New degree emphasis gives options to math majors

What do you do with an education in math if you love working with numbers, but don’t necessarily want to teach? A new degree program at Pittsburg State University is giving students an alternative to the norm.

A new emphasis in Analytics will be offered under the bachelor’s degree of Integrated Studies this fall. The new, 72-hour emphasis melds courses in mathematics and computer science, preparing graduates for careers in areas such as telecommunications, banking, or any field where math and business skills are combined.

Dr. Bobby Winters, assistant dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, calls the Integrated Studies degree “very marketable,” and describes it as combining courses in math, management and marketing, communication, English and computer science. The idea for the new emphasis came after Mindi Walker with Commerce Bank of Kansas City spoke to PSU math majors about career opportunities.

“We want educated employees who can apply their technical expertise in a business setting,” Walker said. “We look for the sort of folks who can solve the problems we give to them and are curious about the next step.”

Dr. Tim Flood, chairman of the Department of Mathematics, hopes the new emphasis will encourage students to consider the possibilities of math as a course of education.

“Lots of students come here who were good at math in high school but don’t know how to proceed with the subject once they come to college,” he said. “They may not want to teach, but we are encouraging them to develop their full mathematical talents for other careers.”

For more information on the new emphasis, contact Winters at winters@pittstate.edu.

---Pitt State---