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[This page last updated: 18 March 2008]
GO TO Mathematics and Statistics Home Page About Majors, Minors, Graduation, Graduate Degrees, Assistantships:
Question:What are the admission and course requirements for a BA or BS in Mathematics or Statistics? Answer: GO TO our Bachelor's Degree (BA/BS) page.
Question:What are the requirements for a minor in mathematics? Answer: GO TO our Minor in Mathematics page,
or, just print out the Math Minor Flyer (PDF document)
Question:Where can I learn about a mathematics major or minor? Answer: Visit our Undergraduate Program page.
Question:Which is the mathematics major "capstone course"? Answer: The "capstone course" is Math 402 (Advanced Analysis I).
Question:What are the Departmental Honors criteria for graduating mathematics majors?
Answer: Departmental Honors for graduating majors of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics are decided by a vote of the entire full-time faculty.
Facts we take into consideration include:
Overall GPA (Grade Point Average)
UMKC Mathematics courses GPA
Performance in mandatory 400-level mathematics courses
Mathematics faculty recommendations
Extracurricular mathematics involvement such as:
Activity in the MAA student chapter,
Giving a talk in one of the Department series of talks or elsewhere,
Work on or participation in mathematics contests,
Mathematical publications of any kind (including the UMKC Sosland Journal),
Tutoring or grading work,
Undergraduate research, and so on.
Question:What is the mathematics "Major Field" Test mathematics majors take just before they graduate? Answer: To register to take the major field test, or for information call (816) 235-1160, or see Academic Assessment, and click on Exit Exams. The test is an ETS (Educational Testing Service) standardized assessment test (called Mathematics II) that must be taken by all undergraduate mathematics majors in the last semester before they graduate. For a description and sample questions GO TO ETS Major Field Tests. This test does not appear on your transcript or affect your GPA.
Question:What is the MAPP (Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress) Exam all students take before they graduate? Answer: For complete UMKC information about this assessment go to Academic Assessment, and click on Exit Exams. This is a UMKC degree requirement. All students are required to take this Exam prior to graduation, unless they have previously earned a Bachelor's Degree or have taken the entire C-BASE test. This test does not appear on your transcript or affect your GPA.
Question:What are the admission and course requirements for an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in mathematics? Answer: GO TO our Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Degree page.
Question:Do you offer any graduate assistantships, or other financial support for graduate students? Answer: Yes. GO TO our Employment Opportunities page, and look under "Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Positions", or "Graduate Assistant (GA) Positions". For GTAs, you may also go directly to our GTA page.
About Courses, Entrance Tests Online, Common Finals, Texts, Instructors:
Question:When the Class Schedule says "staff", how can I find out who my instructor is? Answer: GO TO Current Semester Course Schedules for the most recent information.
Question:What are the Mathematics Entrance Tests for Math 110 (College Algebra), Math 120 (Precalculus), Math 206 (Brief Calculus & Matrix Algebra), and Math 210 (Calculus I) that I've heard about?
Answer: GO TO the Mathematics Entrance Tests home page for complete information and directions to the Tests, which are online through the Blackboard program.
Question:What courses have Common Final Exams and when are these exams given?
Answer:Math 110 (College Algebra) and Math 210 (Calculus I) are the only two courses that have a Common Final Exam. These exams are given at the end of Fall and Spring Semesters, but not Summer Semesters. The Common Final Exams are scheduled on the Saturday at the end of the last (partial) week of classes, and follow the two Arts and Sciences "Reading Days" on Thursday and Friday. Both exams are given between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm on that Saturday. Your Math 110 or Math 210 instructor will provide further details (exact time, room, type of exam questions, and so on) near the end of the Current Semester.
Question:Do you have a complete list of the undergraduate courses and the graduate courses you offer with all details about each course? Answer: GO TO Mathematics and Statistics Courses, and click on the course you want.
Question:What mathematics courses from other schools transfer for credit? Answer: GO TO the UMKC Course Equivalency web site for information about course transfer equivalency between UMKC and many institutions.
Question:For what mathematics credit do my AP Calculus or IB Mathematics courses transfer? (Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate).
