calculus, for instance, M365C proves everything about an abstract generalization of calculus. Perhaps because actuarial students tend to be problem oriented and concrete, a majority of actuarial students that major in Math seek B.A. degrees. But a significant number love the abstract material and seek the B.S. degree.
Besides the Mathematics in the actuarial concentration's core, additional Mathematics courses must be taken to satisfy the requirements of a B.A. degree with a major in Mathematics: M325K (Discrete mathematics) or 328K (Number theory); 361K or 365C (Analysis); and 343K or 373K (Abstract algebra). This brings the total of Mathematics semester-credit hours to at least 40, of which only 36 can be counted toward the 120 hours required under the B.A. degree; thus the B.A. Mathematics major with an actuarial concentration might accrue at least 124 hours rather than the minimum 120 hours. One possible pattern of required or recommended major or concentration courses is as follows:
Besides the Mathematics in the actuarial concentration's core, additional Mathematics courses must be taken to satisfy the requirements of a B.S. in Mathematics: M325K (Discrete mathematics) or 328K (Number theory); 427K or 370K (Differential equations); 365C (Analysis); and 373K (Abstract algebra). This brings the total of Mathematics semester-credit hours to at least 43, three over the required minimum for the degree. One possible pattern of required or recommended major or concentration courses is as follows:
For advice, see both Professor Daniel and the Mathematics Department's Undergraduate Adviser.