College of Science & Engineering
The Department of Mathematics offers three baccalaureate degrees. These degrees are designed for students who enjoy mathematics for its own sake; will eventually seek professional opportunities in business, teaching, or government; plan to pursue advanced degrees in mathematics, applied mathematics, statistics, and other applied scientific fields.
The Liberal Arts concentration is for students who desire a broad liberal arts education with an emphasis in mathematics.
There are active student groups that will reach out to official majors.
Access the list of the major requirements to better understand the structure of the major.
The roadmap puts all of your graduation requirements into an easy-to-follow semester-by-semester plan so you know what to take to stay on track. Whether you are a freshman or a transfer student, you'll be able to find a roadmap that best fits you.
Besides your major requirements, students must complete their GE and University requirements. Be sure to make sure you've completed all of these requirements for graduation.
To learn more about this major, check out the major department’s website below. You can also find out how you can access their faculty advisors who can assist you not just with course choices, but also answer questions about the field and discuss your career plans.
Department of Mathematics
Thornton Hall Building, Room 937
Phone: (415) 338-2251
Email: statmath@sfsu.edu
Website: http://math.sfsu.edu/index.php
Chair: Dr. Eric Hsu
Freshmen Student Advising Information
After choosing “Basic Subjects” GE courses in Steps 1-3 of your Orientation process (if you haven’t done so, log onto your Orientation Profile page to follow the “Pre-Orientation Advising Module”), STEP 4 Choosing Major Classes will show you if there are any classes you can take to satisfy major requirements for your first and/or second semester.
Once you have determined your Roadmap above, review the first section below and write down any course recommendations based on your corresponding major roadmap on your Freshmen Class Planner worksheet.
First Semester Course Recommendations — Roadmaps A, B, C & D
|
Major Class & Title |
Units |
Other Requirement Area(s) Met |
|
MATH 226 – Calculus I #1, #2 OR MATH 197 – Prelude to Calculus #2 OR MATH 199 – Pre-Calculus#2 |
4 units
3 units
4 units |
Major Core, Satisfies B4 GE
Prerequisite for CHEM 115, MATH 226
Prerequisite for CHEM 115, MATH 226, Satisfies B4 GE |
|
If there are any course(s) listed above, please enter this information onto “Step 4” of your Freshmen Class Planner. |
Advisor Footnotes:
-
#1 Prerequisite for MATH 226 is high school pre-calculus with “B” or better, or high school calculus with a grade of “C” or better; or a college-level pre-calculus course with a “C” or better (i.e. MATH 198 or MATH 199).
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#2 Take the First-Year Math Advising Exercise before choosing this course.
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If any of the courses listed in this section are FULL by the time you are to enroll, consider choosing more General Education courses to build up your schedule.
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There are no other alternate courses for this major.
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If more units are needed, consider General Education courses from the areas suggested in the "GE Area Recommendations" section below.
Once you have made your course choices for Steps 1-4, you may already have between 12-15 units chosen for your first semester—about 4 to 5 classes.
If more units are needed, you will proceed to "Step 5 - Choosing GE Courses" from your Orientation Advising Module after considering the following recommendations...
|
GE Area |
Advisor Notes |
|
A1 Oral Communication |
Covered in “Step 3” on Class Planner |
|
A2 Written English Communication |
Covered in “Step 1” on Class Planner |
|
A3 Critical Thinking |
Covered in “Step 3” on Class Planner |
|
B1 Physical Science |
Consider taking a B3 Lab if chosen |
|
B2 Life Science |
Consider taking a B3 Lab if chosen |
|
B3 Laboratory Science |
Make sure this includes a LEC component if chosen |
|
B4 Quantitative Reasoning |
Covered in “Step 2” on Class Planner |
|
C1 Arts |
There are major courses for this area |
|
C2 Humanities |
There are major courses for this area |
|
D Social Sciences |
There are major courses for this area |
|
D US History |
There are major courses for this area |
|
E Lifelong Learning & Self-Development (LLD) |
Covered in “Step 1” on Class Planner |
|
F Ethnic Studies |
There are major courses for this area |
|
US/CA Government |
Choose any |
Students can get Math 226 credit for one of:
- Calculus AB (or AB subscore) of 4 or 5
- Calc BC score of 4 or 5
In addition, students can get Math 226 AND Math 227 credit if they have BC score of 5 and AB subscore of 5, but this requires approval of the math office. They should email statmath@sfsu.edu for the form and be prepared to document the AP test scores.
Teaching, finance and scientific consulting.
Transfer Student Advising Information
Please see the box above labeled “Major Curriculum/Roadmaps & GE/University Requirements” for information on what courses to take in your first semester at SF State. View our Frequently Asked Questions for Transfers for helpful tips and additional information.