Answer:
For AP (Advanced Placement) Calculus:
Calculus AB -- Score: 3 or above -- Transfers as: Math 210 (Calculus I) (4 credit hours).
Calculus BC -- Score: 3 or above -- Transfers as:
Both Math 210 (Calculus I)
and Math 220 (Calculus II) (each 4 credit hours).
For full UMKC details see AP.
For IB (International Baccalaureate) Mathematics:
IB Examination in Mathematics -- Score: 5 or above -- Transfers as:
Math 210 (Calculus I) (4 credit hours).
Question:What are my options for mathematics courses below College Algebra (Math 110) through UMKC?Answer: There are currently 2 options:
(1) You may be able to enroll (without cost) in one introductory level mathematics course at a local community college or university through the KCASE (Kansas City Area Student Exchange) program. The basic requirements for a UMKC student are that the course you want is not offered at UMKC, you are currently enrolled in at least 12 hours at UMKC during the semester you want to take the course, you have a 2.0 GPA, and you have approval from your advisor. (Complete details can be found on the KCASE web page.) In particular, the MCC (Metropolitan Community Colleges, including Blue River, Longview, Maple Woods, and Penn Valley Community Colleges) have an excellent suite of such elementary mathematics courses. You as a student attend the course at the school you choose.
(2) Math 100 (Intermediate Algebra) is offered through UMKC, though it does not count toward graduation, and does not fulfill any degree requirements. This course is also offered through Arts and Sciences Continuing Education, as a non-credit course, saving students roughly 50% of the cost.
Question:Do you have a Writing Intensive course in mathematics? Answer: Yes. It is Math 464 WI (History of Mathematics, Writing Intensive).
Question:How can I earn Honors Credit for a mathematics or statistics course? Answer: For complete information about UMKC honors credit go to Getting Honors Credit. For our department, read the section on Contracting Honors Credit. You will find there links to both an Honors Contract, and an Honors Contract Completion Form, as well as full instructions.
Question:What courses can you "test out" of (Credit by Examination), and how is this done? Answer: (1) Through the UMKC College Level Examination Program (CLEP) you can "test out" of two undergraduate mathematics courses:
Our department does not administer these tests. The CLEP tests are administered at the UMKC Counseling and Testing Center located in Suite 206, (Old) Student Services Building, 4825 Troost, (816) 235-1635, open M-F, 8 am - 5 pm. For complete CLEP information see the UMKC site for Credit by Examination. Our department accepts the results of these tests. But, be sure to check with your own department or school first since some (for instance, the School of Pharmacy) do not accept CLEP credits. (2) Within the Department of Mathematics and Statistics only the following courses
are available for credit by a departmental examination which we administer:
For our specific department information on Credit by Departmental Examination GO TO: CREDIT.
For UMKCgeneral information on Credit by Departmental Examination GO TO:
Credit By Exam.
Question:What other degrees or majors at UMKC require my undergraduate course? Answer: GO TO Mathematics and Statistics Courses, and click on the course you want.
Question:Do any of your courses have an online or web-assisted component? Answer: This currently depends on the instructor. Check individual Faculty web sites. Many instructors use UMKC Blackboard.
Question:Can I take any of your mathematics courses by distance learning? Answer: Yes.
Some courses similar to those offered at UMKC are offered through the UM Center for Distance and Independent Study located in Columbia, MO. Contact them for complete information. Note that these courses are independent from those offered on campus at UMKC.
About Getting Help, Calculators, Software, the Faculty:
Question:HELP! Where can I get tutorial assistance in mathematics? Answer: See Tutorial Help for information about the Math and Science Resource Center, mathematics videos, and more.
Question:What is the Open Office Hours policy I've heard about, in case my instructor is an Adjunct Lecturer?
Answer: If you are enrolled in a 100 level or 200 level mathematics course taught by an
Adjunct Lecturer, you are welcome to come for help to the office of any Full-time Faculty member during his/her stated Office Hours, whenever your own Adjunct Lecturer is not available.
Question:Do you have any online diagnostic mathematics tests I can take over the internet? Answer: Our new Entrance Tests can act as diagnostic tests for you. GO TO Mathematics Entrance Tests home page for complete information and directions to the tests, which are online through the Blackboard program.
Question:Do you have any online Mathematics Videos available to me as a UMKC student? Answer: Yes.
An entire set of video College Algebra (Math 110) and Calculus I (Math 210) course lectures with problems, produced by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, is available for viewing online through the
UMKC Blackboard Site
by self-enrolling in the "Mathematics Videos" course. Just print these Instructions. (PDF).
[Note: You need a UMKC user name and
password to login to Blackboard.]
A complete description of these videos, and a list of topics covered on them, can be read through
Mathematics VSI Courses.
Question:If I am not currently taking a class from the department, but need assistance with mathematical problems posed in another UMKC class, can you help? Answer: Visit one of us during our office hours and ask. We'll help if we can. See Mathematics and Statistics Faculty.
Question:What is the department policy on the use of calculators in class and on tests? Answer: This is decided by individual instructors. However, calculators are restricted in various ways for each of the Common Final Exams in Math 110 (College Algebra) and Math 210 (Calculus I).
Question:What mathematics software do you recommend for writing mathematics, doing mathematics, or drawing good pictures? Answer: Consider the following:
Winplot: A general-purpose plotting utility, which can draw (and animate) curves and surfaces presented in a variety of formats.
Winmat: Allows the user to calculate and edit matrices, and solve standard linear algebra problems. The program operates in real, complex, and
integer mode.
Winstats: Provides access to scatter plots, curve fitting, histograms, statistical data, and standard theoretical probability distributions.
It also simulates dealing cards, sampling candy, tossing darts, needles and coins. There are two least-squares demos and a confidence-interval demo.
Wingeom: For high-precision geometric constructions in both two and three dimensions. Drawings can be highlighted and animated in a variety
of ways.
Winfeed: A fractal exploration program. It allows the user to explore functional iteration, including Mandelbrot and Julia sets, ferns and
snowflakes, web and bifurcation diagrams, and more.
Windisc: A collection of subprograms that deal with discrete-math topics such as apportionment, voting power, voting methods, and network
analysis (traveling salesman problem, map-coloring, etc).
Wincalc: Allows the user to calculate integers with millions of digits.
Question:How can I learn about the faculty, as well as their mathematical or statistical interests? Answer: GO TO Mathematics and Statistics Faculty.
Question:What are the current office hours and offices of the faculty? Answer: For offices and current office hours see Office Hours. In general, the offices of the Full-time Faculty, Adjunct Lecturers, and GTAs (Graduate Teaching Assistants) are on the second and third floors of Manheim Hall (just west of Royall Hall). Several other Adjunct Lecturers also share offices on the 4th floor of Royall Hall. The department office is in Haag Hall 206.
Question:Who can I talk to if I feel like dropping a mathematics class? Answer:
First, it is always best to talk to your instructor before dropping a course. He or she will be happy to discuss your current grade and any other concerns you may have. You might be doing better than you thought! Your performance is more than just grades.
Talk to an academic advisor in your degree program! This can be very important. (For instance, if an engineering student drops a mathematics class it can set his or her degree program back as much as a full year.)
Question:Who can I talk to if I have complaints or concerns about something regarding an instructor, a course, and so on? Answer: First, feel free to talk during their office hours to any Mathematics and Statistics Faculty member you feel comfortable with.
Depending on your concern, you can also talk to the:
College Algebra Coordinator (Math 100, 110, 120, 125): Ms. Roberts,
Calculus Coordinator (Math 210, 220, 250): Dr. Voulov,
GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistant) Supervisory Committee Chair: Dr. Sega,
Undergraduate Advisor (Mathematics Majors & Minors): Dr. Hall.
Question:In general, how can I contact someone in the department? Answer: See Mathematics and Statistics Faculty to contact individual faculty by email or telephone. The Department Office is in Room 206 Haag Hall, (816) 235-1641.
About Enrichments, Careers, Teaching/Tutoring Jobs, High School Matters:
Question:What mathematics teaching or tutoring employment opportunities are there at UMKC?
Answer: See UMKC Mathematics Employment Opportunities.
Question:What interaction does your department have with pre-college schools and students? Answer: See Precollege Matters for our HSCP (High School/College Partnership) participation, our Video Mathematics programs, and other items.